Branding, graphic design, and art direction with one clear idea running through it all.

One Red Thread Studio helps organizations build clearer brands and more connected visual communication.

Based in Nashville and working with clients near and far, I provide brand identity design, graphic design, art direction, and experienced creative support for small-to-midsize businesses, nonprofits, startups, and agencies.

Whether you’re creating something new, strengthening what already exists, or trying to understand why the pieces no longer fit together, we’ll find the right place to begin.

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What does your brand need now?

Sometimes the answer is a complete brand identity. Sometimes it’s a campaign, a website, an annual report, or someone who can step back and see why everything feels slightly disconnected.

You don’t need to diagnose the problem before you contact me. Bring me the brief—or bring me the thing that isn’t working. We’ll find the thread that connects the strategy, the message, and the way it all shows up in the world.

Brand Identity & Evolution

Build an identity that can hold the whole story.

A strong brand identity does more than make an organization recognizable. It gives people a clear sense of who you are, what you value, and why your work matters.

I create new brand identity systems and help established organizations evolve the ones they already have. That might mean starting from the beginning, refreshing an identity that has lost its focus, or creating the structure needed to keep a growing brand consistent.

This may include:

  • Brand discovery and visual strategy

  • Logo and identity design

  • Brand refreshes and identity evolution

  • Color, typography, and supporting visual systems

  • Brand guidelines

  • Messaging and visual alignment

  • Brand audits

  • Identity rollout and implementation

Creative Partnership & Fractional Creative Direction

Bring in experienced creative leadership when the work needs it.

Not every organization needs or is ready for a full-time creative director. Sometimes you need a trusted partner who can step in, understand the larger picture, and keep the work moving in one clear direction.

With more than three decades in design and creative leadership, I can support your internal team, collaborate with your agency, or become the experienced creative resource you call when the stakes are higher than usual.

Creative partnerships may include:

  • Ongoing graphic design support

  • Fractional creative direction

  • Brand stewardship

  • Campaign oversight

  • Internal creative team support

  • Agency collaboration

  • Design and brand audits

  • Vendor and production coordination

  • Launches, transitions, and periods of growth

Graphic Design

Make every piece feel like it belongs.

Good graphic design makes information clearer, ideas more persuasive, and organizations easier to recognize. It also prevents every new project from looking as though it wandered in from a different company.

I design print and digital communications that work individually and as part of a larger visual system.

Projects may include:

  • Website and landing page design

  • Campaigns and advertising

  • Annual reports and publications

  • Marketing and sales materials

  • Presentations and pitch decks

  • Editorial design

  • Event and environmental graphics

  • Print collateral

  • Digital and social media graphics

  • Branded templates and toolkits

Ways We Can Work Together

Defined Project

A focused engagement with a clear scope, timeline, and outcome—from a new brand identity to a publication, campaign, or website.

Ongoing Creative Support

Reliable design help for organizations with recurring needs but without enough work—or desire—for another full-time hire.

Fractional Creative Direction

Senior-level creative thinking and oversight on an ongoing or interim basis.

Agency Collaboration

Experienced support for agencies that need additional design, art direction, concept development, or creative leadership.

Learn more

Who I Work With

My clients are a deliberate mix, but I’m especially drawn to small-to-midsize businesses, nonprofits, and startups—organizations doing meaningful work and ready to communicate it more clearly.

I also collaborate with agencies and internal creative teams that need experienced thinking, a fresh perspective, or another capable set of hands.

One Red Thread Studio is based in Nashville and works with clients locally and remotely.

  • “Julie has an aptitude for aesthetics and understanding clients that makes her stand out from the hundreds of graphic and web designers on the Internet. She pays close attention to what you say during consultation sessions and captures the essence of your requests in her designs. In other words, she doesn’t just create something that looks great, but also makes sure it reflects the values of your product or organization.”

    Tadson Bussey, Former Executive Director, UCDA

  • “Julie’s creative visual branding design created a highly successful rebranding launch for Quorum Health Resources. Everyone loved the new logo and rebranded materials and the implementation from website to client communications was well executed.”

    Susan Hassell, Former VP, Marketing and Communications, Quorum Health Resources

  • "Julie, Thank you for helping Charcoal Cowboys work through creating our brand story, new logo, brand placard, and new packaging for our line of products. We released our products to market just 2 months ago with no sales plan yet. We have already signed 9 retailers and been included in the fall/winter catalog for a nationwide gift company. The ability to collaborate with the team and work though our vision for the company has made this a success story."

    Ken Wood, Owner, Charcoal Cowboys

2025

New York

The Atlast Project →

“Communication was top-notch and the final outcome was even better than we imagined. A great experience all around.”

Former Customer