Some of my favourite projects start before there's really a brief. There's an idea, a shift in the market, a new product, a frustrated founder, a business that has outgrown its current identity, or simply a feeling that there's something here. That's the bit I'm interested in: the space between potential and possibility, where you're trying to work out what this thing could become before you know exactly what it needs to be called, look like or say.
I work with startups, scale-ups, founders and organisations on innovation and growth projects where the opportunity isn't always obvious yet. Sometimes we're defining a new venture or product. Sometimes we're repositioning an existing business for its next stage of growth. Sometimes we're finding the gap in the market and building the brand, story, service or community to fill it. The work might begin as business strategy, innovation or a slightly messy conversation, but it often moves into brand strategy, brand positioning, naming, visual identity, storytelling, creative direction and bringing the idea to life. That's the sweet spot I love: finding the potential, defining the opportunity, then creating the brand world that helps people understand it, believe in it and want to be part of it.
I've seen this play out across very different kinds of work. Stretchy Social Yoga Club started with a gap in the market for yoga that felt more social and connected, then became a brand, community and experience. Picky Images started with a need for better, more authentic New Zealand imagery and became a platform, brand and photographer community. Caike Club is my own current experiment in the same territory: an idea for a different kind of IRL AI learning experience, shaped into a brand, proposition and community. And my advertising and brand work for organisations including Whittaker's and Fire and Emergency New Zealand has taught me the other side of the equation: how to turn a strategic idea into memorable creative, storytelling and campaigns that people actually notice. See more of the work here.
Where I love to play
I'm especially drawn to businesses and ideas that are trying to make something better, more human, more useful or simply more interesting. That includes:
- 🧘 Health & wellbeing
- 🧠 Education & financial literacy
- 🫶 Community & belonging
- 🍸 Hospitality, events & third spaces
- 🌱 Sustainability & circular thinking
- 🥕 Agriculture & food
- ✨ Astrology, human design, yoga, breathwork, meditation — and all the beautifully "woo" things
- 👀 Or surprise us.
The common thread isn't really the industry. It's the potential. I like working with founders who can see something others haven't quite seen yet, growing businesses that need to evolve without losing what made them special, and teams sitting on an idea that needs someone to connect the dots. I'm particularly interested in the point where business strategy meets creativity — where customer need, commercial opportunity, brand and culture all have to make sense together.
From strategy to something people can see
Once we know what we're building, the creative work gets much more interesting. A brand isn't just a logo or visual identity; it's the expression of an idea. Brand strategy gives it direction. Brand positioning gives it a place in the market. Naming and messaging give it language. Visual identity and design make it recognisable. Storytelling and creative direction give people a reason to care.
That's why I don't believe in jumping straight into the branding. The best identity work comes from understanding the opportunity first. What are we really offering? Who is it for? Why should they care? What makes it different? What could this become? Once those questions are answered, the design becomes more than decoration — it becomes a tool for growth.
This is particularly valuable for startup and scale-up branding, where the business itself is changing quickly. You might need your first proper brand identity, a clearer positioning strategy before raising investment, a repositioning before entering a new market, a new identity as you scale, or a creative partner who can connect the dots between the business you have today and the brand you're trying to become. You don't always need a giant branding agency to do that. Sometimes you need someone senior enough to see the bigger picture, close enough to the work to make decisions, and flexible enough to build the right team around the problem.
So, how do you work with me?
There are a few ways in. A Studio Project is right when you have an opportunity, challenge or idea that needs defining and bringing to life — from innovation and brand strategy through to identity, storytelling and creative execution. Fractional Creative Direction is for businesses that need ongoing senior creative thinking inside the team, without hiring a full-time Creative Director. And for smaller or more focused pieces of work, we can bring in the right specialists and collaborate around a defined challenge.
You don't necessarily need to know which one you need before we talk. In fact, some of the most interesting projects start with "I'm not quite sure what this is yet, but I think there's something here." That's a perfectly good brief.
Because ultimately, that's what Studio Dawn is here for: helping people, brands and businesses see what they're capable of becoming — then giving that potential a strategy, a story and a visual world people can actually see.
If you're building something with potential, start with Project Discovery. Tell me what you're working on, where you're stuck or where you think there's an opportunity. We'll figure out the shape from there.
Kimberley 🌞