Everything You've Been Wondering About Working With a Hospitality Designer
Whether you're opening a new concept, refreshing a brand that's grown stale, or finally ready to replace the website you've been apologizing for — you probably have questions. Here are the ones that come up most often, answered honestly.
Working Together
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Yes — the studio works with hospitality businesses across the US, entirely remotely. Past clients include restaurants, bars, and venues from California to New Jersey, and the process works just as well over video as it does in person. If anything, working remotely tends to make the process more focused — every touchpoint is intentional, and you're not losing hours to back-and-forth logistics.
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Every project starts with a discovery call where we talk through your concept, your goals, and what's not working with your current brand or website. From there, the project moves through three phases: Strategy (getting clear on positioning, audience, and direction), Design (building out your visual identity or website), and Launch (final files, training, and handoff). Most clients say the process feels clearer and calmer than they expected — that's intentional.
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More involved at the start, less so in the middle. The strategy phase requires your input — you know your concept, your guests, and your vision better than anyone. Once we're aligned on direction, the design phase runs mostly on my end, with two rounds of structured feedback built in. By launch, you should feel confident maintaining the site or brand yourself.
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Yes — and pre-opening projects are some of the most rewarding work the studio does. Getting the brand and website right before you open means you're not playing catch-up once the doors are open and the pressure is on. Pre-opening timelines do require starting earlier than most operators expect, so reach out as soon as you have a concept and a rough opening date.
Services & Pricing
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Brand identity packages start from $1,250. Custom Squarespace websites start from $3,250. Design Day Intensives — focused work blocks for menus, landing pages, social graphics, or targeted updates — start from $550. Every project is scoped individually based on what you actually need, so the discovery call is where pricing gets specific. There are no surprise invoices.
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Brand identity is what you build when you're starting fresh — logo suite, color palette, typography, brand guidelines, and collateral. A rebrand is what happens when an existing brand needs to be rebuilt from the ground up because the concept has fundamentally changed, the current brand is actively working against you, or the business has outgrown what was built at launch. A brand refresh sits in the middle: refining and modernizing what already exists without scrapping it entirely. Not sure which category you're in? That's exactly what the discovery call is for.
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For most independent hospitality businesses, Squarespace is the right call — and not just because it's what the studio specializes in. It launches faster, costs significantly less to build and maintain than a custom WordPress or bespoke site, and your team can actually use it after handoff without calling a developer every time the menu changes. For multi-location groups with complex booking systems or API integrations, a custom build might make more sense — and if that's you, the discovery call is the place to figure that out.
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Every website project includes a recorded training walkthrough covering the tasks your team will actually need: updating menus, adding events, swapping photos, editing copy. You also get 30 days of post-launch support for questions or small fixes. For ongoing updates beyond that — seasonal refreshes, new pages, promotional graphics — Design Day Intensives are the best fit, and many clients book them quarterly.
Still have a question that isn't answered here?
The discovery call is free, there's no pressure, and it's genuinely just a conversation about your concept and where you're at. If we're a good fit, you'll leave with a clear picture of what working together looks like. If we're not, I'll tell you that too.