GOOD GUISE STUDIO INTERVIEW
Designing for yourself can be the hardest job
Learn how Freya pushed through the perfectionism loop to build her award-winning studio website, Good Guise Studio.
Freya’s journey: Building her award-winning studio website
Designing a website for your own design business? It’s often the hardest brief. Just ask Freya—graphic designer, branding specialist, and founder of Good Guise Studio.
As a new Rocketspark Design Partner, Freya built her first site on the platform—for herself. It went on to win a Rocketspark Gold Design Award for its bold style, personality, and clear storytelling.
In this honest interview, Freya shares what it really took to launch her studio site—from pushing through perfectionism to building it one page at a time.
👇👇👇 Want to launch your own studio site with more confidence and less stress? Download our free 15-page guide—packed with structure, tips, and a self-briefing template to help you hit publish.
Designing your own studio website can be tough—but it doesn’t have to be...
Download our free 15-page guide to plan your website step by step—and finally get it live as a valuable asset for your business.
Work to a clear timeline
Identify your website goals
Know when you’re ready to launch
Self-briefing template included
Interview with Freya from Good Guise Studio
1. What kind of work do you actually do, and what made you decide it was time to build a website for your business?
I focus on branding mostly. I love brand and identity design. It came about because of the travelling. I worked in a studio for a few years, like fresh out of university, and loved my job, had a great time. But I had that urge to head overseas and see the world, which was fantastic. I did that for a year, came home, and then I thought to myself, how can I keep this going while still doing design? That's my love. I love doing it. So starting my own business seemed like the way to go. Freelancing, you know.
2. What’s it like designing for yourself—being both the client and the designer?
Absolutely the worst. I'm a perfectionist, so nothing is ever good enough. But you've got to push past that. It was a lot of trial and error and like, how am I feeling about it? I'm the client and I'm like, is this achieving or showing what I want it to achieve? And yeah, sometimes you just have to make it cool. I'm happy with the result. I think it kind of showcases what my brand's about, and that's the goal, right?
3. When you decided to create your own site, did you go in with a plan or just dive in?
To be fair, not massively strategic. I knew what I wanted to accomplish, but sometimes I work best just by throwing some stuff down. Especially in the web builder. You guys have your templates and stuff, so it was just slotting those into place and figuring it out bit by bit. Honestly, that was most of how I did it. Then going back and looking at maybe certain journeys users would take and was this actually working or not. But yeah, honestly, a lot of trial and error on my part.
4. Was there a point where you felt stuck or overwhelmed? What helped you push through?
Yeah, you definitely have points where you get a little bit overwhelmed with it all. I think the best way to sort it out in my mind was just to take it page by page. Not everyone's on your website for the same reason, right? So I kind of had to think, OK, if someone wants to reach here, what sort of path are they going to take? And then hopefully I wasn't missing out any steps that way. But if I'm trying to think about all of it at once, it was just a nightmare.
5. How did your design vision evolve throughout the process?
I had a bit of a vision at the start, but I was testing a lot as I went. I was going, oh, I can do this, or oh, I never thought to do that. And then piece by piece it kind of came together. It kind of formed itself along the way.
6. Did you design in a separate tool first, or build directly in Rocketspark?
Yeah, I just went straight into the website builder, which I know is mad. Absolutely, I should have probably wireframed some stuff, but I did not. Not at all.
7. Was there a part of the web design process you enjoyed more than you expected?
Content was difficult. That was probably the most difficult thing for me. Like, OK, yeah, I've got my work and I know how to put that on. But everything else, like talking about myself, is always super difficult. And I've got to do a page on that. It's a really difficult thing, especially because it's my own brand. It's me. It's like presenting myself on a website is so daunting. Like, this is me. Judge me. But I think it's been well received.
8. How did you approach writing your content and choosing the work to feature?
Writing about me, I had to do a lot of that myself. My background and what my kind of values and personality are. I wanted that to come through really well, so I tried to write that myself. The other stuff, Flint helped a lot, which is great. Awesome. Whoever made that, fantastic. Love it. But the rest of the stuff, I was like, OK, well, I've got to put my voice in there as well.
In terms of the portfolio, my favourite thing to do is to show the work that kind of represents what I like doing the best. Obviously, I can branch outside of that as well, but this is the work that I want to attract a certain kind of client with. I love bold design. Something that's a little bit clever, something that's fun, a little bit witty maybe. If I put that out, hopefully it'll attract clients that like the same thing as me.
9. What’s changed for you and your business since launching your website?
I've had some, like a few leads from it, but the main thing for me is I know what I'm offering 100% now. Before, I was like, oh man, I'm not too sure. I'd quickly write up a quote. It was all a little bit messy. Now I'm kind of like, oh, well, this is exactly what I offer. My add-ons. It's a whole lot cleaner, especially in my mind as well. And yeah, it's not even only clear for myself, it's really clear for my clients as well.
10. Your site won a Rocketspark Gold Design Award! How do you feel about it now?
I'm stoked. I wasn't expecting the Gold either, but I'm stoked with it. Absolutely. I think it shows my brand's personality really well. But like I said, I'm never really happy with anything, so I expect every now and then I'll go in, I'll change something. It's easy enough to do. So yeah, it'll be ever-evolving, you know.
11. A lot of designers struggle to finish their own site. What advice would you give to someone who's stuck in revision loops or afraid to hit publish?
Not sure if Charlotte told you, but I pushed out my deadline a few times. I just felt like it had to be a perfect thing before I published it. It had to show everything. But that's not true. You can't stop yourself in the pursuit of perfection—it's not sustainable. I'd never get anything done. And yeah, we can just go back and change anything anytime. It's easy enough to do. You've just got to go. You just do it. Just do it, you know.
12. Any final advice for designers trying to launch their site?
I'm not one to give advice. I'm not perfect either. Just test and trial and have fun, you know.
Summary
Designing her own website was one of the toughest challenges Freya Wyeth faced as a designer. Between the pressure to make it perfect and the overwhelming task of representing her own brand, the process was far from straightforward. But by pushing through perfectionism and trusting her creative instincts, Freya launched a site that truly reflects her personality—and earned a Rocketspark Gold Design Award in the process.
Key takeaways
Don't let perfectionism stop you from setting your website live
Launch your website when it’s complete and tweak it later. Freya delayed hers thinking it had to be perfect—but once it's live, it becomes a real asset for your business.
Let your personality shine through
Freya made her site feel like her—clever, bold, and honest. Don’t be afraid to let people see who you are, not just what you do.
Showcase the kind of work you want to do more of
Freya used her portfolio to attract bold, fun, design-forward clients by being intentional about what she featured.
Take your website one step at a time
Feeling overwhelmed? Freya tackled her website step by step, focusing on one part at a time. Breaking it down is a practical way to keep moving without getting stuck in the big picture.
Designing your own studio website can be tough—but it doesn’t have to be...
Download our free 15-page guide to plan your website step by step—and finally get it live as a valuable asset for your business.
Work to a clear timeline
Identify your website goals
Know when you’re ready to launch
Self-briefing template included
