I’m your strategist, designer, stylist, writer and advisor 

ALL THAT GOOD STUFF UNDER ONE UMBRELLA

I’m Candice Blansett-Cummins

ADVISING , DESIGNING & BUILDING THOUGHTFUL BRANDS

I’ve been around many a block, including Big Corp and Local Indie, and have used my curiously strategic artists’ mind to help a whole lot of businesses, founders and leaders figure it out. My first, second and maybe even third question is probably "why?".

Work with me and you get much more than a single-niche service — you get a brand strategist, marketer, copywriter, graphic designer and web designer keeping their keen eye on how all the parts fit together. My right-brain and left-brain get along really well: I expertly mix design & strategy, intuition & thought, art & acumen, the creative & the technical, so you have just one person to consult on the tricky stuff and get your answers in plain language. (Scroll down for the fun stuff.)

You might have seen me here.

I believe…

Design without strategy is just decoration.

Every business has a story.

Making something look effortless takes effort.

Trends are called trends for a reason.

How you feel about your brand influences how others feel.

Honesty really is the best policy.

Editing is always a good idea.

Good branding doesn't require explanation.

Design without strategy is just decoration. Every business has a story. Making something look effortless takes effort. Trends are called trends for a reason. How you feel about your brand influences how others feel. Honesty really is the best policy. Editing is always a good idea. Good branding doesn't require explanation.

  • … green beauty products, art/design books and fabric I might never use but are handy for decorating my office.

  • … Southern California and spent most of my childhood at the beach, pool or roller rink.

  • … in San Francisco and Long Beach, CA for a decade respectively, and now live in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago (home to Wicker Park and Ukrainian Village). I thought I didn’t mind the cold winters until multiple years ago but Chicago is that fantastic of a city and I visit California often.

  • … on four continents for some of the most well-loved brands and logged a bunch of airline miles I let expire.

  • … the public library is one of the most democratic institutions of all time and highly recommend we all use them.

  • … listening to music while I work : punk rock, funk, house, alt (and old!) country, world, vibey indie... Shantel and Manu Chao are my current standing-desk faves (you dance at yours, too?)

  • … two adult children on opposite coasts, one of whom is often amazed at my extreme digital relevance and tells me as much with great surprise, and the other who knows more about coding and wine than I do.

  • … drink enough water but know I should and feel somewhat guilty about it instead of just drinking more water, nor do I cook but my husband of 30 or so years does and is amazing at it (he’s not a chef but is a public school administrator #publiced).

  • … driving my own car almost two years ago and wish more people used feet, bikes and public transportation.

  • ETA our sweet Trixie passed away but I couldn't bring myself to remove this:

    ...coddle our 12 year-old rescue-mutt Trixie and am debating if I should not make her sit for treats anymore.

  • … by my Mom a “hurricane” as a child which is funny because that’s what my kids called me whenever I needed to be protective of them in the world.

  • … only just recently the life affirming power of hot pink tights but I seem to always wear the same Levi’s 501’s that are hanging on by a thread, and by thread I mean the broken ones from multiple hand-sewn repairs.

retro blue and yellow rotary phone

ENOUGH ABOUT ME