A woman with curly red hair and blue eyes working on a yellow laptop in a cozy, brick-walled room with potted plants and pink flowers in the foreground.

Get to know the brain
behind the computer

Hi, I’m Claire - I'm a UX and web designer based in Nova Scotia with a background that took a few unexpected turns before landing here.

I care about building things that work properly. Not just things that look great in a handover presentation, but websites that are genuinely useful, manageable, and built to last.

  • Where are you based?

    Nova Scotia, Canada, though I'm originally from Lancashire in the north of England (ey up, chuck!). I've been in Canada long enough to appreciate a good poutine, but I'll never stop saying "cheers" instead of "thanks."

  • Have you always been a designer?

    Not exactly. I spent years running my own creative businesses, making and selling handmade goods, and then managing brand and marketing for a Berlin-based publisher. I loved the creative side of all of it, but something always felt slightly off, like I was working twice as hard as everyone else and getting half as far.

    In 2022 I was diagnosed with ADHD at 38, which genuinely changed everything. It explained so much. And it gave me the push I needed to finally retrain and pursue something I'd always been drawn to - design.

  • Where did you study?

    I completed the Google UX Design Specialisation and invested in both the Standout Squarespace and Standout Shopify courses from Squarestylist, so I could design and build properly. I wanted to understand the whole picture, not just how things look, but how they work for the people using them.

  • Why web design specifically?

    Honestly? Because I'd been on the other side of it. I know what it's like to need a website that works for your business and end up with something you can't update, can't afford to maintain, and quietly dread logging into. I wanted to be the person who fixes that problem, not adds to it.

A woman with curly red hair sitting at a wooden desk, working on a computer with a pink flower vase nearby.
A brown dog with white markings on its face and paws resting on a floral-patterned surface indoors. In the background, there is a computer monitor, a vase of pink flowers, and a framed picture. A large green plant partially obscures the foreground.
A woman with curly red hair making a funny face at her laptop, which is partly visible in the foreground. The background features a brick wall, green plants, and a window letting in natural light.
A workspace with a wooden desk, open design sketches, a keyboard, and a mouse. A computer monitor displays a fashion website with a woman in black and white clothing. A pink flower arrangement is in a glass vase next to the monitor. In the background
A woman knitting with yarn balls on a wooden table, a potted plant and painting in the background.
Two brown dogs standing in snow, looking up at the camera.
Tablet displaying an online store page for a ceramic espresso cup, with product images, description, and related items, resting on a person's lap.
An Apple desktop computer on a wooden desk displays a webpage with the name Mika, a woman wearing a patterned top, and a message about an awesome business. Next to the monitor is a vase with pink flowers, a black marker, a white keyboard, and a white

What it’s like to work with me…*

  • Getting To Know You

    I think good design is as much about listening as it is about making. Before I touch Figma or open a single template, I want to understand what you actually need, how your business works, who your customers are, and what your day-to-day looks like.

  • Crafting Your Space

    Then I get to work. I'll recommend the platform that makes the most sense for you — whether that's Squarespace, Shopify, or WordPress — and build something that you can genuinely get into and manage yourself after we're done.

  • Clear Communication

    You'll have a client portal throughout the project so nothing gets lost in email chains, and I'll make sure you know exactly how to use your new site before we wrap up. No disappearing act after launch.

What it's actually like to work with me

I think good design is as much about listening as it is about making. Before I touch Figma or open a single template, I want to understand what you actually need - how your business works, who your customers are, and what your day-to-day looks like.

Then I get to work. I'll recommend the platform that makes the most sense for you - whether that's Squarespace, Shopify, or WordPress - and build something that you can genuinely get into and manage yourself after we're done.

You'll have a client portal throughout the project so nothing gets lost in email chains, and I'll make sure you know exactly how to use your new site before we wrap up. No disappearing act after launch.

A few things I care about:

Accessibility: Your site should work for everyone.

Sustainability: I'd rather build something simple that lasts than something impressive that breaks.

Honesty: If something isn't right for you, I'll tell you.

When I'm not designing...

I'm probably being herded around the house by Tilly and Sprout, two very enthusiastic, very fluffy Duck Tolling Retrievers who take their jobs as chief distraction officers extremely seriously.

I'm an avid gamer (big Skyrim fan, my heart belongs to Tamriel), I could genuinely eat pasta every single day, my favourite colour is yellow, and I love watching murder mystery shows - I’m weirdly good at working out who the murder is!

If you've made it this far - hello, I think we'll get on just fine.

Let's Work Together