Miranda Ryan is a writer, grief advocate, and “overdose” widow on a mission to reshape how we talk about—and live through—grief. Her writing is raw, relatable, and often laced with humour, sharing the truths that society too often avoids. After losing her husband to substance-related death and surviving cancer, Miranda has become a powerful voice for those navigating the early days of loss—especially loss that is stigmatised or misunderstood.
As she works on her debut book and facilitates grief support groups, Miranda needed a personal brand that could hold the weight of her story while building trust, community, and recognition. She didn’t just need a logo — she needed a full brand identity rooted in strategy, so her message could reach those who needed it most.
I provided Miranda Ryan with a complete rebranding package, including brand strategy, visual identity design and custom WordPress website (in progress), and branded social media templates. Each element was crafted to reflect the strategy – Miranda’s purpose, audience, positioning and impact.
Miranda was at the beginning of building her personal brand. While her writing already resonated deeply with her audience on Substack, she lacked the strategic clarity, visuals, and infrastructure to grow that audience or position herself for long-term impact. There was no visual identity in place — no logo, colour palette, or clear messaging to support her work and expand her reach.
As someone who writes about grief in all its raw complexity — especially grief tied to overdose and stigmatised loss — Miranda needed a brand that reflected the realness of her story and the openness of the space she creates. She wanted to build something authentic, not aspirational; human, not corporate. A brand that would support her book launch, transition her blog from Substack to her own platform, and ultimately allow her to become a trusted guide and advocate for others in early grief.
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.
What began as a blank slate is now a brand that’s deeply reflective of who Miranda is — warm, real, relatable, and incredibly needed. With a clear strategy, cohesive visuals, and messaging that feels aligned, she now has the foundation and confidence to grow her audience and position herself as a trusted voice in the grief space.
The most meaningful result? Miranda told me she felt energised, seen, and inspired after our strategy session — and that when she saw the creative direction, she had “no notes” (!!!). The process gave her clarity on where her brand is going and the confidence to show up fully as herself, knowing her message will land with the right people.
This isn’t just a brand for right now — it’s one designed for growth, resonance, and long-term impact.
And I can’t wait to see where she takes it.
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.
