Brand Strategy + Website Design in New York + Beyond

Help people understand what you do, feel connected to it, and find their way in.

UPSTATE NEW YORK · HUDSON VALLEY · CAPITAL REGION · NEW YORK CITY · BEYOND

We shape websites, messaging, and communications for businesses, nonprofits, and creative organizations.

From the structure of a website to the story on a restaurant menu, we bring strategy, writing, and design together to help people discover your work and understand what comes next.

MAKE YOURSELF UNDERSTOOD. Give people something to connect with.

  • WIGGLE ON MAIN

    A website that shares the restaurant’s story and helps customers explore its offerings, supported by a broader understanding of the business and guest experience.

  • FUTURE OF SMALL CITIES INSTITUTE

    Website design, sponsorship materials, event rental information, and digital communications.

  • ROOT ACCESS

    Website strategy, audience pathways, copywriting, design, and search foundations for discovering life in Schoharie County.

  • OAKWOOD COMMUNITY CENTER

    Website design, newsletter, envelope, and rack card design supporting a community organization’s communications.

You know what makes your work meaningful. Let’s help other people see it.

Maybe your business has evolved and your website hasn’t caught up. You have plenty to say, but it’s difficult to organize. Your materials feel disconnected. Or you’re starting something new and need to introduce it to the world.

We begin with the people you want to reach. What are they looking for? What do they need to understand? What would help them feel ready to visit, inquire, participate, or take the next step?

Those questions shape the words, structure, and design.

HOW WE THINK. Every detail helps tell the story.

  • IDENTITY

    Your history, purpose, personality, and point of view give people a reason to connect with you.

  • CLARITY

    People should be able to understand what you offer, who it’s for, and where to go next.

  • EXPERIENCE

    We consider how someone moves through your website or materials, from their first impression to the information they came to find.

  • CONTINUITY

    Your website, printed materials, and everyday communications should feel connected to the business or organization people experience in person.

WHAT WE DO. Shape the story. Build the experience.

  • BRAND STRATEGY + MESSAGING

    For businesses and organizations finding their voice or bringing their communications into focus.

    Audience + positioning
    Core messages
    Brand voice + storytelling
    Services + offerings language
    Creative direction
    Messaging across customer touchpoints

  • WEBSITE STRATEGY + DESIGN

    For a new website, a thoughtful refresh, or a site that needs a clearer structure.

    Website planning + site architecture
    Audience pathways + navigation
    Page design + implementation
    Website copywriting
    Image selection + visual direction
    Inquiry, resource + ordering pathways

  • CONTENT + SEARCH FOUNDATIONS

    For useful content that helps people discover your work and find relevant information.

    Keyword + search research
    Page topics + content planning
    On-page copy optimization
    Page titles + meta descriptions
    Image descriptions + internal linking
    Blog structure + future content guidance

  • PRINT + DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

    For the materials that introduce your work, explain an offering, or invite people to get involved.

    Newsletters
    Rack cards + brochures
    Sponsorship materials
    Rental + service one-sheets
    Presentation materials
    Social + promotional graphics

TELL US WHAT YOU'RE BUILDING →

DESIGNING A WAY IN

Different people arrive with different questions.

For Root Access, the website work centered on helping prospective residents explore Schoharie County through their own interests. Someone considering remote work needed a different starting point from someone hoping to grow a business, raise a family, or live closer to the land.

We developed a structure around those pathways, connecting page copy, local information, stories, and resources to help visitors explore what mattered to them. That’s the kind of thinking we bring to a website: understanding the choices people are trying to make, then building an experience that helps them move forward.

EXPLORE ROOT ACCESS →

WORK WITH US. Start where you are.

  • BUILD SOMETHING NEW

    For a business, organization, or initiative that needs a website and communications foundation. We help establish the direction, develop the content, and bring the pieces together.

  • REWORK WHAT YOU HAVE

    For an existing presence that no longer reflects your work or serves your audience well. We assess what’s useful, identify what needs attention, and shape a focused scope for the update.

  • CREATE THE NEXT PIECE

    For a specific need, such as a sponsorship document, newsletter, service page, or set of promotional materials. We consider how it fits into your existing communications and create it with that context in mind.

YOUR CREATIVE + STRATEGIC PARTNER

Hi, I'm Katie.

I approach a website with the same curiosity I bring to a business, a space, or an event: Who is this for? What should they understand? How should it feel? What needs to happen behind the scenes for it to work?

My background spans small business ownership, hospitality, nonprofit leadership, events, and community development. I’ve worked with restaurant owners, community organizations, and regional initiatives to connect their stories with practical ways for people to engage.

As the founder of Second House and co-owner of The Maples Estate, I also understand the responsibility of maintaining a public presence while running the business behind it.

That perspective shapes the work we create together. We consider both the person encountering your organization for the first time and the team responsible for keeping it moving.

MEET KATIE →

FROM FIRST QUESTION TO FINAL DETAILS.

  • 01 · DISCOVER

    Your organization, audience, goals, existing materials, and the experience you want to create.

  • 02 · STRUCTURE

    The messages, pages, content, and pathways needed to make the work clear.

  • 03 · CREATE

    Copy, visual direction, layouts, and design developed together.

  • 04 · BUILD + REFINE

    Bring the pieces into place, review the details, and test how the experience works.

  • 05 · LAUNCH + HAND OFF

    Prepare the finished work and provide the guidance agreed in your scope so your team can use and maintain it.

"We couldn’t be more grateful to Katie and her team at Second House. Not only did she create backend systems to help two overwhelmed business owners stay organized, she built a website that beautifully conveys our story to customers."

- Jenna + Evan, Owners of Wiggle on Main

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We work with small businesses, hospitality brands, nonprofits, community organizations, and creative founders. We’re especially interested in work with a strong connection to people, place, and experience.

  • Yes. Copywriting and content structure can be part of the project. We work with you to understand your organization, gather the information needed, and develop language that sounds like you while helping your audience find what matters.

  • Yes. Depending on the platform and the changes needed, we can refine an existing site or develop a more substantial redesign. We begin by reviewing what you have and establishing the most useful scope.

  • Yes. We can work with your existing identity and develop website layouts, messaging, and materials that feel consistent with it. Early in the project, we’ll identify the assets available and any additional creative support needed.

  • Search foundations can be included in website projects, such as keyword research, page structure, copy optimization, metadata, image descriptions, and internal links. We define the scope at the beginning and can also provide recommendations for future content.

  • Yes. Newsletters, rack cards, sponsorship materials, rental one-sheets, and other communications can be scoped as individual projects.

  • We consider your team’s needs when planning the site. Training and handoff guidance can be included so you understand how to make routine updates and maintain the content after launch.

  • Each project is scoped around the content, number and complexity of pages or materials, existing assets, and level of strategy and implementation required. We begin with a conversation, then develop a proposal outlining the work, timeline, and investment.

CONNECTING THE WORK

Sometimes updating your website brings bigger questions into focus: what you offer, how you explain it, how inquiries are handled, or what happens after someone gets in touch. Our Strategy + Consulting work can help you address those questions and connect your communications with the systems and experience behind them.

STRATEGY + CONSULTING →

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO DISCOVER?

Your story. Your place. Your purpose. A reason to visit, participate, or get in touch.

Let’s build a clearer way into your world.