Kacey Musick
(they/them)
Storyteller / Squarespace Designer / Copywriter / Founder of Jupiter Design Studio
Philadelphia, PA
jupiterdesignstudio.com
instagram @designbyjupiter
Q What do you do?
“I’m a storyteller, copywriter and designer.”
I founded Jupiter Design Studio, where I create custom Squarespace websites for brands and businesses with a story to tell. I specialize in finding the emotional space within the sales context. I love exploring different worlds and finding the pieces that will connect brands with their audiences. I love working with businesses who are just getting started, bursting with purpose and potential. My goal is for my clients to feel like they can stop chasing and start attracting their ideal clients through custom Squarespace sites that act as beacons in the digital universe.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I worked in restaurants for many years, fully immersed in a fast-paced, competitive hospitality lifestyle. When the pandemic hit, there was a swift and sudden shift into remote work. Suddenly, I was designing new systems to keep restaurants afloat during an unpredictable time.
Eventually, I decided to shift focus and start my own remote business, focusing on restaurants and service professionals who needed assistance and systems management. With almost every client, our scope gravitated towards design in many forms: designing of marketing campaigns, designing of social media suites, re-designing sales pages, designing effective systems, etc.
My clients kept asking me to build their websites or redesign what they already had. It was clear that I needed to beef up my skills in order to meet this need. One client directed me to the Squarespace Design Course. The class got my full attention, teaching me how to think about design instead of just giving me info to memorize.
I rebranded to become Jupiter Design Studio. Now, I’m designing custom Squarespace sites for growing brands and businesses. I’ve also started copywriting services for designers, helping me connect with my fellow designers to build projects collaboratively.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I am a storyteller. I understand how to connect with people and find where the focus should be. When I’m working with someone who is trying to present themselves online, I become a director. I guide them to find themselves under the scrutiny of the lights and digital algorithms.
Utilizing my storytelling degree, my previous hospitality career, and my design education, I pay attention to details and understand how to structure a story that draws the audience in, especially on a digital platform. Everyone has a story to tell and everyone needs a website, I’m here to make that happen in a way that feels really good.
Q What are you working on right now?
1. A newly relaunched business, Jupiter Design Studio. I’ve started building some incredibly fun sites for new businesses who are bursting with potential.
2. I’m most excited about my new offering: Copywriting for Designers. I love working closely with artists who can create beautiful images, providing words and text that bring their vision to life.
3. I am taking the Finance Friends Forever from ilovecreatives and have been taking a deep dive into a sparked financial passion.
Q What’s your style?
With Jupiter Design Studio, I design sites that reveal themselves like a well-told story. I focus on practicality and simplicity. I want to create immersive experiences for the audience. So, I play with color and simple effects to draw focus and respond to what the user is doing. I design so that users feel like they know what’s going on. My goal is to write copy that makes people forget they’re reading. I want users to feel a "yes" when they get to a site I've designed.
drinkgoodcoffee.squarespace.com
mailchimp.com/presents/by-the-books
theworldof.studio
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Visual storytelling through UX design. I have always worked with words and systems focused on connection through efficiency at volume. I’m diving deep into UX design, finding the most effective ways to arrange information that guide audiences in a way that feels most natural for them.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
I have so many ideas and long to-do lists both working *for* my business and *on* my business. It can be difficult to be new at something, so I am constantly taking in information and learning from my own experience and through conversations and collaborations with others.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I have my best ideas when I’m thinking out loud. I'd have someone be present for brainstorm sessions for recording and organizing ideas. And, probably scouting networking and design events.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
Now that I’m finished with the Squarespace Design Course (and almost finished with Finance Friends Forever) and now that I've made the connections I’ve made through the ilovecreatives universe, I would tell myself to start the classes about a year before I actually did. I have zero regrets, but I would love to see what was happening had I started about a year earlier.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I am absolutely obsessed with everyone’s daily routines. I want everyone who runs a business to give me the rundown on how they spend the day-to-day. Also, like, what did you have for breakfast? When do you go to the gym? I am just so curious. I want to know how people move through their lives and then apply what I learn to the smoothest design experience possible.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I want to design custom Squarespace sites for brands and businesses who have a story to tell. Hint: everyone has a story. I am passionate about helping new businesses and brands who are either just starting out or leveling up. I would love to work with people who are just starting out and continuing our collaboration as their business grows.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I have worked with a few clients who hold professional degrees and are so incredibly smart, but they’re not sure where to go or how to get themselves out there. I love the process of finding a client’s voice, then hitting the ground running, using their story to create a website that fits them perfectly. It feels invaluable to be part of the experience of someone stepping onto their own stage for the first time. I feel honored to have been part of that journey for my clients and can’t wait to do that for future ones.
Q What is your rate?
I offer a Squarespace Starter Pack for entrepreneurs who need a one page website (think sales page), but also need some training on the potential of the Squarespace platform. These packages start at $1500, with optional add-ons specific to their needs.
For a custom Squarespace Website, I have a base package starting at $1800. This package includes the full story-driven design experience, with optional add-ons to meet specific needs. Prices vary depending on the number of pages and scale of the project.
I charge hourly for Copywriting for Designers. I package hours based on the scale of the project and will do my best to work within budgets.
My goal is to build long term relationships by pricing in ways that sustain my business while focusing on accessibility without compromising quality.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
I will respond to inquiries made through my website within 36 hours. (www.jupiterdesignstudio.com/contact)
Sometimes people are still in a planning stage or rumination phase, so I welcome email contact as well. (kacey@jupiterdesignstudio.com)
I would love to work with other designers and fellow creatives, so if someone reaches out on the ilovecreatives Discord or my IG (@designbyjupiter), I’m all about that as well.
It is always helpful to include a basic scope, an ideal budget and other specific information that feels necessary to start a professional creative collaboration, I welcome it all.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Crissy Tioseco - @crissy.webp (instagram)
Crissy has so much style! She was incredibly helpful during the Squarespace Design Course. She offered so many tips, code snippets, and seemed to just know the answer always. Such a huge help and her site drinkgoodcoffee.squarespace.com is a forever staple in my web inspo folder.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Haiku: I create not cuz // I want to create, but cuz // I need to create.
This member profile was originally published in September 2022.