Miranda Ryan is a writer, grief advocate, and self-described ‘overdose widow’ on a mission to change the way we talk about loss. Her writing is raw, specific, and often quietly funny. It’s the kind of honesty the grief space desperately needs.
When Miranda came to me, she had the voice, the lived experience, and an audience already growing on Substack. What she didn’t have was a brand that could hold the weight of her story or the infrastructure to grow beyond it.
Overview
Miranda was navigating one of the most vulnerable transitions a person can make: taking deeply personal experience — losing her husband to an overdose-related death, surviving cancer herself — and turning it into public advocacy. She was doing that work. The world just couldn’t see it clearly yet.
Her Substack was resonating. Her writing was connecting. But without a visual identity, a clear positioning, or a website she owned, she had no way to grow that audience intentionally or to position herself for what was coming: her debut book.
She needed more than a logo. She needed a strategic foundation that could carry her story with integrity, signal credibility to publishers and media, and create a genuine home for the community she was building.
Project Goals
Miranda engaged me for a complete personal brand package: brand strategy, full visual identity, a custom WordPress website, and branded Canva social media templates.
The brief was clear, but complex. The brand needed to honour the rawness of her subject matter without feeling heavy. It needed to feel human, not corporate. Welcoming, not clinical. And it needed to be built for growth: an audience she was cultivating now, and a book launch she was working toward.
Most importantly, it had to feel like Miranda. Not a polished version of her. Her.
the process
Our work began with a 1:1 brand strategy workshop — no overwhelming questionnaires, just a collaborative conversation that allowed us to uncover Miranda’s unique voice, values, audience, and positioning. From there, I developed a full brand strategy that clearly articulated what makes Miranda different: her lived experience, her ability to speak about hard things with humour and warmth, and her passion for changing the way society understands grief.
The visual identity was designed to balance two key energies:
Warmth and grounding — represented through earthy colours, soft neutrals, and hand-drawn illustrations that reflect care, intimacy and humanity.
Boldness and disruption — through vibrant pops of colour and strong, expressive typography that signal Miranda’s commitment to challenging stigma and confronting grief head-on.
To support this, I created custom organic illustrations and a brand pattern made of squiggly lines—a simple but powerful visual representation of the non-linear, often messy nature of grief. These elements bring personality and symbolism to the brand while reinforcing Miranda’s message that grief doesn’t follow a straight line.
Her logo is intentionally understated and approachable — allowing her story and content to take centre stage — while her brand elements build recognition, consistency, and a welcoming, inclusive feel across touchpoints.
We also created branded Canva social media templates to give Miranda a strong starting point to share her content in ways that feel polished but still personal. Her new website (in development) will feature her blog, helping improve SEO and giving her greater control over how she shares her insights, builds community, and promotes her upcoming book.
the outcome
What Miranda walked away with wasn’t just a beautiful set of files. It was clarity — on who she is, who she’s for, and how to show up consistently across every platform.
She now has a visual identity that reflects the full complexity of her work: warm enough to be welcoming, bold enough to be remembered. A website she owns and loves, where her blog lives and grows — building the SEO foundation and audience she’ll need when her book launches.
That’s not a small thing. Miranda is currently writing her debut book, and with a brand and website already in place — already working, already building — she’s not scrambling to put something together at launch. She’s ahead of it. Positioned well in advance to promote her work to exactly the people who need it.
The strategy session alone gave her language for what she does and why it matters. That kind of clarity doesn’t just shape a brand. It shapes how someone shows up every single day.
the transformation
“Working with Heidi exceeded my expectations. From our early discovery session, I felt like she understood my needs and desires, listened deeply, and supported me in a way that made me feel seen and heard. The work she produced went above my expectations — I adore the outcome, and it was all better than I could have imagined or hoped. Heidi brought to life elements of my brand I hadn’t considered or wasn’t yet confident to dream up. I now have a suite of brand tools, an awesome website I love, and a clear plan for promoting my work. I feel more confident, more “legit,” and genuinely excited to show up for my brand.”
become the brand you were always meant to be
Your brand should do more than just look good — it should inspire confidence and trust, attract your dream clients, and evolve with your business. Whether you’re launching or rebranding, let’s create a brand and website that truly reflects your vision and sets you up for long-term success.
