Alissa Martin
Q What do you do?
“Sometimes I joke that I’m a “professional vibe curator”... but is it really a joke? 👀
I’m a brand designer, creative director, and web developer who helps small business owners turn their vision into a brand experience that feels unmistakably them. Think of me as your creative parter-in-crime who takes your cloudy ideas and transforms them into something shiny and real.”
My work includes creating colorful brand identities, curating the overall vibe across all of your brand touchpoints, and building killer websites complete with custom code and unexpected, scroll-stopping effects. I spend a lot of time in Adobe Illustrator, and even more time in the Squarespace and Shopify code editors. From curating mood boards to publishing your site, I'm right by your side every step of the way.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I started designing in elementary school — for real. My friends and I would build fansites for our favorite celebrities, and we took it VERY seriously. In middle school, I used code to customize my Tumblr themes, and I illegally downloaded Photoshop to make edits for my favorite books.
Despite all of this, I didn't think of myself as a creative. I went on to study theatre producing and marketing at the University of Michigan, staying comfortably behind the scenes supporting the "real" creatives onstage. Then I graduated straight into a pandemic and the theatre industry ceased to exist for a bit, so I moved back home and had a big old post-grad crisis.
While living at home and figuring out my next steps, I had the crazy idea to start a Harry Styles-inspired online vintage shop. In the process of building End of June Vintage, I absolutely fell in love with brand building. I got back into design by building portfolio websites for my theatre school friends, then decided to take a leap of faith and enroll in the ilovecreatives Squarespace Design Course.
Eventually, I moved to Chicago, and while I told everyone I was still open to getting a job in theatre, the idea of a 9-5 was growing less and less appealing as I took on more design clients. Very, very gradually and not at all linearly, I was able to make enough money freelancing. It started to feel less like a silly little side hustle and more like my real actual job.
More recently, I moved to New York, and this time (much to my family's dismay) I didn't look for other jobs at all — I decided to full send this freelancing thing and see what would happen. Now I'm here, and I still feel VERY far from figuring it all out, but I've learned that being an entrepreneur is just figuring "it" out over and over again!
Q How do you stand out in your field?
My motto is "Your brand should feel like you," and I'm all about infusing personality into your brand instead of playing it safe. I think most brands that are trying to look "clean" or "sophisticated" end up just feeling boring and forgettable.
On the other hand, even though my work is really colorful and funky, people always tell me it still feels clean and polished. I love finding that sweet spot where you can have bold colors and unexpected elements while still maintaining a refined look. It's not a strict binary between minimalism and maximalism — there's room to be playful and sophisticated at the same time.
I'm also unique in that I'm a one-woman show — I do everything myself, from strategy to design to actually writing the code. Instead of getting passed around between departments at some big agency, you work directly with me through the entire process. I'm obsessed with the details and personally invested in making sure your brand feels effortless, authentic, and completely aligned.
Plus, I work super collaboratively. I don't just deliver a pretty logo — I really take the time to get to know you and your brand so we can create something that reflects who you are and connects with your dream community.
Q What are you working on right now?
I'm working on a Shopify website for Marmalade Fresh Clothing, the boutique in Brooklyn where I also work part-time! I got the job as a way to shake up my routine (read: force myself out of the house — working from home 24/7 was not great for my mental health), and it turned out to be this lovely creative outlet that's so different from what I do most days. I've always loved fashion, and working there has made me fall in love with the art of styling, which has definitely improved my design work too (and I would love to do more of both, together, at the same time... more on that later).
It's such a fun project because, for one, I have a strong personal connection to it, but also because Marmalade's customers love the vibe of the physical space so much. I've always referred to websites as "your digital home" — something about that comparison just makes total sense to me. When I work with businesses that have a brick-and-mortar presence, I want their website to feel as similar to the IRL experience as possible. Marmalade's real-life vibe is really cozy, quirky, and fun (but still super polished and elevated). So figuring out how to bring that same experience to the website has been such a fun challenge — it's like trying to recreate the feeling you get when you walk into the boutique in Williamsburg, but digitally.
Q What’s your style?
My style is playful, colorful, and a little cheeky — I never take myself too seriously. It's also very Gen Z, for lack of a better word (as a '97 baby, I'm technically on the cusp, but I believe to my core that I'm Gen Z). I love everything vintage and retro, and that definitely reflects in my work!
Of course, my own website is probably the best example of that — even though I first published it years ago now, it still feels so ME, which really speaks to the inner work I did to find my true style instead of just leaning into whatever trends I was into at that moment.
As a client project, I'm really proud of the website I built for Social By Kait / Social Hour Wedding. Kaitlin runs a two-part business — social media strategy for brands and wedding content creation for brides — and she needed a site that could serve both audiences without feeling confusing or overwhelming.
The solution was a homepage toggle that lets users switch between the business and wedding sides of her work. It took many, many hours of custom code, but the end result is seamless and so satisfying. The final site is girly, energetic, and full of movement, with interactive elements like a quiz, a "video wall" for her wedding content, scalloped headers, and fun hover effects throughout.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I love fashion, and I really miss running End of June, my online vintage shop. There was something so satisfying about the hunt — digging through a thrift store to find the one vintage piece that perfectly matches the vibe (since EOJ was Harry Styles-inspired, a lot of my drops were themed around specific songs of his).
To scratch that itch, I invented an offer called Creative Styling, and I don't get to do it as much as I'd like because I'm still very much figuring out how to talk about it.
Basically, Creative Styling is this service where I help clients bring their brand to life through the little things, like the colors in your closet and the props on your desk. I create these crazy documents that are part mood board, part shopping list, part style guides, designed to help clients show up with clarity and consistency.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Anything marketing-related 🫠 I had huge plans to do a big fancy "launch" for my Shopify offer, The Pixel & Mortar, but I found that my perfectionism was getting in the way and keeping me from making any progress at all. I wanted to have everything in place — the sales page, the freebie, the content calendar — and it wasn't working. Instead I just decided to soft launch it on a random Thursday afternoon, and it feels like a huge weight off my shoulders.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Be my personal chef — although if I'm being so honest, my boyfriend Adam is basically my personal chef already. Maybe one day when I'm rich I'll pay him.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I would go back and tell middle school me that there’s a reason you can’t bring yourself to do your math homework, but you spend hours making your presentations look pixel-perfect. You may not feel like a “creative”, but you are one, and it’s safe to explore that part of yourself.
I would also tell her you were totally right when you predicted that One Direction would be the next big thing.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
Jeni Britton, expert in ice cream and brand-building. I think she's the coolest. I had the pleasure of serving her ice cream once (my hand was shaking, I was so nervous — that's how much I admire her), but we sadly didn't get a chance to chat business.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Right now, I'm specifically interested in working with e-commerce brands in the fashion, lifestyle, and wellness space — companies that need custom Shopify sites that are as cool and unique as their products. But honestly, I'm open to working with any business that resonates with my style and isn't afraid to push creative boundaries.
Some of my bucket-list clients include a maximalist jewelry brand, a niche fragrance line, a sustainable fashion label, a cozy wine bar, or a local bakery — basically, any business that has a strong point of view and wants their brand to reflect their personality.
I'm also always down for projects that let me flex my creative direction muscles or work with businesses that have both brick-and-mortar and online presences. There's something so satisfying about creating a cohesive brand experience that translates seamlessly from IRL to digital.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
My dream client is a female-founded sustainable fashion brand with a brick-and-mortar store in Brooklyn. Her shop is full of quirky, girly, and unexpected pieces — lots of gingham, my favorite — and her store is decorated to feel like your best friend's cozy apartment. She's usually playing Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, or Chappell Roan while customers browse.
She's launching her online shop and needs a custom Shopify site that captures the same energy as her physical space. She has a strong vision, knows her customers love the in-store experience, and wants her website to feel just as welcoming and carefully curated. She's a go-getter who values working with other women and cares deeply about ethics in business.
Q: What is your rate?
You can get all the details on my services page, but here's the TLDR — branding starts at $2,300, Squarespace starts at $3,200, and Shopify starts at $4,200.
I do offer 15% off the total project cost for clients who book branding and web together, because I love doing both! It's quite the steal.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
The best way to start a project with me is to fill out my inquiry form but if you just want to say hi, feel free to shoot me an email or DM me on Instagram!
Q Who is a creative you admire?
I have an incredible network of fellow creative service provider girlies who I love and admire greatly — social media geniuses Katie and Jessie, copywriters Nicole and Susie, fellow web designer Bentleigh, and cookie artist (yep) Emily. I met these girls on the internet and now they're my IRL BFFs and I truly couldn't do this without them.
Also, I constantly get compliments on my brand photos — they were taken by Hannah Holland, who has been my best friend since kindergarten.
Finally, I have to mention Adam Campau, an incredible product designer and my partner of many years. Not to get too sappy, but he’s the most creative person I know, and I’m a better designer (and person) simply because I spend so much time observing how his brain works.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Keep your inner child happy and practice following your intuition.
This member profile was originally published in October 2023, Updated August 2025.