Story is the strategy.
We build brands that make people feel something and buy something. Strategy-led, story-first, built for the long game.
Built for brands that
mean something
brands
matter.
Strategy & Design
Across Industries
Brand Investment
During Em's CMO Tenure
We're not a full-service agency.
We're a sharp one.
Herwood Creative is a strategy-led creative studio founded by June Atkins and Em Atkins. We build brand identities, digital experiences, and content systems for clients who want work that lasts not work that looks good in a deck and disappears six months later.
Our Services ↗"The thoughtfulness and comfort of a Four Seasons through the lens of Woodstock-era mindfulness."
Forbes · AFAR · Michelin Guide · Yahoo Life
Six ways we can
change your brand
Brand Identity & Strategy
Naming, visual identity, brand architecture, positioning. We build the foundation first so every execution that follows has something real to stand on.
Campaign Development & Production
Full campaign ecosystems from strategy through execution. Integrated paid, organic, and creator-led campaigns with performance measurement built in from day one.
Visual Design & Art Direction
Photography direction, shoot production, design systems, and the visual language that makes people stop scrolling. We've directed shoots for brands with national reach.
Performance Marketing & Growth
Multi-channel paid media, acquisition strategy, lifecycle marketing, and the analytics infrastructure to know what's actually working. $47M scaled, not projected.
Creator & Influencer Programs
We've built creator programs from scratch at the inn, at scale in healthcare, and for clients across industries. Follower counts are the last thing we look at.
Interactive Design & AI Creative
Websites, digital experiences, AI-generated imagery, and automated content workflows. We're already building with these tools so your brand doesn't have to figure it out.
Ready to build
something real?
We take on a limited number of projects each quarter.
Tell us what you're working on.
Built by people
who have done
the thing.
Em and June have been married for five years, and have been building things together since before it was a business. A boutique inn recognized by Forbes, AFAR, and the Michelin Guide. A healthcare brand scaled to $47M. A decade of figuring out what actually works when you are doing everything yourself. Herwood Creative exists because of all of it.
Em Atkins previously served as Chief Marketing Officer and Chief of Staff at TelyRx, where she guided the company through rapid growth that brought the platform to over $47 million in revenue while serving 250,000+ patients across the United States. She built the full marketing infrastructure from the ground up: multi-channel paid media, creator programs, and brand partnerships with Howie Mandel, the Dallas Wings, Toni Breidinger, and Richard Torrez Jr.
Em also co-founded The Herwood Inn with June, leading operations, community partnerships, and the guest experience strategy that helped the property earn national recognition and sell for $1.25M at 3x ROI. She did not just run campaigns. She built the systems behind them.
Creative drives performance. Trust builds growth. Systems scale companies.
June Atkins is a Creative Director with 10+ years building performance-driven brands across hospitality, restaurant tech, fashion, spirits, and emerging technology. She trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, which taught her more about people than any design class could. That instinct for story runs through everything she builds.
June co-founded The Herwood Inn with Em, conceiving the brand, designing every room, building the guest app, and growing the property to 17,000+ organic Instagram followers with zero ad spend before an exit recognized by Forbes, AFAR, and the Michelin Guide. She is Adobe Certified across the full suite and currently completing her M.A. in Graphic Design at SCAD.
Design that works for everyone just works better.
We don't do
beautiful chaos.
Every project runs the same way. Not because we're precious about process. Because when the structure is solid, the work can actually take risks.
Research
We dig.
We won't touch a color until we understand who you're up against.
We look at your competitors, your category, and the people you actually want to reach. Not to copy anyone. To find where the conversation already is and figure out what's missing from it. This isn't the part where we ask you what your favorite fonts are. That comes later. This is the part that makes that conversation worth having.
- Competitor audit: visual identity, messaging, and where they're weak
- Audience research and who you're actually talking to
- A look at what's already being said in your category
- Brand intake questionnaire so we show up to the first call ready
- Written brief before anything else starts
Strategy
We build
the brief.
Strategy before anything else. Every time.
We write the document that the rest of the project answers to. Your positioning, your audience, your voice. Then we bring you two or three real directions to choose from. Not vibes. Actual strategic options with reasoning behind each one. You pick what's true. We lock it in and build from there. Nothing gets designed before this step is done.
- Brand strategy doc: positioning, voice, audience, and what makes you different
- Two to three creative directions, each with a real rationale
- References and visual direction per option
- A call to walk through the options and make the call
- One locked brief before design starts. No exceptions.
Production
We make
the thing.
Actual work. Not a mood board dressed up as a deliverable.
This is where we build. Design, content, campaign assets, digital builds. You see real work in real stages, not a big reveal at the end after we've already gone too far in the wrong direction. Two rounds of revision built in, scoped clearly from the start. We keep you posted. You never have to chase us.
- Work delivered in stages so you can react early, not at the end
- Two rounds of revision per deliverable, clearly defined upfront
- Check-ins every week on projects running longer than three weeks
- Scope stays locked unless we both agree to change it
- Files named and organized before they ever reach you
Delivery
We hand it
over right.
We walk you through everything before we close the project. Files organized, exported, labeled. If you got a brand system, you get guidelines a designer you haven't hired yet can follow. We've seen what happens when agencies drop the files and disappear. We don't do that.
- Every file exported for every platform you'll actually use
- Brand guidelines for identity projects, written for real people
- A walkthrough call before we officially close
- Two weeks of follow-up access for anything we missed
- Everything ready to hand to a printer, developer, or new hire on day one
Pick the version
that fits where
you are.
Not every project needs the full build. Some people need a partner on call. Some people need a great deck by Thursday and don't want to talk about it for an hour first.
Digital Products
Grab it and
go.
You know what you need. No kickoff call, no proposal, no waiting around. Buy something polished, make it yours, move on with your life.
- Pitch deck and presentation templates
- Custom link hub and bio page builds
- Brand starter kits
- More dropping soon
Shop launching soon. Drop your email and you'll hear first.
Good. You'll hear from us.
Project Work
Build the
whole thing.
Clear scope, clear start and end. Brand identity, campaign, digital build, content system. The four steps above are exactly how it runs.
- Brand identity and visual systems
- Campaign development and production
- Website and digital experience design
- Content strategy and asset production
Most projects run 3 to 6 weeks. We take a limited number each quarter.
Start a project →Ongoing Retainer
Keep us in
your corner.
For brands that need someone who already knows their voice, shows up every month, and doesn't need to be briefed from scratch every time.
- Monthly creative direction and design
- Content production and campaign support
- Brand consistency across everything you put out
- Priority access and faster turnaround
Scope is built around what you actually need. No standard packages.
Let's talk →We take on a limited
number of projects
each quarter.
Tell us what you're working on. We'll tell you honestly if it's a good fit. If it's not, we'll tell you that too.
The Herwood Inn
The Herwood Inn, Woodstock NY
"It started with furniture off NYC sidewalks, a flea market table in Hell's Kitchen, and a name we gave to something we loved doing."
We built every layer of The Herwood Inn ourselves: the brand, the interiors, the digital experience, the social presence, the events, the partnerships.
Each suite has its own designated color, a custom-ordered sign hung on a chain at the door, and decor that reflects real research into the artist it honors.
"We connect guests to makers and artisans who are changing our world for the better."
Something
big
is coming.
What if your property was not just a place to stay, but a place people could not stop talking about?
We built The Herwood Inn from the ground up. Literally from the ground up. Designed the logo, styled every room, managed the Instagram, partnered with local shops, pivoted through a pandemic, and watched it grow to 10k followers before selling it to the perfect new owners. This is not theory. It is a decade of figuring out what actually works when you are doing everything yourself.
Over 10 weeks, we are sharing the whole playbook: the brand decisions, the content strategies, the community relationships, the hard lessons, and the small touches that turned guests into our loudest advocates. This is for hosts who want to build something that feels authentic, looks intentional, and books itself.
Before you paint a wall or post a photo, you need to know who you are building this for. When we started The Herwood Inn, we knew our audience was not everyone. Woodstock is a small town, and honestly, they did not want us bringing in tons of tourists. We only had four suites. We could not fill the world, but we loved what we had: small and complete. Our brand came from our furniture business, also called Herwood, where we grabbed furniture off the street, upcycled it, and sold it at the flea market. We brought that handmade luxury aesthetic into the inn. Lots of wood. Vintage finds mixed with quality basics. We wanted to pay homage to Woodstock's creative legacy while honoring women, hence HER in Herwood. Our ideal guests? People coming from Brooklyn who needed to escape.
We had no idea what we were getting into, but we knew exactly who we wanted to welcome.
- Brand Vision Statement that captures your unique approach
- Ideal Guest Persona worksheet (demographics, values, desires)
- Core Values exercise that guides all future decisions
- Digital mood board visualizing your brand aesthetic
Your space needs to work double duty: comfortable for guests, camera-ready for content. The honeycomb tile in the King Suite became one of the most photographed elements of The Herwood Inn. People still post it years later. We did not pick it because it was trendy. We picked it because it told a story and created a moment guests wanted to share. We built a custom app that connected guests to all the local brands and products we used throughout the inn. They could buy the soaps, the textiles, the coffee, everything. We also partnered with influencers who posted about the space organically. They spread the word about our business for free because they genuinely liked how it looked.
Design does not have to be precious to be shareable.
- Space audit and redesign priority list
- Signature design element identification
- Room styling checklist for maximum shareability
- Photo moment map for your property
The unglamorous truth: you have to show up. On days we did not? Something went wrong. Toilet in the wrong room. Bathtub on the wrong floor. You name it. Systems save you. We learned what NOT to do from years of cleaning Airbnbs in NYC. At The Herwood Inn, we made clear storage drawers everywhere so you could see what was inside. We labeled everything. We had six washers and dryers because doing laundry should not be your bottleneck. This week is about creating unified systems that work even when you are not there. Document everything. Make it repeatable. Build operations that scale without breaking you.
Systems let you step back later, but only if you build them right.
- Standard Operating Procedures document
- Visual organization system plan
- Cleaning checklist and realistic timeline
- Equipment and supply optimization guide
Content does not have to be polished to be effective. We connected with the local community, used friends in our content, posted photos of us doing real things: picking paint samples, bringing our puppy when the concrete was poured, showing the messy middle of building something. That authenticity resonated. People want to see the process, not just the final product. Your friends and community become your first advocates. They share your posts. They bring their networks. They make your business feel real before you have fancy professional photos.
Our best content was not professionally shot. It was real moments that made people feel connected to our journey.
- 30-day content calendar using your real life
- Brand voice guide that sounds like you
- Behind-the-scenes content ideas
- Community collaboration framework
Influencers get a bad rap, but here is the truth: they created tons of content for us, and we still use it today. Guests loved taking photos in our cedar hot tub. The content looks so good it still drives traffic. Those influencers repost it all the time, which means free ongoing marketing. One niche LGBTQ+ influencer brought in $18,000 in revenue for us in less than a month. We could track it directly because people used her booking code. That is not vanity metrics. That is real ROI.
Strategic influencer partnerships paid for themselves many times over. But the real win was creating spaces so photogenic that every guest became a content creator.
- Guest journey map with content opportunities
- Influencer partnership strategy and outreach templates
- Photo-worthy moment checklist
- Tracking system for partnership ROI
We had a self-serve commune shop that guests could access 24/7 with a code and an iPad. They could purchase food, snacks, items from the rooms, alcohol, whatever they needed. Tons of people ended up buying products they discovered in their suites. We stocked local makers, sustainable brands, things that aligned with our values. Root and Resin was not a transactional partnership. We genuinely believed in their products. We used them ourselves. That authenticity showed. Build relationships, not sponsorship deals.
Our custom Root and Resin blend became a signature scent people associated with The Herwood Inn. The self-serve shop meant guests could buy what they loved at 3am without bothering us.
- Local partnership opportunity list
- Self-serve shop or product offering plan
- Collaboration proposal templates
- Community integration strategy
Packages changed our business. Our elopement package became one of our most popular offerings. We positioned it as a mini wedding option and included everything: the space, setup, coordination, local vendor connections. Instead of competing with every other Airbnb on nightly rates, we created experiences people could not get anywhere else. Elopements, retreats, bachelorette weekends, corporate offsites. We were not the cheapest option in Woodstock. We were the option for people who valued what we built.
Elopement packages let us serve couples who wanted something intimate and beautiful without traditional wedding stress. These specialized offerings became our most profitable bookings.
- Package opportunity brainstorm and development
- Dynamic pricing strategy for your market
- Value proposition statements for premium positioning
- Revenue diversification plan
COVID forced everyone to pivot. When indoor gatherings became risky, outdoor space became our biggest asset. We shifted marketing to emphasize the private patios, the fire pit, the hot tub, all the ways guests could be outside safely. We targeted local guests instead of tourists. We offered long-term stays. We communicated transparently about our enhanced cleaning protocols. The pandemic was difficult, but it taught us how to be flexible without losing our identity. Crisis management is not about having all the answers. It is about making decisions quickly, staying true to your values, and communicating honestly with your community.
We did not have to rebuild our entire business, just emphasize different aspects of what we already offered.
- Crisis communication template library
- Pivot strategy framework
- Adaptation decision-making guide
- Community transparency plan
We did it all ourselves for so long. Too long, honestly. We thought we had to do everything to maintain quality, but that is not sustainable. Eventually we had to learn how to delegate: hiring cleaners, bringing on help with management, trusting other people with our baby. The challenge was maintaining what made The Herwood Inn special while giving up some control. Documentation saved us. Because we had systems written down, training was easier. Because we had clear brand guidelines, other people could make decisions that felt on-brand.
Delegation is not giving up control. It is building something that can exist beyond just the two of us working 24/7.
- Growth readiness assessment
- Delegation decision framework
- Team training manual outline
- Brand consistency checklist for scaling
Selling The Herwood Inn was bittersweet, but finding the right people made all the difference. We still communicate with the new owners. They care about what happens. They respected what we built while making it their own. That is what a good exit looks like. Whether you plan to sell eventually or not, building a business that can thrive without you is the ultimate success. We documented everything: our vendor relationships, our systems, our community partnerships, our brand values. We made it easy for someone else to step in.
We built something that could continue and grow beyond us. Seeing it through the eyes of the listing made us realize what we had actually accomplished.
- Complete operations documentation
- Brand values and legacy statement
- Transition planning guide
- Business valuation preparation checklist
Don't wait.