Bringing a beginner’s mind to the age-old craft of raising kids.
Much of my focus in recent years has been partnering with wellness, mindfulness, mental health, and educational organizations; orgs that align with my personal values and my desire to support what I believe is the quiet, yet essential pursuit of inner harmony and collective well-being. Also, I couldn’t say no because Mindful Parenting is my wife’s company.
Working with Noelle (Wittliff, LMFT) has been another terrific opportunity to build a brand from the ground up. I loved finding ways to translate her 20+ years of clinical expertise into a cohesive digital presence that mirrors her own welcoming, grounding human presence. With the idea of Belonging as her North Star, we set about creating communications and programs that reinforce this fundamental human need and explore new frameworks for building inclusive, diverse, and resilient communities.
The visual identity is an evolution of an older theme, which was based on an abstract watercolor hill and horizon motif. I simplified this into a color ramp while maintaining a natural media feel within many elements, particularly in the backgrounds of social posts. This direction—inspired by the green fields and blue skies of my youth in Kentucky and our new forest home in Oregon—reflects a beginner’s mind approach to raising children: staying open to new paths and holding a vision for how parenting and family dynamics don’t have to mirror the dominant paradigm.
I used the DM font family (Serif, Sans, Display, and Mono) to give the brand a contemporary, editorial feel that’s approachable yet authoritative. The identity, featuring a delicate lotus-inspired emblem, takes a supporting role to the content, reinforcing a growth mindset without being overly precious. The project covered a range of touchpoints: identity design, strategic messaging, custom photography, and a full-featured blog and website where visitors can register for her programs. We also collaborated on filming and producing her upcoming online course, using a warm, authentic lens to help families navigate parenting’s age-old concerns with a sense of ease.
The momentum from this project has led to collaborations with other small businesses in wellness, mental health, education, and even a local confectioner. It’s been heartening to take the enterprise-level strategy and production skills I’ve gathered at larger agencies and apply them to resource-limited organizations where the work has a direct, personal impact. I feel like helping these groups build a professional, cohesive presence is a practical way for me to contribute to a more resilient foundation for the community and the generations to follow.
