Case study - Brand · Web · SEO · 2026
Knotty & Nice is Ann-Maree Shaw’s custom embroidery label - kawaii characters with a grown-up sense of humour. We redesigned the logo, built the website, wrote the brand and put Ann front and centre. Then we got her to the top of Google for a name half the internet shares.
The brief
A well-loved name in a crowded market. With countless businesses using the same festive pun, our goal was simple: make Knotty & Nice the one business to be recognised.
Client
Ann-Maree Shaw
Sector
Custom embroidery
Model
Fully remote
Year
2026
The face of it
A handmade brand lives or dies on the person behind it. So instead of hiding Ann behind the products, we made her the story - the maker, the humour, the dog (that’s Atlas). It gives the brand something no competitor can copy.
After 20 years in the corporate jungle, Ann found embroidery as a creative escape - and it turned into a full-blown love affair with threads, hoops and all things handmade. That honesty is the whole brand, so we built everything to sound like her, not like an advert.
In frames
Hover to fan the deck - the maker, the make and the mischief, all in one spread.
The curation
Ann brought the craft. We brought the system that holds it together: a soft, sweet palette that lets the cheeky designs land, a rounded playful wordmark, and a tone that’s kind with a wink.
A shared thread: Ann’s warm cream sits almost exactly on our own studio cream - so the whole case study you’re reading and the brand it’s about speak the same quiet base note. Sweet, but never saccharine.
The range
Ann’s designs swing from adorable to delightfully rude - and the brand has to hold all of it. So we built a system flexible enough for kawaii critters and cheeky one-liners alike, showing off just how much range she really has.
The website
Scroll to see the site we designed and built for Ann - kawaii warmth with grown-up polish, shaped around her makers, her humour and her characters.
Found first
“Knotty & Nice” is a festive pun countless businesses trade under, plus a thousand Etsy stores all fighting for it. Ranking is hard. Ann sits at number one - and shows up for the competitive embroidery keywords buyers actually search, too.
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on Google for the name
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remote build
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disciplines delivered
Built entirely remotely - Ann sent the craft, we sent it into the world.
Your brand, next
Wherever you are, we’ll turn what you make into a brand people find, remember and fall for.