Section Styles split-right
to be an artist
is to perceive beauty in the overlooked moments.
to transform what one sees
into something that resonates beyond words.
to carry a particular sensitivity.
walking through the world differently,
collecting fragments others miss,
assembling meaning from the everyday.
we begin with listening.
truly listening.
sitting with their stories,
their processes,
their doubts and dreams,
before crafting anything visual.
the relationship between artist and identity
is not static.
it breathes.
it evolves.
it requires space to grow.
our process acknowledges this fluidity.
as we build a framework that holds the present moment
while remaining open to future transformations.
no confinement.
no limitations on becoming.
artists change.
their work changes.
identity must honor this journey.
we offer something different -
a collaboration that respects the natural rhythm
of creative evolution.
a visual home that expands
as the artist expands.
this is our gift to fellow creators:
freedom within structure.
roots and wings.
a foundation that supports
rather than restricts.
Curated brand identity, portfolio websites, and creative community for independent artists
The DN-A Artist Program is a seasonal initiative designed exclusively for independent artists seeking to clarify their brand identity and showcase their work in a space that honors its true essence. Through thoughtfully crafted brand assets and designer portfolio website layouts, we will create spaces reflective of the artist’s unique vision and voice.
Guided by the hand of DN-A art director and brand designer, Darcy Nellis, artists will formulate a cohesive brand experience through logo design, typography exploration, and color selection, uncovering the brand identity as a partnership between the artist and the art itself. Darcy, a multidisciplinary artist in her own right, understands the delicate balance between expression and presentation, with an informed perspective for displaying the work in its most compelling format, similar to the curator of an art gallery. Alongside her, Maya of Alétheia Made — an intuitive web developer, designer, and artist — brings these concepts to life through a selection of refined, functional Squarespace portfolio websites that support both form and function. Together, they offer a design and development experience that honors the artist’s creative input, while also providing a platform that evolves with them.
Each portfolio is carefully tailored to ensure that it not only both showcases an artist’s work but and amplifies it, creating a space that allows for interpretation, breathing room, and meaningful reflection for the viewer — much like an art gallery itself. These websites are intentionally designed to remain timeless yet adaptable/tensile/malleable, allowing the artist’s evolving style and body of work to flourish without constraint. The result is a living, breathing digital gallery — one that grows with the artist, reduces overwhelm, and encourages natural progression.
The DN-A Artist Program is for those who understand that their identity and their work are ever-evolving. It’s for artists who desire a platform that can keep pace with their growth, a space where their distinctive vision is celebrated, safekept, and seen as it was always meant to be.
DARCY NELLIS
Art Director / Brand Designer
Darcy Nellis is a multidisciplinary artist and designer based in the Carolinas, passionate about crafting meaningful experiences for artists and brands who support them. She often approaches design through analog practices, with film photography, collage and drawing as the foundation, which enhances her ability to bring physical materials into digital realms. This method encourages a slower pace and gives capacity to closely notice details. With a natural pull toward tactile textures, her work encompasses a wide-range of mediums in order to create honest brand experiences that communicate a tangible message.
Maya Normandi
Web Developer / Designer
Maya Normandi is an artist and a self-taught designer and web-developer through her boutique studio Alétheia Made. Her dimensional approach combines strategy, beauty and identity to develop handcrafted brand and web-worlds that use art as a means to communicate truth. She intends to bring artistry and depth to digital contexts, and to use creativity partnered with expertise to build collaborative creative identities that evolve alongside the clients they represent. She currently resides in the Arizona desert, and her work is informed by the elemental beauty between her Pacific coast homes of California and Ecuador.
Eva Hesse: A Retrospective : Exhibition and Catalogue, 1972
PHASE 01 - DISCOVERY
Darcy, Maya
+ Artist / Brand Identity Prompt Book
+ Brand and Web Questionnaires
+ 1:1, 60 min direction section
PHASE 02 - DESIGN
Darcy
+ Art Direction
+ Brand Identity (wordmark, submark)
+ Typography selection
+ Color palette
+ Portfolio review
PHASE 03 - DEVELOPMENT
Maya
+ Squarespace site: Home, About,
Contact, Portfolio, Blog
Admin Pages, Marketing Blocks
+ Designer layout selection, Brand application
+ Limited customizations (?)
PHASE 04 - HANDOFF
Darcy, Maya, Session Artists
+ Brand Guidelines
+ Web Training
+ Artist Showcase
ADDITIONAL
+ Studio Day add-ons
+ Community Q+A sessions
+ Brand, Web, Marketing Workshops
INVESTMENT
+ $5,000
Swatch book for "Gmund Used", a collection of colorful, recycled paper samples, showcasing its commitment to sustainability and design
Community
We create safe spaces where artists can simply be. Here, you share your work, connect with others, and feel seen. It’s not just about what you create, but about the conversations that exist between the lines of your work. Our Open Studio Sessions invite you to share freely, to learn, and to grow together. Feedback here is gentle, kind — always to help you see your own potential. Supportive critique is a point of conversation, not comparison. We believe in lifting each other, exchanging wisdom, and navigating our journeys side by side. Our webinars and events throughout each season are moments to pause, reflect, and return to what inspires us as artists in this moment of time.
Education / Resources
Inspiration flows from every direction. We gather stories, articles, and wisdom to maintain a state of appreciation for art, life and creation. These resources are more than information — they are a carefully gathered collection of fragments we’ve found value in over the past decade of our lives. We’ve curated a library of tools — type foundries, design assets, and practical guides for you to reference and access on your journey. These are our gift to you, so you can spend less time searching for answers for your business and more time focused on your own deep work. Our videos, artist articles, and guides are made to help you shape your brand with quality and intention. Whether it’s photography, copywriting, or the art of self-presentation, we share what you need to uncover the truth of your story and communicate it clearly. And, when you’re ready for a deeper connection, we’re here for 1-on-1 sessions, and Studio Days to continue working together as needs arise.
Artistic Freedom
Artistic freedom is central to our values. We work with you, not for you. Your individual voice guides everything we do—your vision, your story, your brand. We create with you, not around you, ensuring that everything we build together feels true to who you are.
Here, you are free to express yourself in your own way. There are no rules, only endless possibilities. Your work, your identity, your journey—each piece is yours to shape.
And as you evolve, so does your brand. We give you the tools, tutorials, and guides to maintain and update it, ensuring it always reflects the artist you are today. You own the work, and we support you as it grows.
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Our office hours are Monday-Thursday 10am-4pm, with Fridays being reserved for returning clients who have booked Studio Days.
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Yes, we require a 50% deposit upon booking and 50% upon completion of the project. If you are needing a different payment plan, we can discuss options.
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Studio Days are day rate intensives (10 hours including final file creation), in which we partner together to audit your brand, create or update designs and accomplish outstanding tasks for your business. This is a great way to elevate your brand in just one day. Whether you're a returning client needing to refresh your current brand in order to reestablish your connection with your audience, make updates to your website, create a creative campaign, or design / order your brand collateral, there are endless possibilities for what we can accomplish together when we are in direct communication for a full, uninterrupted day.
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Yes, you will receive files for your brand fonts that you can download to your computer for usage. Although, oftentimes we will give you the option to choose from a selection of beautiful designer fonts which require licensing to purchase. In this case, you would be responsible to pay for them. If you’d rather avoid this cost, we can find free or lower cost alternatives.
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If you are wanting to wait a while before adding on to your package, you will have access to Studio Days as a returning client, so this could be booked at a further date to complete the remainder of designs.
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We only use Squarespace for our Artist Program participants at this time.
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Yes, extensive functionality implementation such as complex ecommerce needs, membership websites, and advanced integrations can be quoted on a case-by-case basis but will require additional web development support. This can be booked with Maya as a separate add-on.
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There’s one round of revisions included for both the brand and web portions, but we can also add on rounds at an hourly rate of $200/hr, although with all the art direction and designer layouts approved beforehand, usually only one round is needed, if any.
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In order for us to build a consistent experience for your website, we require a brand identity to be completed before we begin the website design and development. This guides the layout style, font selection, colors, etc. which ultimately inform the look and feel of the site.
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We deliver brand assets in black and white as png, svg, eps, pdf, jpeg, including vector files. We also give you .otf or .ttf font files. You will receive a customized pdf Brand Guide for your reference as well.
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We do our best to make it as easy as possible for you to update your site on your own. We offer a full instruction page, along with walkthrough tutorials to help you learn how to keep your site current. Occasionally there could be a CSS feature that makes it more difficult but we can discuss those features as needed.
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We are always empathetic towards life circumstances that could conflict with our prescheduled session times and 1on1 meetings. If this happens, we will need to reschedule your meeting times to the third month of the session in order to keep others on track for their scheduled times during the first two months. There is a $50 rescheduling fee.
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Costs for designer font licenses, print collateral orders, custom domains, and Squarespace hosting, are not included in the package price and are the responsibility of the client. We are happy to guide you through this process and we do receive a 20% off discount for Squarespace plans when you purchase through us.