Why I Outsourced My Own Website PT. 1 — And What Erica Got So Right

Let’s get one thing straight: I love designing websites. It’s my jam. My zone. My sparkly little superpower.

But designing your own site as a designer? Whole different beast.

There’s pressure — like, “this site better be the Mona Lisa of Showit builds” pressure. And when you’re a multi-hyphenate artist with a thousand ideas and a very particular (okay, slightly dramatic) vision? It gets personal. Fast.

I’d been dreaming up my site refresh for months — bold, retro, weird-but-strategic, totally me. But when I found myself buried in work – launching a mentorship (and creating a gazillion resources), relaunching a template shop (redesigning old or designing new templates + resources) and trying to finish my music projects, I knew something had to give.

Still…outsourcing it?
Terrifying.

I was worried what people might think. “She’s a designer — why doesn’t she just do it herself?” (Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt like outsourcing would somehow reflect poorly on your ability. Yeah, same.)

But here’s the thing — letting someone else design for you isn’t a weakness, it’s a power move. Especially when that someone is Erica Kjar of Cornerstone Digital Studio.

As someone who is definitely the Monica Geller of design clients (color-coded folders, anyone?), I sent her the world’s most detailed brief. Fonts, color palette (and reasons why I needed them), adjectives, layout notes, probably a musical theatre reference or two. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted.

But what Erica delivered?

It was more. So much more.

She took everything I gave her and elevated it — crafting something that felt not only aligned with my brand, but better than what I imagined. It was bold, a little chaotic (in a cool, intentional way), layered, and full of personality. Just like I wanted…but sharper. Smarter. Cooler.

Honestly? I cried. (Designers cry too, okay?)

Tears aside, I would like to share more of this process, but I wanted to do it from Erica’s perspective, so without anymore rambling from me, let’s get into it!

I asked Erica to share her experience working with me as her “client” and this is what she had to say:

B: What Was it Like to Reimagine the BLC Studio Website?

E: There’s this weird taboo in the design world about hiring out your own brand or website design. But I just don’t get it. It’s totally normal in other industries to outsource work that you also do for your own clients. Business coaches hire business coaches. Therapists have their own therapists. Contractors bring in other contractors to work on their own homes. So when you posted about handing off your redesign, it made perfect sense to me.

We all know designing for yourself is the hardest. I’ve totally felt that way. New designers in our forums are constantly struggling to get their businesses launched (or relaunched) because they can’t get their own website finished. You’re too close to the work when it’s for your own business. Clients hire us for the clarity and confidence our outside perspective brings to their brand. Designers deserve the same treatment for themselves, and outsourcing can be a super powerful move.

And then there’s the business advice we’ve all heard: You can’t work on your business when you’re working in your business. This is the same concept. You were working on a whole relaunch with new templates, new offerings, and a coaching container. Those are products and experiences only you could create. It made sense to outsource the redesign work that someone else could do, so you could stay focused on the parts of your business that had to come directly from you.

B: What is it like designing for a designer?

E: I was super excited to take this project on. I love when a client knows deeply who they and their brand are, because my specialty is bringing that vision to life on the page. As soon as I read your project brief, I felt like I could see your world so clearly and the visuals just started to flow. I felt like we vibed from the jump, even though our whole collaboration happened over chat and email. I also feel a bit like this project and I were meant for each other. The BLC brand is rooted in 70s retro with some 80s maximalism sprinkled in. I’m a 90s kid but was blessed with a very hippie mom, so I grew up on 70s/80s music and media. That upbringing (thanks mom) totally came through in this design. Especially in the effort to make it truly retro, not the cutesy-retro design trend we’re seeing so much of in the last year. This design feels real, raw, and authentic.

From the start, you were so willing to hand over the design and just see what happened, it was great. The design brief had a few must-haves, and I mostly used the site structure you already had in place, but otherwise it was an open creative highway.

Designing for a designer was both easier and more fun than working with non-designer clients​ . I didn’t have to worry about whether something would be too complex to manage later, over explain design decisions, or spend hours on discovery calls. You had your branding dialed in and a super clear vision. I got to focus on bringing that vision to life. I also typically work with clients that aren’t super tech savvy. It was fun designing for someone that knows the Showit platform inside and out because I was able to add more complex design elements and code snippets without worrying about you being able to manage the site later.

I went in to this project anticipating more feedback than usual, but again I think we were just so on the same wavelength that there ended up being very little revisions. I even had a moment where I was like “ok she actually must hate this and is just too kind to say so.” I’ve spent years working with soul-crushing newspaper & magazine editors, so I’m fully desensitized to criticism at this point and sometimes convinced that minimal feedback must mean the design is trash.

B: Let’s Talk Creative Decisions

E: You came into the project with a crystal-clear identity. When I read your design brief and scoped out your existing website, I told you I felt like you were already close to where you wanted to be.  I realized later that it felt that way because your brand & voice came through super clearly even though your website design was only sort of embodying it at that point. I made the decision right away to lean really far into your brand vibe with the site design.

The key challenge in this project was making sure the design didn’t feel like it was trying too hard. I didn’t feel like the retro brand vibe was a trend you were chasing, it’s just who you are, and your brand is an authentic extension of you. I wanted your website design to also feel that natural. I knew your clients would totally be able to tell the difference between someone who really gets their vibe vs someone who is into a retro trend. Your website needed to make them feel right at home.

There are so many parts of the design that I love, but these are my absolute favorite features:

The scrapbook elements: Cutouts and scrapbook designs are on fire right now. Taking that trend back to its retro roots with the polaroids, stickers, and tape strips perfectly balanced a modern design trend with BLC’s retro brand vibe.

The custom AI-generated images: I’m obsessed. They added a layer of personality and took the site up a level in a way that stock photos could never.

The timeline on the About page: It’s so different from what I typically see. It’s a static element but almost feels interactive with the way it breaks up the page flow.

The texture: It’s subtle, but adds major dimension. It’s another little touch that elevated the design beyond the ordinary, which is so on brand for your studio.

B: Final Takeaways?

E: A few times throughout this process you said you really loved how much the design felt exactly like you and what you’d been envisioning. This is why an outside set of eyes can be so helpful. I didn’t have any of the backend business baggage in my head when I was designing. I could treat it just like any other client project. And I was able to see you the way your audience does, a perspective that’s nearly impossible to have about yourself.

To any designer thinking about outsourcing their own brand or website design, I say go for it. I know when I’m ready for a refresh, I fully plan to bring in help. You deserve the same clarity, confidence, and VIP treatment you give to your own clients every day.

Meet Erica Kjar — the designer behind Cornerstone Digital Studio.
With 20+ years in design and advertising (yes, she’s that seasoned), Erica’s helped hundreds of small businesses show up online with purpose, polish, and personality. She believes local brands are the backbone of their communities — and she’s made it her mission to create websites that work just as hard as they do. Strategic, grounded, and wildly talented, Erica is the designer you call when you want to look as legit online as you are IRL.

Stay tuned for Part Two – my music site re-imagined by another amazing designer peer! Also, my breakdown of my own creative process for my brand remix.

Until then,

Brie xo