Pleased to reintroduce myself
Hi. I'm Jo.
Before we go any further, a confession: I've already looked at your website. Lovingly. Respectfully. With a cup of coffee in one hand and a stylus in the other. It's not personal. It's just what I do.
I'm a copywriter, an illustrator and a brand strategist. I'm also 41, a boy mom, a bohemian at heart and a pro-starter-overer. I'm currently relaunching my creative studio, Words, Styled by Jo, with a new logo, a refreshed website and the kind of clarity you only get after making space in your life to figure out who you are and what you love.
What I actually do
I write words and draw art for brands, and I make them together, so they finish each other's sentences.
That means website copy that sounds like you on your best day. Newsletters people actually open and dare I say, enjoy. Brand voices that fit like a tailored denim. And hand-drawn illustrations that make your brand recognizable from across the room, on a shopping bag, in a feed or on the little thank you card tucked into an order.
Most brands hire a writer and an illustrator separately and hope they meet in the middle. In my studio, they share a desk. (It's a messy desk. We'll get to that.)
Who I make it for
Words, Styled by Jo is for fashion, beauty, wellness, luxe lifestyle and hospitality brands, whether you're just launching, relaunching like me or established and ready to level up.
But if I'm honest, my favorite clients have one thing in common: they get that art isn't decoration. It's a way to talk to your people. It's how a customer feels seen before she's read a single word on your packaging. The ones who want their art to be the Lenny Kravitz of their brand: way too cool and way too good-looking for school.
If that's you, hi. We're going to get along beautifully.
Why I'm relaunching now
Because 41 is a wonderful age to stop whispering about who you want to be.
I've spent years writing and drawing, sketching, and painting in the shadows only to stash my art and words away in hidden portfolios and journals. My hidden quirk is saving packaging I had no business keeping and quietly rewriting menus in my head. At some point you realize the thing you can't stop thinking about and doing is the thing you're supposed to be doing, out loud and on purpose.
So here I am. Out loud. On purpose. Slightly over-caffeinated.
What you'll find here
Consider this my safe space that you have total access to. Here's what's on the menu:
#JoIRL. Little gems of my day from my POV: a messy sketch in progress, a thrice-heated coffee, a stellar sunset, playlist jewels, #JOTD and sartorial choices, and lots of dinos and Legos because #boymom here.
Coffee-break hot takes. Expect opinions on packaging, illustration in branding, and being a Black woman working in luxury marketing.
The occasional #OOTD. And I do mean occasional. My introvert old soul allows me a few selfies a season, so when one appears, treat it like a rare bird sighting.
My personality. Which, for the record, is anything plus jewelry. Sweater and stacked bracelets? Personality. Linen and a statement ring? Also personality. My mani of the week and, you guessed it, more jewels.
Branding advice you can use the same day. Short, practical and written for small brands with big taste.
My dream client list. Oh, it exists. It's ambitious. It may or may not include a few Italian fashion houses. More on that later.
The belief behind it all
If there's one sentence that sums up the studio, it's this: memorable brands don't just communicate. They resonate.
A well-placed comma and a fabulous illustration can say more about your brand than a paragraph of adjectives ever could. My job, and my absolute joy, is finding the right ones for you.
Pull up a chair
I'd love to know who's here. Leave a comment and tell me: what's your brand, and what's the one thing you wish it said better? Or just tell me your coffee order. Both count as getting to know each other.
If you haven't subscribed yet, now's the perfect time. And if you want a peek at what the studio has been making, the new site and portfolio are waiting at wordsstyledbyjo.com.
Pleased to meet you. Truly.
Jo
