Postsecondary Strategy Solutions.

The result. 100% learner completion. The client renews every year and the program keeps growing.

What I'd do differently. I'd build the template system around the Google Docs constraint from day one instead of adapting as I went. The work holds up, but the foundation could have been cleaner.

"Amanda is a rare find who balances technical precision with a design-thinking mindset... a nimble, client-centered collaborator."
- CEO, Postsecondary Strategy Solutions

The hard call. She edits everything herself, so it all lives in Google Docs, Word, and PowerPoint. Not my first choice for print work, but the right choice for her. Designing a workbook that survives client editing in Word is its own discipline, and the templates had to be bulletproof enough for non-designer hands.

What we built. A 44-page digital workbook with budget templates, tax exercises, and goal trackers. An abbreviated print version for the in-person training. A full training deck. Refreshed every year without rebuilding from scratch.

Running a financial literacy program, year after year.

Problem. Postsecondary Strategy Solutions runs a grant-funded financial education program: virtual fellow calls, a 6-hour in-person training, and workbooks in digital and print. The materials have to work across every format, stay current with tax law, and actually get finished by real learners.

My role. I'm the design partner on the whole program. The 44-page digital workbook, the abbreviated print companion, the training deck, the annual refresh. The client sends scattered updates, and I turn them into a coherent system.

AIGA Connecticut: Masterclass Campaign.

Making one design work everywhere.

Problem. AIGA Connecticut needed to promote a 3-part LinkedIn Masterclass series. Each session needed graphics for five channels, and all we had was the chapter president's initial design. No templates, no system.

My role. As Communications Chair, I took that core design and built it into a reusable template kit: MailChimp, LinkedIn, Instagram, Eventbrite, and web. Five templates per session, fifteen deliverables total, all visually consistent.

The hard call. Adapting someone else's design across five formats without breaking it. Every channel has different specs and constraints, and the kit had to hold together whether I was the one using it or not.

What we built. A 15-piece template kit covering three sessions across five channels, all traceable to one visual system.

The result. Three sessions shipped with consistent branding across every touchpoint, produced on volunteer time.

What I'd do differently. I'd build it as a proper system from the start instead of adapting session by session. It worked, but the foundation was retrofitted.

Edgewood Estates Winery.

Building a brand from the ground up.

Problem. A brand-new boutique winery in Connecticut needed a complete visual identity from nothing. The brief: fun, friendly, and approachable, with a heron at the center. They knew the bird; I had to make it a brand.

My role. I built the entire identity: the mark, the palette, the typography, the icon system, and the rollout across web, packaging, print, and social.

"Amanda truly understood our business... her collaborative approach and foresight have been instrumental in our growth."
- Edgewood Estates Co-owner

The hard call. My instinct was the elegant heron, minimal and sleek. The client wanted friendly and approachable. So the bird got a hand-sketched vibe instead of the ultra-clean version I preferred. Their read was right for the audience. Letting go of my version was the actual design decision.

What we built. A heron mark symbolizing elegance and balance, with a weathervane arrow referencing the barn on the property. A muted pastel palette with purple as the signature Westbrook color. Montserrat and Playfair Display. A custom icon set for taste profiles and pairings. Vertical, horizontal, and brandmark lockups.

The result. The identity is live across web, packaging, print, and social. The site draws around 900 active users with strong local traction across shoreline Connecticut (Westbrook, Clinton, New Haven), plus regional reach into Boston and New York.

What I'd do differently. Two things. I'd show fewer concepts; they loved them all, which became its own problem. And the circle lockup was an afterthought once I realized the mark was very vertical. I'd plan the lockup system from the start.

amanda@asouthworth.com

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