Ember & Co Design Studio

01/23/2025

I've been a busy little bee over here as I prepare to close shop for maternity leave in a few months! I'm so grateful I've had the opportunity to work with a few amazing new clients during this time.

Frank sought me out after a previous engagement with another design agency left him with a website that didn't resonate with his ideal clients. He felt that the website wasn't an accurate portrayal of the high-level service he provides, and it felt disconnected from the image he wanted to put out into the world. When I took a look at what they had put together for him, I agreed wholeheartedly (unfortunately).

As a physicist and ordained minister, Rev. Dr. Frank Balgeman offers a unique blend of Christology and modern science through his "Frank Time" counseling service. He provides spiritual guidance and emotional support to influential Colorado Springs community leaders. It's a unique offering with a unique target market, and he needed a website that would resonate and immediately connect with his desired clientele.

Through a thorough strategy phase, I realized where his previous agency with awry and we were able to build a landing page that much more clearly communicated who he is an the unique value he provides to his clients. In fact, he sent over this feedback after we wrapped up his landing page design:

"Beginning on February 1st we’re going to be advertising on NPR radio. I spoke with the representative this morning, and I have to share with you what she said to me. “Frank, I looked at your website and within 5 seconds I knew exactly who your target audience was."

I thought you would be tickled to death to hear that she said exactly what you said we needed to achieve with that very first page. You nailed it, no surprise there."

I'm so glad we were able to get him to where he wanted to go, and I'm honored that he trusted me with this next chapter of his professional life.

Please go check him out and give him some support!

HER WEBSITE: https://franklyyouneedaprophet.com/

01/22/2025

I can't tell you how many times a client has come to me after working with a previous agency, frustrated and confused that the end product they received didn't actually reflect who they were or who they wanted to connect with. Oftentimes, the previous agency took all of their surface-level feedback ("I like this color," "I need 5 pages") and produced something that met that brief, but didn't actually take the time to understand the client and their ideal market on a deeper level.

Taking the time for a more thorough strategy phase may delay the "fun" parts of design (choosing colors, laying out content, etc) — but it'll ultimately land you on a much more authentic and effective end product. It provokes interesting conversations and can even provide the client with an epiphany about their own offering and how they show up in the world.

The Special Operations community is credited with saying, “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.” I think this mantra applies profoundly to business, too. Do the hard work upfront and you'll reap a harvest of marketing materials that feel authentic and impactful and allow business to go more smoothly moving forward. 👏

01/22/2025

I'm excited to announce another super fun branding + website design project with a client that I absolutely ADORE.

At Altered Pages Bible Studies, Christine brings God’s Word to life through creative, engaging, and thought-provoking exploration. Whether through lighthearted discussions or deep, serious study, her goal is to inspire a better understanding of Scripture and encourage spiritual growth in fresh, contemporary ways.

Christine has been a long-time client of mine, and now that we finally live in the same town, it has been such a JOY getting to spend more time with her in person. Even my toddler adores her, which you know is a good sign 😉

She was getting ready to launch a new bible study and needed a brand identity, cover design, AND landing page to facilitate her launch and I was so honored to be trusted with all of it. It was a big task, but we are both super in love with the final result and I can't wait to cheer her on in this next phase of her ministry!

Please go check her out and give her some support! She is a true joy 😄

HER WEBSITE: https://christinejoystudies.com/

10/31/2024

Here I am again, with another website launch that I'm tardy on announcing 😆 I am EXCITED about this one, though!

Maggie Moore provides collaborative & empathetic trauma-informed counseling to those who need support with eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and the unexpected twists & turns of life.

She and a colleague randomly found me on Yelp, and I'm SO glad they did...because GOODNESS do I love them both!

Maggie has worked in a variety of impressive roles as a licensed mental health therapist over the years, but she decided it was time to take the next exciting step in her career and launch her own private practice. In order to do that, she needed to establish a digital presence that reflected her empathetic, warm, and approachable counseling style — and provide an easy way for prospective clients to get to know her and book appointments.

It's always fun when your client's personal/professional branding aligns with your own style and goodness, Maggie did not disappoint! Her brand has been SO dreamy to work with and I am absolutely in love with how her website turned out.

Please go check her out and give her some support! She is a GEM 😄

HER WEBSITE: https://maggiemoorecounseling.com/

10/31/2024

For those who may have missed the announcement on my personal page — Baby #2 is coming in APRIL! 🎉🤩❤️ Our sweet Isobel (now almost three years old) will have a baby brother! We are so excited, especially after experiencing our second miscarriage this summer. I am about 17 weeks now. Working and mom-ing felt like quite the marathon during the first trimester, but I'm finally starting to feel like myself again and I'm excited to get a few more projects knocked out before I go on maternity leave in April. I am so grateful for my many clients who have embraced my dual roles of a mama and business owner with so much grace and warmth. Some days are more challenging than others — but it is so, so, SO worth it! ❤️

Mamas of boys, give me all your tips! I feel like I'm about to get thrown in the deep end 😉😆

10/30/2024

Hey there, friend! I'll acknowledge that I haven't been great about keeping up on social media, lately. Mamahood is full-time (and then some) and I LOVE IT. However, it has really pushed me to focus my time, and between personal life and client work, social media has taken the back seat 😉 No regrets!

However, I wanted to pop in and share a few projects that I've had the joy of launching recently. The first one is a BRAND NEW website for Industrialex. Industrialex is the premier coating company in Colorado and one of the largest in the western United States. Over 30 years, the company acquired its most significant competitors, served bigger and more diverse customers, and entered new service lines. Today, they offer powder coating, liquid coating, conformal coating, and a variety of other related services. They're GREAT at what they do — but they needed to make some big updates to their website in order to attract the next generation of business owners.

I got to go all-in on a new backend set up for this WordPress site and I LOVED IT. By the end of the project, we had a clean, modern, mobile-responsive web presence that showcased the exceptional quality of their services and their decades of experience — in a way that connects more readily with the next generation. I was also able to set up a custom backend that makes updating their website a breeze and I had a lot of fun finding creative ways to build their website in a way that minimized complications in the backend and future-proofed it for many years to come.

You can find their website here: https://industrialex.com/ 🎉🤩

03/09/2022

Hi, friends! Goodness, it's been a while!

I can't believe our sweet Isobel is 3 months old already. She is such a gift; I am absolutely obsessed and have cherished every moment with her. It is such a blessing to be able to make my own schedule and get all of this extra time with her :)

I realized recently that I never announced the launch of one of my FAVORITE websites to date. Ellywell exists to help moms give their kids a safer, healthier alternative to traditional Acetaminophen (aka “Tylenol”). Organically flavored, safe & sugar-free (naturally sweetened with Stevia), Ellywell is a fever and pain reducer designed with the best parents in mind.

The founder, Dina, is a board-certified physician in Family and Integrative Medicine but holds another full-time job as a mother of two. When one of her kids had a high fever one day, she could not find an OTC medicine that was not filled with sugar or a laundry list of scary additives. That's how Ellywell was born!

She had already worked with Johanna Pendley to create a WONDERFUL brand identity for Ellywell, but she needed a playful eCommerce website to match. Johanna asked if I'd like to collaborate and I said, "Uhm, YES PLEASE."

I don't work with Shopify often, but I stretched my development muscles for this website and I am so glad I did. I LOVE how it came out and it was so, so fun to work with this fantastically playful brand.

I love that she officially launched just before Isobel was born. I already have a bottle stashed in my medicine cabinet :)

Check it out at https://ellywell.com!

12/16/2021

I am overjoyed to announce the arrival of our precious little girl! 💕👶 Isobel Joy Shannon was born December 3 at 6:57pm — 8lbs 10oz, 21” — Delivery was intense (partially due to her huge noggin 🥴😂) but baby and mom are both healthy and healing well! She is absolutely precious and we are already over the moon in love. I am so grateful that I have the next ~3 months to bond with her without distractions. Thank you to all of my wonderful clients for being so supportive and flexible during this time. I am soaking in alllll of the cuddles and sweet newborn grunts. Such an exhausting, precious, surreal season of life. Grateful beyond measure! 💕

11/01/2021

Friendly Reminder — I'm officially on Maternity Leave! 👶🤱💕 (Swipe for a very informal bumpdate)

Officially 36 weeks today and I cannot BELIEVE I'll have a baby in my arms in a few short weeks. I look forward to having some time to prep and nest before baby girl makes her debut, and a few months after her arrival to get lots of snuggles in.

Thank you to my wonderful clients and business friends for all of your support and encouragement over the last several months. I am so blessed to have you in my corner and it is an immense honor to have such strong bonds with each of you.

I'll try to stop in when baby girl is here to show her off! 😉 😍 Can't wait for you to meet her!

If you have any questions about my maternity leave plan, you can go to http://emberand.co/maternity-leave ❤️

08/23/2021

I am beyond honored to announce my promotion to the greatest leadership role of my life — motherhood!

Baby Shannon is due at the end of November, and my husband and I couldn’t be happier! We are excited for this new chapter of life and the many joys, challenges, and changes that will come with it.

On a personal level, I truly cannot wait. I have wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember. Professionally, it’s been both challenging and empowering to navigate the many decisions that come with this profound change. I am so very, very proud of this little business and all that Ember & Co has grown into. I am immensely honored by the trust, loyalty, and friendship of my clients and collaborators. Being a small business owner has been one of the greatest honors and blessings of my life.

I’ve considered a million different ways for Ember & Co to move forward once baby girl is here. Clarity will likely come with time, and I expect some pivoting along the way as we adjust to this new season of life. However, as I’ve worked through these decisions, one phrase has returned to my mind over and over again: “they’re only little once.”

With that in mind, here's the current plan:

On a personal level, I truly cannot wait. I have wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember. Professionally, it’s been both challenging and

08/12/2021

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06/23/2021

It may seem a little quiet around these parts recently — but I've been a busy little bee! 😉🐝 Join me in celebrating the launch of PayRunner Payroll's new website: https://payrunnerpayroll.com/

The founder of PayRunner Payroll, Chris Horton, was a referral from a dear friend of mine and she told me I would absolutely LOVE working with him. Goodness, she wasn't lying! Chris is an amazing human and businessman. He's actively involved in his local community (Orange County, CA), he supports several non-profits in the area, and he has an incredible business ethic and business ethos — all of which make him an absolute joy to know and work alongside. I can see why their clients have come to adore them so deeply. It's the kind of payroll relationship you've always wished you had!

PayRunner Payroll already had an active website, but they were overdue for a refresh and excited to put some real intentionality into the user experience and "feel" of the website. We focused on improving the navigation, making buttons more obvious, and making the website super helpful for both new and existing clients by placing login links and downloadable forms within easy reach. We are both super thrilled with how the website came out, and we can't wait to show it off!

If you're in the market for a new payroll company, look no further. I cannot recommend Chris and the PayRunner Payroll team highly enough. Request your free quote on the website today!