Bring the Brand Seasons® Playdeck to life

Pocket-sized wisdom + guidance to support you through the branding process. Plus the chance to win a Playday!

Branding can feel like a complex journey—whether you're seeking clarity and direction, aiming to create a cohesive identity, or hoping your narrative truly resonates. When there’s so much to consider, it’s understandable that you might feel unsure about how to move forward in an aligned way.

I created the Brand Seasons® Playdeck to help you define your strategy, create your style, and tailor your story. It’s a tool to guide you as you walk through these essential phases and find your way to substance. What’s more, it offers an opportunity to connect with your brand in a way that feels good!

Now live and available to back on Kickstarter, the campaign includes This Creative Life - A Brand Seasons® Paper, a beautifully designed mini zine for the dreamers featuring some of your favourite artists, makers, and writers (more on this soon).

You can also find add-ons for going deeper and wider—as part of a community or through one-on-one guidance in my Playgroup, Playdate and Playday experiences.

Be among the first to bring this project to life by joining the initial wave of backers and entering a special giveaway.

Why the Playdeck?

As a designer, mentor, and writer with close to 20 years of experience in business, I’ve trialled and tested my fair share of branding methods. And there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

In my design practice, I focus on helping clients define their vision, craft beautiful visuals, and find their unique voice. The passion and purpose I share with these individuals inspired me to create and nurture a tool to help them embrace the ebbs and flows of branding and business.

The Brand Seasons® Playdeck has distilled two decades of branding knowledge into a pocket-sized card deck. The project draws on my love for this medium, which is friendly and flexible, and I’m excited to offer this blend of brand wisdom and guidance in a neat little package of playfulness and possibility.

How do I use the cards?

The deck is designed to help you refine your brand by offering actionable prompts and practices. The deck contains 48 cards, split into four seasons and phases, each with its own colour:

• Sowing / Strategy / Green: Establish your brand vision, purpose, and beliefs

• Blossoming / Style / Pink: Refine your logo, palette, and typography

• Harvesting / Story / Yellow: Shape your brand narrative, character, and messaging

• Grounding / Substance / Blue: Align your actions and values

You can use the cards in whatever way feels right for you, whether that’s working through them in order, focusing on a particular season, or simply pulling a card for inspiration.

What are the Brand Seasons?

There is no linear approach to navigating the seasons. You may find that you move backwards and forwards between them as your creative efforts take shape. For example, different parts of your business may be in distinct phases because you're marketing one thing while contemplating another.

• A Season of Sowing: Think of this as a springtime phase, where you lay the foundations for your brand by exploring ideas, making plans, and setting goals.

• A Season of Blossoming: In this summer-like phase, it’s time to take action. You may be ready to test a product, engage your audience, or focus on branding and design.

• A Season of Harvesting: This autumnal phase is all about sharing your story and enjoying the fruits of your labour, whether that’s through promotion or completion of a project.

• A Season of Grounding: As winter approaches, reflect, realign, and renew your vision. Prepare for the next cycle by ensuring your actions harmonise with your values.

These are ideas that I'm excited to expand on since they reflect aspects of my branding practice, and I'm eager to help you make the most of these cycles. They all hold a place along your creative path and have something positive to bring.

Who can use the cards?

The Brand Seasons® Playdeck is designed for a range of creatives and entrepreneurs. I primarily work with small business owners who want to create or refine their brand image, but anyone who is curious about the process and wants to build a brand can benefit.

• Creatives: artists, makers, and writers who wish to connect with the heart of their brand will find inspiration in the seasonal approach, which can help to shape your vision.

• Entrepreneurs: whether you identify with this word or not, the deck can help you create or refine a cohesive brand that gives you confidence in your brand strategy, style and story.

• Designers: those working in branding and design can use the deck to support their own creative practice, and lean on the prompts and practices to guide conversations with clients.

Ultimately, the Playdeck is for anyone who wants to bring curiosity, creativity, and connection to the branding process. It breaks it down into manageable phases, helping you connect with your brand in a way that feels achievable and enjoyable, honouring your creative rhythm in the process.

“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing.”

— Charles E. Schaefer

It might also appeal to letterpress lovers, since I’m bringing a sensory dimension to the experience, making this deck as beautiful to hold as it is to use. Plus, you’ll get access to additional online resources, ensuring continued support as you work through the deck.

You can also enjoy a range of add-ons through Kickstarter, the first being my all-new Playgroup: a collaborative, three-month online experience beginning in January 2025. You’ll work alongside fellow creatives, participating in workshops, and co-working sessions, and receiving resources to guide your brand’s growth.

You can also add on a Playdate: a 90-minute, one-to-one session with me to tackle a specific branding challenge, providing you with clarity and confidence, or a Playday: a full-day, deep-dive where we’ll focus on an area of strategy, style, or story to help you feel more at home with your brand.

How can I support the Playdeck?

By backing the Brand Seasons® Playdeck, you’re joining a movement that blends branding with playfulness and possibility. In a fast-paced world that often demands constant productivity, this approach encourages a more intentional approach—supporting the natural cycles of life and work.

The early bird offers include:

• Playdeck ~ £40 (early bird ends Thursday)

• Playdeck + Paper ~ £55 (early bird ends Thursday)

The add-ons include:

• Playgroup ~ £195

• Playdate ~ £240

• Playday ~ £480

I would love to invite you to become an early bird backer and help fund the campaign by 25% today. Pledging is different from paying. You are simply showing your support at this stage. Payments will not be processed until the end of the campaign on 23rd October. We are halfway to that initial target and edging closer to getting the deck into your hands!

Now, I'd love to know, if you're currently working on your business or a project, which of the seasons do you find yourself in? What most resonates with you? I hope we can explore it together.

As a free subscriber, you can enjoy articles and essays exploring the rhythms of our creative lives and work, written through the lenses of curiosity, creativity, and connection.

If you’re ready to craft a brand that feels like home and access exclusive insights and resources, consider upgrading to join my Brand Seasons paid community. Here, I support you with a gentle, nurturing, and playful approach to brand strategy, styling, and storytelling. I’d love to welcome you!