Sinister Concept — Studio
Sinister / Concept
Brand strategy, web design & creative services

We build the business side.
You keep the soul.

Brand systems, websites and publishing support built for independent businesses that have outgrown DIY. Flat rates, fixed scopes, plain language. No agency overhead, no template thinking.

Full Service Brand to Launch
A La Carte Any Part of the Process
All Industries All Aesthetics
On this page
01 Brand & Identity 02 Web & Digital Presence 03 Publishing Services 04 Event Management 05 Product Launch Support 06 Wholesale & Retail 07 The Work 08 How We Work 09 Start a Project
§ 01 — Lead Services

Six services. Full depth.

Every service we offer gets the same attention, the same defined scope, and the same handoff that sets you up to run it yourself. We do not have a tier system. All six are lead services.

Service 01

Brand & Identity

Positioning, naming and a working visual system. Not a 60-page guide nobody opens.

Most independent makers have a great product and a logo they made in Canva three years ago. Brand and Identity work is about closing that gap: building a system that feels as considered as what you make, and that you can actually run without us.

We start with positioning, because everything else follows from it. Who you are, who you are for, and how you say it. The visual work builds on that foundation.

Timeline4–6 weeks
FormatFixed scope
PricingRate card
What’s included
  • Brand audit and creative intake
  • Positioning statement
  • Naming support (if needed)
  • Wordmark and mark variations
  • Color palette and typography system
  • Concise usage guide
  • Full file delivery (AI, SVG, PNG, PDF)
Good for: Makers starting fresh, businesses that have outgrown their DIY brand, and anyone who has been told their visual identity is holding them back.
Service 02

Web & Digital Presence

Purpose-built websites that look like your work, not a theme someone else chose.

We build on Shopify, Squarespace or hand-coded HTML depending on what actually serves the project. We will not upsell you into a platform you don't need, or build something you can't maintain after we hand it off.

This includes shop sites, portfolio sites, author and book sites, event sites and service business pages. If you sell things, we make sure those things sell. If you need a credible web presence, we make sure it reads as credible.

Timeline4–8 weeks
FormatFixed scope
PricingRate card
What’s included
  • Discovery and site map
  • Desktop and mobile design
  • Copy editing and content structure
  • Platform build and configuration
  • SEO fundamentals
  • Launch support
  • Handoff training and documentation
Good for: Etsy sellers moving to their own shop, authors needing a book or author site, service businesses without a functional web presence, and anyone launching something new.
Service 03

Publishing Services

Full publishing support from manuscript to market. We do this for our own imprint. We do it for yours.

Sinister Concept Publishing is our own independent press. We have navigated every part of the publishing process ourselves, which means when we work with authors and small presses, we are not guessing. We know what the mistakes cost and how to avoid them.

We offer the full range: distribution setup, ARC campaign strategy, pre-order infrastructure, author and book websites, press outreach, and launch planning. Every piece is available as a complete package or on its own.

FormatFull service or modular
ScopePer project
PricingRate card
What’s included
  • Publishing pathway consultation (KDP, IngramSpark, hybrid)
  • Print specification and production guidance
  • ARC campaign setup and distribution strategy
  • Author and book website design and build
  • Pre-order strategy and retailer setup
  • Press outreach and media kit development
  • Launch planning and post-launch support
Good for: First-time authors, self-publishers, small-press titles, and anyone who wants the expertise of a working press without giving up control of their work.
Service 04

Event Management & Consultation

Full event production or targeted consultation. We have been in every room this work happens in.

We produce WitchcraftCon, Portland's inaugural curated pagan and esoteric festival, under the Sinister Concept Events arm. That production experience is what we bring to every client engagement, whether you need us end-to-end or just for a specific problem.

Markets, pop-ups, festivals, shop events, trade show appearances, launch events. We understand floor dynamics, vendor relationships, ticketing structures, sponsorship, and what actually drives attendance. We do not guess at this. We have done it at every scale.

FormatFull production or a la carte
ScopePer event
PricingFlat fee
What’s included
  • Concept development and event strategy
  • Venue selection and contract review
  • Floor layout and traffic flow planning
  • Vendor curation and selection guidance
  • Ticketing setup and pricing strategy
  • Sponsorship structure and outreach
  • Budget planning and contingency review
  • Day-of production support and debrief
Good for: Independent makers running their first market, established retailers adding events, festival producers who need a second set of experienced eyes, and anyone signing a venue contract for the first time.
Service 05

Product Launch Support

Everything a launch needs except the product itself. Strategy, copy, infrastructure, and someone who stays available when the cart opens.

A product launch is a system, not a moment. It requires coordinated copy, a functioning pre-order or cart infrastructure, a sequenced email campaign, and a clear plan for what happens after the initial drop. Most independent businesses handle one or two of these well and leave the rest to chance.

We build the full system: the pre-order page, the email sequence, the press deck, the launch calendar. We are available the night the cart opens and we debrief with you after to document what worked.

Timeline4–6 weeks pre-launch
FormatPer launch
PricingRate card
What’s included
  • Launch strategy and timeline
  • Pre-order page setup and copy
  • Email sequence (announcement, reminder, launch, follow-up)
  • Press deck or one-sheet
  • Social content outline
  • Cart and fulfillment review
  • Post-launch debrief and documentation
Good for: Product drops, book launches, collection releases, Kickstarter campaigns, Etsy shops expanding to their own storefront, and anything with a specific go-live date.
Service 06

Wholesale & Retail Strategy

The commercial infrastructure that determines whether the creative work actually sells.

Wholesale is where most independent makers leave significant money behind. The catalog is disorganized, the line sheet is a PDF nobody asked for, the pricing is guesswork, and the follow-up never happens. We fix that system, which means more buyers, better margins, and less time chasing accounts that were never going to convert.

On the retail side, we audit what you have, identify what is costing you traffic and conversion, and build a version of your shop or Etsy presence that works as hard as your products do.

Timeline3–5 weeks
FormatFixed scope
PricingRate card
What’s included
  • Wholesale catalog audit and restructure
  • Line sheet design and copy
  • Pricing and margin review
  • Buyer outreach strategy and templates
  • Faire profile setup and optimization
  • Retail site or Etsy shop audit and overhaul
  • SEO fundamentals for product listings
Good for: Makers ready to move into wholesale, Etsy sellers building toward a retail strategy, and anyone whose shop is getting traffic but not converting it into sales.
§ 02 — The Work

The work speaks for itself.

Production experience across Fortune 500 clients, live events, and independent commerce. These are the brands we built under the same methodology we sell. Every one is a real project, real decisions, real constraints.

WitchcraftCon

WitchcraftCon

Portland’s first curated pagan and esoteric festival. Brand identity, event strategy and full web presence built from scratch.

Brand & Identity Web Event Strategy
→
Fox & Fern Home Care

Fox & Fern Home Care

Professional housesitting, pet sitting and plant care. Service business website with inquiry flow and service area pages.

Web Brand
→
Ye Curiosity Shoppe

Ye Curiosity Shoppe

Art prints, journals and home decor for the dark and beautiful. Retail site rebuild with wholesale catalog development and SEO.

Web Wholesale Strategy
→
Sisters of Shadow

Sisters of Shadow

Author and book site for a scholarly mythology title. ARC setup, pre-order strategy and publishing prep.

Publishing Prep Web ARC Strategy
→
Note

Screenshots and live links are added as each site launches. All four are active projects at various stages of completion.

§ 03 — How We Work

Four steps. No surprises.

Every engagement follows the same structure. You know what you are getting before any money moves, and you have meaningful input at every stage.

01

Intake

You send a short note. We read it, ask the questions that actually matter, and come back with a clear sense of what the project needs. No discovery invoice. No onboarding call with a junior coordinator. Just a real conversation about the work.

02

Scope

A flat quote with a line-by-line breakdown. You see exactly what you are getting, what the timeline looks like, and what is out of scope, before you say yes. If we think something is a bad idea, we will tell you that too.

03

Build

We work in defined rounds with structured checkpoints. You are not waiting weeks for a reveal. You see progress, give feedback, and the work improves. We do not disappear between check-ins or bill you for questions.

04

Handoff

Everything you need to run it yourself. Files in every format, logins and credentials, documentation for anything non-obvious. We do not build dependency into our work. When a project ends, you own it completely.

Ready to start something?

hello@sinisterconcept.com

Rate card available on request · Tue–Fri, 10am–5pm Pacific

Tell us

Which service you’re asking about, where you are in the project, and what’s in the way. Two or three sentences is enough to start a real conversation.

Office

Sinister Concept LLC
Portland, Oregon 97206

If you found us through one of our clients, mention them. We keep a tab open for referrals and will get back to you faster.