Building Freda Together: A Made-Up Brand with a Real Story
Freda started as a spark, a cute, blobby, fun signage I stumbled across while walking along Surry Hills last July, took a photo because I thought “oohh yummy type” and couldn’t stop thinking about.. I didn’t know what it would become, only that it felt warm, effortless, and full of glow.
At first, it was just me playing around, blobs, colors, late-night Figma tinkering. And then I thought, why not let you in on it too? Because honestly… if I didn’t, this would’ve been another unfinished project sitting in my “someday” folder.
What began as a design experiment quickly turned into something bigger: a brand built with you.
Through polls, sneak peeks, and shared decisions, Freda grew piece by piece. You helped choose color palettes that felt like sun on skin. You weighed in on typefaces that balanced softness with structure and reacted positively to early social templates designs.
And suddenly, Freda, though technically “made up”, became a living brand. It wasn’t just mine anymore. Also, just realized while writing this now that our Freda grew so far from the inspo and the only thing we took from it is the name. Hahaha
Anyway, what I loved most about this process was how collaborative it felt. Normally, brand-building happens behind closed doors, then gets revealed fully formed. With Freda, it unfolded in real time, imperfect, playful, and community-shaped. It reminded me why I love design in the first place: it’s about connection, about seeing ideas take shape in ways you don’t always plan for.
This isn’t a case study in perfection. It’s a reminder that design can be both intentional and experimental, polished and playful. Freda was my chance to explore that tension and share the unfolding along the way.
✨ And because you’ve been part of this journey with me, I’ve made something for you: a free, editable Brand Guidelines Template in Figma. Think of it as a thank you, a little framework to help you build and share your own ideas with clarity.
Freda may not sit on store shelves, but it’s real in another way. In the way it brought people together, sparked conversations, and reminded me that design isn’t just about outcomes. It’s about the process, and the people who shape it with you.
