Where Brands Are Built, and Businesses Grow!
At Designer Studios, we don't just make things look good — we build brands that mean something.
Founded by Caitlin in 2020, we're a branding, web design, and content studio built specifically for small business owners who are ready to launch a business or are done blending in. We take what you've built — the vision, the passion, the thing that makes you different — and turn it into a visual identity that stops people in their tracks.
Every project starts with listening. Every decision is rooted in strategy. And every brand we create is crafted to feel like no one else's — because it isn't.
This is your business. It deserves a brand that is built for you and can grow with you!
Our Story.
From Passion to Purpose.
Design has always been in my bones.
From band posters and wedding stationery to fashion and apparel, I've spent over 15 years doing the thing I love. But in 2020, something shifted. My twins arrived, and with them came the clarity to back myself completely. I took the leap, launched Designer Studios in 2020, and never looked back.
Since then, I've had the privilege of working with founders and small business owners across industries, helping them find clarity, confidence, and a brand that genuinely reflects what they've built.
Because here's what I believe: your brand should do more than look good. It should tell your story, attract the right people, and grow with you.
Designer Studios is where that happens. It's where ideas become visual identities, where businesses go from overlooked to unforgettable, and where you get a genuine person in your corner through every step of the wild, wonderful ride of building something from scratch.
Whatever you're building — I'm glad you're here.
Our Values.
Ambition with Purpose
Big dreams need solid foundations. Every design decision we make is rooted in strategy, so your brand doesn't just look the part; it works hard for your business behind the scenes too.
Design that goes deeper than a logo
Your brand is so much more than a mark on a page. Every colour, every font, every detail is chosen with intention — because the small things are what people remember.
Collaboration that actually feels like it
Working with us means having a real creative partner in your corner — someone who listens properly, asks the right questions, and brings your vision to life in a way that feels unmistakably, authentically you.
Fresh thinking, every time
We don't do templates, and we don't do cookie-cutter. Every client gets a fresh set of eyes, a curious mind, and a creative process built around what makes their business genuinely different.
Why work with Us?
We think before we design
Every brand we create is rooted in strategy first. That means your brand won't just turn heads — it'll attract the right people and actually convert.
We get to know you properly
No briefs fired off into the void here. We take the time to understand your business, your people, and your vision — so the end result feels genuinely, unmistakably yours.
You'll always know exactly who you're talking to
When you work with Designer Studios, you work directly with Caitlin! Not an account manager, not a junior designer, not an AI chatbot. One person who knows your project inside and out, with you from the very first conversation to the final reveal.
We've worked across a lot of worlds
Fashion. Corporate. Lifestyle. Creative businesses. That breadth means we bring a wider lens to every project — and we know what works across different industries and audiences.
We make the process actually enjoyable
Branding should feel exciting — not like something to survive. We keep things clear, communicative, and yes, genuinely fun. You'll wonder why you were ever nervous about it.
What’s Next? Let’s Create Something Extraordinary.
Whether you’re launching a new business, rebranding, or in need of a website that actually works for you, we’re here to help.
Let’s make magic together.
Caitlin Barton
Founder, lead designer, and the person behind every brand that comes out of Designer Studios.
I'm never without a to-do list a mile long — passion projects, home DIY, client deadlines, kids' after-school activities, and the family groceries all fighting for the top spot. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Design has been in my DNA from the very beginning. After studying at AUT I was already juggling side hustles — logos for friends, album covers and posters for bands, invitations and wedding stationery. Over 15 years, I've worked across multiple industries, with fashion and apparel being one of my favourites.
But the chapter that changed everything? Our twins arriving.
When you have kids, everything shifts, and so do you. My priorities changed, but my ambition didn't. Deciding not to go back to a job and a company I genuinely loved was one of the hardest calls I've made. But a 9–5 just didn't feel right anymore. So I backed myself, launched Designer Studios in 2020, and built something that lets me do what I love — on my own terms, around the people who matter most. My husband, my three boys, and a household that is wonderfully, beautifully chaotic.
This business has taught me more than I ever expected. I've been my own accountant, my own social media manager, my own Google Ads manager — when you're a small business owner, you learn to do it all. And although I've grown into a team with an accountant and a social media partner beside me, I'm still as hungry to grow as I was on day one.
Running this business also gave me something I didn't anticipate: a deep, genuine love for the people who do what I did. Business founders are a different breed. They're the ones who back themselves, take a chance on an idea, and decide that building something of their own is worth every hard day. I am so proud to partner with them to support them with branding and websites that help their businesses grow into something truly epic.
Every brand I build is poured into with that same energy. Because I know exactly what it means to back yourself and build something from scratch.
I'm a designer, a mother, and a creative at heart.
Doing exactly what I was always meant to do.
Thanks for being here!