Designthat drivesresults.
Brand strategy, identity, Squarespace websites, copywriting, and creative direction for businesses that want to look as good as they are. Every project is led personally by Deanna Burks.
Case files
Eight launches where strategy and creativity worked hand in hand. Drag the rail, or open a file for the photos and the story.
The index
Identity wall
Brand marks pinned up the way they live in the studio. Hover a piece to straighten it and read the label.
![Almoney: Embroidered cap](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6899dccc45379a1507125a82/32736c48-bb0c-4c3f-8ae4-bb443611ecb8/AlmoneyHat-2.png",?format=750w)
![Rebecca Jade: Real estate identity](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6899dccc45379a1507125a82/1779489620178-VONY175MCJNBMUKB2R5A/RebeccaJadeDesign.png",?format=750w)
Marketing executive, creative director, brand designer, Squarespace and HoneyBook expert, course creator, and educator.
Since 1998, Deanna has helped businesses of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, reach their goals through strategic marketing and design. She pairs a love of beautiful aesthetics with a passion for efficient systems, so the business side of business gets simpler too.
Brand strategy and identity
Positioning, audience, and messaging first. Then the logo system, colour palette, and typography that carry it.
Squarespace web design
Editorial, whitespace-forward sites with custom copy and SEO foundations, built so owners can keep them current.
Copywriting
Website and brand copy that says what the business does in the voice its best clients respond to.
Creative direction
Concept, casting, set styling, shot lists, and post-production for shoots and product launches.
Systems and AI consulting
HoneyBook client flows, plus AI and AI Engine Optimization guidance so a brand shows up where people now search.
The record
Creative director, brand strategist, designer, and writer. In-house and independent, across print, web, photography, and marketing systems.
Formal training in fine art and visual design, the base for everything after.
The start of thirty years of hands-on knowledge of paper, colour, finishing, and press requirements.
Directed marketing campaigns, premium print, events, invitations, and advertising for high-net-worth clients, balancing creativity with strict regulatory compliance. Led creative reviews and managed printers and vendors.
Brand identity, websites, copywriting, campaigns, and creative consulting for corporations, nonprofits, small businesses, and national organisations. Teams of 5 to 15 creatives, clients from $50k start-ups to high seven-figure firms.
Directed enterprise marketing, communications, and digital strategy: website governance, SEO, proposals, recruiting, business development, and firmwide creative review and project systems.
Implemented and administered Salesforce Marketing Cloud for both organisations: configuration, governance, automated member journeys, segmentation, and CRM integration.
Creative direction for print, event, invitation, and social materials in financial services.
Styling, floral design, and creative direction for editorial shoots published by JoyWed and The White Wren.
CRM setups, client workflows, training, and course material that cut admin time and speed up inquiry response.
Results on the record
Client outcomesFrom a deficit in year two to a sales increase of nearly three million by year six, through a focused branding campaign and sales process development.
Remotely managed an Earth Day event budget of nearly half a million covering print, advertising, and event costs. More than 300 attended, including the mayor of Jacksonville.
Static and light-motion social assets for LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook raised engagement by up to 40 percent.
A 30 percent lift in website engagement for a key client, and a 30 percent increase in CRM leads.
Streamlined client booking by half and raised productivity 35 percent through custom CRM systems.
Built the online sales presence, designed sales proposals, and wrote bids that led to several awarded contracts.
Awards and press
35 design awards in allCreative direction, design, and writing of a 24-page sustainability book for CSX Transportation.
CSX Transportation sustainability report: written and visual content.
Creative direction and design of an environmental customer handbook for Metro Water Department of Nashville.
Recognised from 2003 to 2006.
Recognised from 2020 to 2022.
Creative direction and design for a late winter wedding shoot.
Creative direction and design for a Monet-inspired wedding shoot.
Interview on work and life balance in the wedding industry.
In their words
ClientsDeanna created a stunning website, brand, and CRM setup that accurately represents our design services, elevating our brand. We now attract clients we want to work with.Brooke Sligar · Collective Haus
Deanna is very creative and has a high level of expertise with technology and branding. I strongly recommend working with her.Maureen Brown
Training and community
Off the clock- Lipscomb University
Public relations and marketing strategy - Nashville State Community College
Visual communications, multimedia, and web design - Nossi College of Art
Fine art and visual design - Certifications
HoneyBook Pro and educator, Squarespace Circle member
- Thistle Farms and Magdalene House
Advisory board member - Junior Service League of Hendersonville
Public relations officer - YMCA
Volunteer for youth and family programs - Girl Scouts
Freelance creative designer
Skills and tools
242 skills gathered from nearly thirty years of creative direction, design, web, and marketing work. Filter by discipline or search for one.
Brand and strategy
Positioning to guidelines · 25- Brand strategy
- Brand identity systems
- Logo design
- Visual identity systems
- Brand guidelines
- Brand stewardship
- Brand governance
- Brand voice development
- Positioning
- Messaging architecture
- Creative strategy
- Marketing strategy
- Integrated campaign development
- Campaign libraries and visual systems
- Business development strategy
- Sales process development
- Trend research and analysis
- Market and consumer insight
- Project brief development
- Executive consulting
- Digital transformation consulting
- Brand asset management and training
- PR and reputation campaigns
- Growth marketing strategy
- Organizational positioning
Creative and art direction
Leading the work and the people · 18- Creative direction
- Art direction
- Design leadership
- Creative concepting
- Mood boards
- Storyboards
- Visual storytelling
- Creative reviews
- Designer mentorship
- Leading creative teams of 5 to 15
- Hiring creative talent
- Presenting concepts to clients
- Vendor and agency management
- Printer management
- Event creative and planning
- Corporate event planning
- City-wide event production
- Campaign toolkits
Graphic design and typography
Craft on the page and screen · 35- Graphic design
- Typography
- Layout
- Composition
- Visual hierarchy
- Color theory
- Editorial design
- Illustration
- Print design
- Digital design
- Presentation design
- Proposal design
- Brochures and sales sheets
- Magazines and publications
- Annual and sustainability reports
- Marketing collateral
- Direct mail
- Advertising design
- Event invitations and collateral
- Custom wedding invitations
- Property development materials
- Social media graphics
- Carousel posts
- Email graphics and templates
- Digital ads: static, carousel, animated
- Light-motion and animated content
- Ecommerce merchandising graphics
- Photo editing
- Video editing
- Technical document design
- Customer handbooks
- Recruiting and proposal materials
- Internal communications design
- Seasonal retail campaign creative
- Ecommerce homepage graphics
Print production
Thirty years of press knowledge · 10- Print production
- Final file preparation
- Production-ready files
- Paper selection
- Color management
- Finishing techniques
- Press requirements
- Press and vendor coordination
- High-volume production
- Budget management
Photography direction and styling
From concept to final select · 17- Photoshoot creative direction
- Photography art direction
- Shot lists
- Photographer selection and management
- Casting
- Set design
- Location styling
- Editorial styled shoots
- Prop and wardrobe styling
- Post-production direction
- Retouching guidance
- Image selection
- Asset curation
- Product launch imagery
- Floral design
- Wedding and event styling
- Photography styling
Web, UX, and interactive
Sites people enjoy using · 24- Website design
- Custom Squarespace design
- Responsive web design
- UX and UI design
- Interaction design
- Landing page design
- Ecommerce design
- Front-end development
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- Website strategy and governance
- CMS management
- Content planning
- UX testing and optimization
- A/B testing
- Accessibility and usability
- SEO and SEM
- AI Engine Optimization (AIEO)
- Custom interactive site features
- Custom applications for workflows
- ADA and digital compliance
- Squarespace template customization
- CRM and SaaS consulting
Copywriting and content
Words that carry the brand · 16- Copywriting
- SEO-focused website copy
- Brand storytelling
- Content strategy
- Content curation
- Marketing copy
- Bid and proposal writing
- Report writing
- Educational materials
- Public relations
- Course creation and teaching
- Technical writing
- Ad scripts
- Email campaign writing
- Docuseries development
- Sustainability reporting
Marketing, CRM, and automation
Systems behind the pretty · 24- Digital marketing strategy
- Multi-channel campaigns: email, web, social
- Email marketing
- Marketing automation
- Customer journeys and lifecycle
- Audience segmentation and targeting
- Email funnels and lead nurturing
- Lead generation
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud administration
- Marketing Cloud implementation
- CRM integration
- Custom CRM systems
- CRM setup and workflows
- HoneyBook systems and smart files
- Social media marketing
- B2B and account-based marketing
- Google and Facebook advertising
- Marketing analytics and reporting
- CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and CCPA compliance
- Marketing workflow and process design
- AI-enhanced design and asset generation
- Advertising
- Sales proposals and enablement
- Booking process design
Leadership and delivery
How projects get finished · 10- Project management
- Multi-project management
- Deadline management
- Resource management
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Stakeholder communication
- Client relationship building
- Remote team collaboration
- Regulated-industry creative (financial services)
- Software consulting and training
Tools and platforms
The working kit · 63- Adobe Creative Cloud
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- InDesign
- Acrobat
- Lightroom
- Adobe XD
- Adobe Animate
- InCopy
- Premiere
- After Effects
- Scene7
- Figma
- Canva
- Squarespace
- WordPress
- Showit
- Shopify
- HoneyBook
- Flodesk
- MailChimp
- ConvertKit
- HubSpot
- Salesforce
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud
- Zapier
- Asana
- Trello
- Slack
- Loom
- Acuity
- Calendly
- Hootsuite
- Later
- Planoly
- Sprout Social
- Final Cut Pro
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
- Keynote
- FileMaker Pro
- Knack
- QuickBooks
- Claude
- ChatGPT
- Gemini
- Cloudflare Workers
- Google Apps Script
- Squaremuse
- Microsoft Copilot
- Dropbox
- Evernote
- Grammarly
- Hemingway App
- QuickTime Pro
- PowerPoint
- Excel
- Pages
- Numbers
- Google Docs
- Google Sheets
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Yours.
Back to the case files → Deanna Burks · The Brandess™ · Hendersonville and Nashville, Tennessee