This case study offers a glimpse into what can unfold when you move beyond surface-level design and begin building a brand from within. When Susie first reached out, she was in the market for a website template – a visual shift to better reflect where her business was heading. But throughout her template search, she found herself constantly changing her mind, feeling unclear as to which direction she wanted to move forward in. So instead, she joined Cultivating the Brand, and as she moved through the self-paced course, it became clear that what she truly needed wasn’t just a new look – it was clarity, direction, and a deeper connection to the essence of her brand so that every decision she makes for her business moving forward would be aligned and intentional.
At her own pace, she stepped into the process, and within a few months, built her brand from the ground up – refining her voice, defining her visual language, and bringing everything together into a cohesive, intentional presence. From her colour palette and typography to her logo creation and website copy, each element became an extension of her perspective. What follows is a reflection of that experience, in her own words.
Susie Williams – UK & Destination Wedding Photographer
“Cultivating the Brand has been more of a transformative experience than any other branding work I’ve done. Savannah guides you, demonstrates and encourages you to explore the answers to questions you didn’t know you needed to ask. There’s zero gatekeeping in this course; you’ll leave with confidence, clarity and the understanding of what you need to unpack in order to be able to make your brand complete. The integrity of CTB stands out in a sea of very ‘samey’ education; it is strategic, reflective, transformative and enlightening.”
– Susan Williams | UK & DESTINATION WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
“Genuinely got teary-eyed even just reading through the welcome section. It's one of those moments where you realize what you have been seeking is quietly finding its way to you too. I can't tell you how seen I felt reading through all the content. Your writing is so beautiful. I have literally teared up a few times by the way you express things. You have such a gift. This course is packed with so many incredible resources, and it's been amazing – what you've created is amazing. I honestly feel so guided and empowered through the entire curriculum.”
– Nassim | Canadian-based WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
"The content is truly amazing. I’ve never found another course that teaches how to visualize a brand’s worldview so concretely. It’s been incredibly helpful.”
– Yuki Zahra | Web Designer based in Japan
Q&A
Cultivating the Brand helped me reconnect - to clarify what was already there but lost beneath the surface. It is calming, cohesive and intentional. It’s not overly polished either - it feels human and connected; you’ll find yourself wanting to return to it as soon as you start it. There are audio versions so you can listen on the go, and videos for those who learn visually. I was surprised to learn how much clarity comes from slowing down. In a world where we feel we need to go, go, go, the idea of sitting down to intentionally answer in-depth questions about mindset and imagination felt like it might not produce the same value of results as ‘doing’, yet I was beyond wrong. Making the time to clear the mind, ask the questions and dream up the possibilities has led me to being able to create a brand that aligns with the essence of me, my creative work and my clients.
If you were to describe the benefit of this course in relation to your transformation, how would you describe it?
Before Cultivating the Brand, I think my approach to brand decisions was instinctive, but in a way that wasn’t always that helpful. I knew when something felt right, and I definitely knew when something didn’t, but I couldn’t always explain why. So I’d end up going round in circles a bit - changing things, coming back to them, questioning whether it was actually me or just something I liked the look of. There was a lot of second-guessing, and after about a year, I'd inevitably feel like things didn't align - again. I think I was trying to make things feel cohesive before I’d properly understood what was holding it all together. I think a lot of creatives might feel this way. That’s the bit that CTB changed for me. Decisions aren’t just spur of the moment anymore, now I actually have something to build from. I’m not starting from zero every time - there’s something underneath it all that I trust now, so I’m not constantly trying to prove to myself that it works.
Before taking this course, how did you approach decisions in your brand, and how has that changed?
The feedback you gave played such a valuable role in my development with branding. I’ve always been my own worst critic, so having someone reflect things back - both what was working and what wasn’t - helped me trust my decisions a lot more. Branding can get quite internal and a bit heavy when it’s just you in your own head, like many aspects of self-employment. Even just knowing you were there, seeing what I was working on, made it feel a lot more grounded.
What role did personalised feedback play in helping you move forward with clarity?
Going into the course, I expected to come out of it with a clearer understanding of how I wanted my brand to look. CTB taught me to focus on so much more than what the brand looks like. Through the reflective exercises and demonstrations, the connection between mindset and visuals shaped the direction of my brand in a far more transformative way.
The course was structured incredibly, with in-depth philosophies and explanations. Any areas that I was less educated in were approached in a manner that I could follow, understand, and so I left with the tools needed to be able to do further exploration of my own to implement my learning. CTB gave me the space to explore inwards before refining the outward aesthetics, which has been more of a transformative experience than any other branding work I’ve done. Teaching me how to align with myself as a business and a person - and being able to discern between how much of one I want to infuse with the other - and giving me the authority to be able to choose what I want to express through my brand has been a phenomenal ‘aha’ moment. The questions in the Brand Questionnaire were intentional and thought-provoking in ways that have truly shaped the way my new brand exists, and watching the walkthrough with Odessa’s answers really showed the way language can structure design.
What is one shift – big or small – that this course helped you make in how you see or express your brand differently?
Looking forward, the thought of maintaining or evolving the brand feels completely different to how I approached things before. Before, any kind of change felt like I might be undoing something that would cause my business to flop (dramatic, I know), but now it feels more like I can move within it without losing it. In saying that, for the first time, I don’t foresee any major changes for a while. It finally feels reflective of my brand - but not just short-term. You have created something really incredible here. Thank you so much for creating this transformative space.
How do you feel about maintaining or evolving your brand moving forward after completing the course?
“This course has rewired the way I see my business. Before, my brand felt like a collage of things I liked. Personal, but disconnected. After this course, everything clicked into place. The visuals. The voice. The feeling. It gave me a language for what I had been trying to say for years, and the clarity to say it boldly. Savannah doesn’t hand you a formula, she pulls you into your own story. She asks better questions than you knew to ask, and in answering them, you uncover a brand that feels unmistakably yours. If your brand feels close but not quite, if you know there’s something richer beneath the surface, this course will help you uncover it.”
– Amy May Creative
