Magic Candy Cane was an early-stage product brand built around a heartfelt holiday tradition. The creators envisioned a Christmas keepsake that combined personalized storytelling, interactive experiences, and family bonding, all tied together in a magical brand world.
But at the time of engagement, there was no identity, no structure, and no launch plan. Just the book.
Get to know the brand:
Discover the story behind the project.
The Magic Candy Cane project started with a story. Literally. The founders had a self-written children's book with a powerful emotional hook and the potential to become a full-blown product line. They came to me with one goal: take the book and turn it into a complete brand in time for Christmas launch.
With a hard seasonal deadline, tight creative turnaround, and multiple selling channels (e-commerce, wholesale, and live market events), this project required full brand development from zero, design systems that could scale across web, print, email, and influencer touchpoints, marketing assets and campaign rollout support for both B2C and B2B, and interactive components that would drive family engagement and repeat purchase behavior.
All of it needed to be executed fast, cleanly, and without compromising emotional resonance.
Zero to Market-Ready in Five Months
What wasn't working:
The constraints:
THE CHALLENGE
I acted as the fractional marketing department, leading creative execution and marketing delivery across all channels. My job was to make the brand not only look cohesive but function across a wide set of moving parts.
My Role:
Fractional Marketing Department
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01 — Brand Foundation
Built the complete brand identity system from scratch, including primary and holiday logo variations, a full color palette anchored in deep purple and rich gold with supporting neutrals, typography system with guidelines for headlines and body copy, and a comprehensive tone of voice guide that balanced confident professionalism with holiday warmth. Created iconography and packaging guidelines to ensure visual consistency across all customer touchpoints, from digital to physical retail environments.
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02 — Digital Ecosystem
Designed website graphics optimized for both desktop and mobile experiences, established social media presence across Instagram and Facebook with branded page setups, and built a library of reusable Canva templates for ongoing content creation. These templates covered Instagram reels, stories, carousel posts, and Facebook graphics, allowing the client to maintain brand consistency while updating content independently throughout the holiday season and beyond.
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03 — Print & Collateral
Created print advertising for local publications and wholesale catalogs, designed eye-catching signage for market booths and retail displays, and developed comprehensive wholesale collateral including product sheets, order forms, and brand one-pagers. Built flyers and promotional inserts for both B2C customers and B2B wholesale partners, ensuring the brand translated seamlessly from screen to print with consistent visual impact.
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04 — Interactive Experiences
Developed a fully functioning Santa Tracker interactive map powered by Google Sheets, allowing families to drop personalized message pins and watch their participation appear on a live holiday map. Designed customizable Santa Letter templates that parents could personalize with child-specific details, print, and use as part of the Magic Candy Cane tradition. Every interactive element was built with kid-friendly UX in mind while maintaining parent-facing clarity and ease of use.
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05 — Influencer & Growth
Managed end-to-end influencer partnerships with two content creators, coordinating 15 deliverables per partnership including unboxing videos, family experience content, and product integration posts. Created ad creative for paid social campaigns with both static graphics and video thumbnail designs optimized for Facebook and Instagram advertising. Developed promotional strategies that balanced organic community building with targeted paid reach during the critical pre-holiday launch window.
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06 — Systems Built to Scale
The entire project was designed for client independence post-launch. Every Canva template included detailed usage instructions, brand guidelines were organized for easy reference, and all digital systems were documented so the client could maintain and grow the brand without ongoing design support. This approach ensured they could scale into future product lines and seasonal campaigns while maintaining the brand integrity established in year one.
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Rather than one-off designs, I built repeatable systems.
THE APPROACH
Strategic Focus: Build to Scale
Canva-based templates for social and email so the brand could update assets independently. Visual consistency across print and web, especially for family-first audiences. Brand tone that struck a balance between wonder, trust, and clarity.
Interactive Experiences
Print Collateral
Influencer & Paid Media
Email & Automations
Digital Assets
Brand & Identity
DELIVERED ASSETS
The brand launched on time and fully operational across all channels, with a visual identity and digital system strong enough to support direct-to-consumer sales, influencer content rollout, wholesale event booths, and future product expansion. The creative systems built into this project mean the brand can continue to grow without needing a full in-house team.
The Outcome
Browse deliverables from brand identity to interactive experiences
Project Showcase
