Two project slots open from mid-November. Briefs are read the same week and answered within two working days.

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A freelance designer's desk with an open laptop, notebook and pencils in daylight

One designer, start to finish

Brand and website work for small independent companies

I am Mara Ellison. I design the identity, build the website, write the handover notes, and stay reachable after launch. No account layer, no rotating team — you work with the person doing the work.

See what I take on Send a project brief
  • Based Remote, UK hours
  • Typical project Four to nine weeks
  • Good fit Studios, makers, consultancies, small shops
  • Built with Hand-written HTML, CSS and light JavaScript

Three ways a project usually starts

What I take on

Each lane below says what you receive, how long it runs, and what it deliberately does not include. If your project needs something outside these, say so in the brief and I will tell you plainly whether I am the right person.

Lane 01Identity

Visual identity for a small company

For companies that have outgrown a logo made in a hurry. We settle the name treatment, the typography, the colour behaviour and the few rules you will actually use when you post, print or pack an order.

  • Primary and compact logo lockups, plus a single-colour version
  • Type and colour system with usage rules in plain language
  • Three applied pieces — usually packaging, a social set or stationery
  • Working files, exported formats and a short written guide

Runs forThree to four weeks

You bringYour own words about the business, and whoever makes the final call

Not includedNaming research, trademark advice, print buying

Lane 02Website

Website design and build

Design and code together, by the same pair of hands, so nothing is lost in translation. Most clients need five to nine pages that load quickly, read well on a phone and can be edited without calling me.

  • Structure and page plan agreed before any visual design
  • Designed and built pages, responsive from 320px upward
  • Enquiry form, clear navigation and accessible contrast throughout
  • Editing walkthrough recorded as written notes you keep

Runs forFive to nine weeks

You bringCopy drafts, product or service detail, any photography you own

Not includedOngoing content writing, paid advertising, shop fulfilment setup

Lane 03Handover

Design system and handover

For teams who already have a site and an in-house person to run it. I document what exists, fix what is inconsistent, and leave a set of components your developer or marketer can reuse without guessing.

  • Audit of current type, spacing, colour and component use
  • Tidied component set with named tokens and spacing scale
  • Written decisions so future pages stay recognisable
  • Two review sessions after handover, scheduled with you

Runs forTwo to four weeks

You bringAccess to the current site and the person who maintains it

Not includedPlatform migration, server work, long-term retainer support

The part most people want to know first

How a project actually runs

Four stages, each with a clear end point. You always know what is being decided, what I need from you, and when the next thing lands in your inbox.

01

Brief and scope

A written brief, then one call to fill the gaps. I send back a scope note listing deliverables, dates, the fee and what would count as extra work. Nothing starts until you agree to that note.

Week one, usually two or three days

02

Direction

One direction, not three near-identical ones. You see type, colour and the way a key page or piece is composed. We talk it through once, in one conversation, and I note the changes agreed.

Week two, one round of feedback

03

Make

The quiet stretch. I design and build the full set, sending a link every Friday so you see progress without chasing. Two consolidated feedback rounds are included at this stage.

Weeks three to seven, weekly updates

04

Launch and handover

Checks across phones and desktops, then launch on a date you choose. You receive files, written notes and a short list of things worth revisiting in six months.

Final week, plus 30 days of fixes

Recent engagements, described plainly

Notes from the last few projects

No slide decks or headline figures — just what the job was, what shipped, and what the client was left holding.

Identity & packaging · Fernlight Soap Co.

A soapmaker moving from markets into shops

Their labels were handwritten and lovely, but unreadable on a shelf at arm's length. We kept the drawn quality and rebuilt it as a type and colour system that survives a 40mm label.

Shipped
Logo set, six label variants, a one-page rule sheet for new scents
Handed over
Editable label templates the owner updates herself
Website design & build · Hallow & Pike Joinery

A joinery workshop that needed better enquiries

The old site showed finished rooms with no sense of what a commission involves. We restructured around the commission process and the questions they were answering on the phone every week.

Shipped
Seven-page site, commission enquiry form, project gallery structure
Handed over
Written editing notes and a reusable project page pattern
Design system & handover · Marlowe Civic Research

A small research group with four people editing pages

Every new page drifted a little further from the last. I documented what already worked, removed the duplicates, and gave them a spacing scale simple enough to remember.

Shipped
Component set, token names, report and article page patterns
Handed over
A short decisions document plus two follow-up sessions
Hand sketching layout ideas in a notebook beside a laptop and a cup of coffee
Early structure work happens on paper. It is faster to throw away a sketch than a built page, and it keeps the decisions honest before any colour is chosen.

Practical detail, before you ask

Working together

A freelance project runs well when both sides know the shape of it. Here is how mine works, so you can decide early whether it suits you.

What every project includes

  • A written scope note before work begins, with dates and fee agreed
  • One named contact: me, from first email to final file
  • Weekly progress links, so you are never waiting in the dark
  • Feedback gathered in consolidated rounds rather than scattered messages
  • Thirty days of fixes after launch at no extra cost
  • Every working file, font licence note and export you need to carry on

What I need from you

  • One decision-maker who can approve without a committee
  • Copy drafts, or a frank admission that you need help finding them
  • Replies within about three working days during active weeks
  • Honest feedback early rather than polite agreement late
  • Any brand material, photography or licences you already own
  • A realistic launch date — not one set before the work was scoped

Fees, tools and what happens afterwards

Fees

Fixed fee per project, split into a deposit at scope agreement and the balance at handover. Extra work is quoted separately before it starts, never added quietly to an invoice.

Tools

Design in a single shared file you can view at any time. Websites are hand-written HTML, CSS and light JavaScript, hosted wherever you prefer. No builder lock-in.

Afterwards

Thirty days of fixes are included. Beyond that, most clients return for a half-day of changes a few times a year, booked by email when they need it.

Freelance brand and website designer Mara Ellison, photographed outdoors in soft daylight

A short note about the practice

Why I work alone

I spent years in studios where the person who met the client was rarely the person who made the thing. Decisions softened as they travelled. Working alone, I keep the brief and the build in the same head, which means fewer meetings and far fewer surprises at launch.

It also means I take on a small number of projects at once. If I cannot do your work properly in the window you need, I will say so in the first reply rather than stretch the schedule and hope.

— Mara Ellison, Brio Loom

Asked often, answered honestly

Questions before the brief

How do you price work — hourly or fixed?
Fixed fee per project, calculated from the scope note we agree at the start. You know the total before any design begins. I only use day rates for small follow-up work after a project has finished.
How many rounds of revisions are included?
One round on the direction and two consolidated rounds during the make stage. In practice that is enough when feedback is gathered in one place. If a project genuinely changes direction, I re-scope it openly rather than absorb it silently.
What if my launch date is sooner than your timeline?
Tell me the date in the brief. Sometimes we can reduce scope to hit it — fewer pages, a staged launch, identity first and website later. If it cannot be done well in the time, I will say that rather than take the booking.
Can you write the copy as well?
I will shape and edit what you give me, and I will tell you when a page needs words it does not have. For projects that need writing from scratch, I work alongside a writer you appoint, and we agree their deadlines inside the same schedule.
Who owns the files when we finish?
You do, once the final invoice is settled. That includes working design files, exported assets, the website source and notes on any licensed fonts so you can renew them independently.
Do you offer ongoing maintenance?
Not as a monthly retainer. Thirty days of fixes follow every launch, and after that most clients book a half-day of updates when something needs changing. It keeps costs honest for small companies.

Open for two projects from mid-November

Send a project brief

A few lines is enough to start. I read every brief myself and reply within two working days, including when the answer is that I am not the right fit.

What happens next
You get a written reply with first questions, an honest view on timing, and a rough fee range before any call is booked.
Helpful to include
What the business does, what is going wrong now, the date you would like to launch, and anything you have already tried.
If timing is tight
Say so in the message. I will tell you straight away whether the window is workable or whether a staged start makes more sense.

Your details are used to answer this enquiry and nothing else.