Your Stationery, Product & Illustration Designer — on retainer
You have products to launch and customers to serve — design shouldn't slow you down. I'm here to handle it.
The Partnership
You don't have time to design — and you shouldn't have to. I'm here so you can focus on showing up for your customers while I handle your planners, stationery, and all of your design needs. You get weekly deliveries, monthly strategy calls, and a designer who already knows your brand.
I only take on 2 retainer clients at a time — when you're in, you're a priority.
You're not hiring just a graphic designer. You're getting:
Product Designer
Planners, journals, notebooks, stationery — products your customers will actually buy.Illustrator
Custom illustrations, patterns, icons, and surface designs — no need to hire separately.Brand & Graphic Designer
Cohesive visuals across your product line, packaging, marketing materials, sales pages, email graphics, and website assets.
Most stationery brands need to hire three or four separate people for this. With me, it's all in one partnership.
Why retainer clients love working this way
You have so many ideas — now they'll actually get designed.
That planner you've been sketching out for months? The sticker collection and journal you keep pushing to next quarter? I'll bring them to life while you focus on running your business.
You get to show up in your business again.
Instead of spending hours in Canva trying to make things look right, you're back to doing what you love — connecting with your audience and selling your products.Everything finally looks like it belongs together.
No more pulling elements from different places and hoping they match. Your entire product line looks consistent, professional, and unmistakably yours.Nothing stays on the back burner anymore.
That packaging refresh, that new journal, that holiday collection — the projects that keep getting pushed? They're on my design queue now.
What I can design for you?
Planners & Journals
Dated and undated planners
Digital planners (GoodNotes, Notability)
Journals and guided journals
Workbooks and course materials
Stationery & Accessories
Notebooks and notepads
Sticker sheets and die-cut stickers
Greeting cards and postcards
Bookmarks and dashboards
Packaging & Brand Materials
Product packaging and boxes
Thank you cards and inserts
Hang tags and labels
Tissue paper and tape designs
Illustrations & Patterns
Custom illustrations
Repeat patterns and surface designs
Icons and spot illustrations
Cover design and artwork
Brand & Marketing
Sales page graphics
Email graphics
Social media templates
Product mockups
Website and blog graphics
Slide decks and presentations
… and more, just ask!
MONTHLY DESIGN RETAINER
Choose Your Retainer Package
In-house Designer
35 HOURS / MONTH
package include:
Your hours. Your priorities. I design whatever your brand needs.
Monthly strategy call
Trend-based product suggestions each month
Weekly deliveries
Private communication
Creative Partner
50 HOURS / MONTH
package include:
Your hours. Your priorities. I design whatever your brand needs.
Monthly strategy call
Trend-based product suggestions each month
Weekly deliveries
Private communication
Retainer packages start at $5,500/month
Minimum 3-month commitment
How it works
How the retainer works
Let’s connect
Tell me about your brand and what you've been dreaming up. We'll hop on a quick call to see if we're the right fit — and honestly, you'll probably walk away with ideas even if we don't end up working together.
Onboarding
Share your brand assets, tell me your vision, and I'll take it from there. I'll set up your private Basecamp hub and map out your first month's design queue. By the end of week one, you'll already feel the weight lifting.
Each month
We'll start with a strategy call — what's launching, what ideas you've been sitting on, what your audience is asking for. I'll bring trend-based product suggestions so you're never staring at a blank page wondering what to design next.
Deliveries & communication
Files land in your private portal every Wednesday. You review in Basecamp, share feedback, and your products are ready to sell. No chasing. No waiting. Just beautiful work showing up every single week.
THIS IS WHERE I COME IN.
I’m Shay, your in-house stationery designer
After 8 years in the planner industry, I know where brands lose time and products lose clarity. Working with me means that every decision is rooted in brand positioning, audience behavior, and product goals so that you’re not trading functionality for aesthetics.
From signature planners to seasonal inserts to digital counterparts, your products will feel unmistakably yours.
You don’t have to sit in front of a screen wondering what to do next. You don’t have to explain what functional stationery means. You just have to show up, share your vision, and let me bring it to life.
STRATEGIC PLANNER DESIGN
✿
INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC EXPERTISE
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COHESIVE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
✿
PRINT & DIGITAL FORMATS
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BRAND-ALIGNED EXECUTION
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STRATEGIC PLANNER DESIGN ✿ INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC EXPERTISE ✿ COHESIVE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ✿ PRINT & DIGITAL FORMATS ✿ BRAND-ALIGNED EXECUTION ✿
FOR ESTABLISHED STATIONERY BRANDS READY TO DESIGN LIKE ONE
★★★★★
“Working with Shay is a joy! Everything from onboarding to deliverables runs super smoothly and the end product I received was beyond what I imagined. Thanks so much for bringing my dream planner to life, Shay!” – Helen Jacobs
“Shay is an excellent designer who is easy to work with, professional, timely, and super organized. She is a pleasure to work with and she helped me create such an amazing, unique, and valuable planner for my listeners and clients. Thank you!” – Heather Beardsley
LET’S WORK TOGETHER
Ready to Have a Designer on Your Team?
Fill out the form below to tell me about your brand and design needs. I'll review your inquiry and respond within 2 business days to see if we're a good fit.
Frequently asked questions
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Absolutely. Your retainer hours cover everything — planners, journals, stationery, illustrations, packaging, all of it. There's no separation between big and small projects. If you only need a single planner without ongoing design needs, my Custom Planner Design & Strategy package is available as a one-off.
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They don't — each month starts fresh with your full hours.
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You can upgrade anytime based on my avaibility.
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Your deliverables include print-ready and digital-ready files (PDF, PNG, JPEG). If you need native files for in-house edits, we can add that on — just let me know.
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It's basically our creative check-in! We'll review what's coming up for your brand, prioritize your design queue, and I'll share any trends or product ideas I think would work well for your audience. It's one of my favorite parts of the retainer.
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Pretty much anything your stationery brand needs — planners, journals, notebooks, notepads, sticker sheets, workbooks, printables, packaging, hang tags, thank you cards, marketing materials, and more.
I also create custom illustrations, patterns, and surface designs, so you don't need to hire a separate illustrator.
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Yes! I design for both formats and I understand the technical differences between them — from hyperlinked digital planners to print-ready files with bleed and trim marks. If you need the same product in both formats, I can handle that too.
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No problem — additional hours are available if you need them. Just let me know and we'll make it work.
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My specialty is stationery and planner design for physical and digital businesses. I’ve worked with students, teachers, and online educators. After filling out your inquiry form, I’ll reach out and schedule a call so we can make sure we’re a good fit before starting your project.
This is what working together can look like.
Get to know past clients who have worked with ThePinkInk to bring their vision to life. You’ll see that together, we can create something special that aligns with the goals you have for your business.