Heart-led brand, packaging and Shopify design.

Let’s take your design process from feeling scattered to streamlined.

 

 

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A community of over 300 designers 60+ lessons Monthly Live Q+A Calls Presentation Templates Examples from Real Client Projects Project Management Templates A community of over 300 designers 40+ video lessons Monthly Live Q+A Calls Presentation Templates Examples from Real Client Projects Project Management Templates

RUNNING A DESIGN
BUSINESS can BE PRETTY
OVERWHELMING, RIGHT?

 

You spend hours and hours putting together your client presentations – always questioning what you should and shouldn’t include.

You know that your work is good, but you’re worried clients won’t understand the purpose behind it or respect your process.

You don’t feel confident when working with clients. You second-guess yourself often and you worry that clients can sense your uncertainty.

nearly every designer
struggles with these things
because it’s the stuff that
nobody teaches you.

but you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Our Philosophy

 

The Designer Essentials Club — The Designer Essentials Club — The Designer Essentials Club

 
 

An online course to help you streamline your client
process and establish yourself as an expert.

 
 

In the club, you’ll get
an in-depth look at my
entire brand + web
design process.

All the ins and outs, tools, lessons, mistakes and strategies that I use to
have smooth projects + happy clients.

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“after the course, I felt so much more confident in my own process.”

VINA LEIDIANA

@blomedesign.co

 

HERE’S A LOOK at what’s
inside the club:

 
 

60+ lessons

We’ll cover everything from getting clients, onboarding, creative direction, presenting logos, brand style guides, website direction + design, handing off final files to clients and so much more. PLUS take a peek at some of my own real project presentations and how I present design concepts to my clients.

 

6 presentation templates

Speed up your process + establish yourself as the expert with my 6 editable presentation templates for both branding + web design projects. (The exact same ones in my template shop.) Each template includes fill-in-the-blank prompts to easily explain your decisions to clients – no lorem ipsum!

 
 
 

or sign up for the trial version to access the first 15 lessons for free!

 

Lessons to not only improve your process, but find your confidence.

Here’s a full outline of all the lessons that you’ll get inside the Club!

 
 
 
    • How the Heck Do I Get Clients?!

    • Booking + Onboarding New Clients

    • Tools to Organize Your Process

    • Red Flags to Look For in Clients

    • Intro Calls with Potential Clients

    • Project Proposal Template

    • Real Client Example: Proposals

    • Pricing Your Services

    • Figuring Out Project Timelines

    • Things to Include in Your Contract

    • Using Asana with Clients

    • True Story – I Turned Down a Client + They Thanked Me for It

    • True Story – My Contract Saved Me from Giving a Refund

    • What is Brand Creative Direction?

    • Brand Discovery Calls

    • Brand Creative Direction Template

    • Real Client Example: Brand Direction

    • Using Screen Recording to Present to Clients

    • Getting Helpful Feedback

    • One Concept Method vs. Multiple Concepts

    • First Concepts Template

    • Real Client Example: First Concepts

    • Refined Concepts Template

    • Real Client Example: Refined Concepts

    • How to Avoid Endless Revisions

    • True Story – The Indecisive Client

    • True Story – A Client’s Competitor Accused Us of Copying (Even Though We Didn’t)

    • True Story – My Client Changed Their Mind and Cancelled

    • Style Guide Template

    • Real Client Example: Style Guide

    • Preparing + Sending Final Brand Files Walkthrough

    • Web Discovery Calls

    • Web Direction Template

    • Real Client Example: Web Direction

    • Web Design Mistakes to Avoid

    • Gathering Web Content from Clients

    • Designing Website Mockups

    • Real Client Example: Website Mockups

    • Working with a Developer

    • Real Client Example: Web Developer File Handoff

    • Website Testing + Launching

    • True Story – The Never-Ending Website Project

    • True Story – My Client Didn’t Like Their Website

    • True Story – The Web Developer Messed Up Our Launch

    • How I Use Dubsado

    • Design Business Blueprint Training

    • Abbey’s 2021 Year in Review

    • Cold Pitching with Kirsten Lawler

    • Brand Strategy with Melinda Livesey

    • Packaging Design with Laura Evans

    • Dubsado with Krystal Clark

    • IG Video Content with Latesha Lynch

    • Value-Based Pricing with Morgan Rapp

    • Hiring Employees + Contractors with Meg Baker

  • In these lessons, you’ll get to watch Abbey work on a client project in real time! Watch her work through creative block, refining concepts, and figuring out coding issues. Below are the lessons available in this module:

    • Logo Design Process

    • Making Logo Refinements

    • Customizing Logo Typography

    • Designing a Semi-Custom Shopify Homepage

    • 1-Week Shopify Website (Customizing CSS and Liquid)

 
 
 

“I was expecting the course to just focus on the design process, but you went above and beyond…”

Including things like CMS, what to put in your contracts, email prompts, workshops, Q&As, etc. What I’ve invested became so much more valuable and the whole course, despite its name, didn’t just give me the essentials to start as a designer, but it’s holistic approach assured me that I could do this confidently in the long run.”

Ezzie gatila

 
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you’ll also get an
unfiltered look at the
biggest mistakes i’ve
made as a designer.

The best lessons are ones that we learn by making mistakes, right? So throughout the course, I’ve added special “True Story Lessons” where you’ll get to hear me share a real story of a tough client situation or a mistake that I made and what I learned from it. By sharing these stories, you'll be able to learn from my experience and hopefully avoid making those same mistakes in your own design business. Here are a few of the True Story Lessons you’ll get to watch inside the Club:

  • My Contract Saved Me from Giving a Refund
  • Dealing with an Indecisive Client
  • My Client Cancelled On Me
  • A Website Launch Nightmare
 

or sign up for a free trial to preview the first 15 lessons!

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growing a design business is
hard. but you don’t have to
figure it out alone.

 
Pay in Full

One Payment of

$1500

  • 60+ lessons
  • 6 editable presentation templates
  • Guest workshops
  • Lifetime access
Payment Plan

6 Monthly Payments of

$250

  • 60+ lessons
  • 6 editable presentation templates
  • Guest workshops
  • Lifetime access
 
 

not sure if the club is right for you?

sign up for a free trial and gain access to 15 lessons!

With so many courses out there, you want to make sure you’re choosing the one that’s really right for you and aligns with your unique goals as a designer. That’s why I’ve made a portion of The Designer Essentials Club completely free to preview! Sign up via the link below to gain instant access, watch the lessons and see if the Club is your perfect match.

 
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frequently asked questions

 
  • Refining your process takes time! I recommend planning for it to take at least 4 weeks to work through all of the course content. But you have lifetime access access to everything in the club, so you’re welcome to work through things at your own pace!

  • This course doesn’t specifically focus on teaching design skills. The primary subject of the lessons is setting up your design process, working with clients and the business side of freelancing. However, there is a section of the course called “Watch Me Work” where you get to watch Abbey design something in real time and she shares her thought process while designing logos and websites!

  • No! Although this course is a great fit for new designers, we’ve also had many people join the club who have been in the industry for 3, 5, even 8+ years! Whether you are a self-taught designer, recently graduated from college, just left the agency/corporate world OR have been freelancing for a few years – this course is for anyone who wants to improve their process and learn how to create a a more streamlined, thoughtful experience for their clients.

  • Because of the nature of digital products and receiving the content, sales are final and non-refundable. If you choose the payment plan, you are responsible for all payments. If you have any questions about if this course is right for you, be sure to email me at hello@wayfarerdesignstudio.com before purchasing. I’m always happy to chat and help you decide if the course is the best option for you!

  • Wish granted! ✨ You can buy all of the templates individually OR as a bundle! Each of the templates also come with a video walkthrough where you’ll get to see them in use for a real client project. Click here to check out the template shop.