I’m Susan Baldaserini, a creative director with vast experience leading marketing and design initiatives across publishing, hospitality, nonprofit, and entrepreneurial environments.
Clients come to me when they want to elevate how they show up in the world. I ask the right questions, build strong conceptual frameworks, and deliver work that feels confident, cohesive, and considered.
I’m based in the Hudson Valley, where I also own The Reed Street Bottle Shop (named by Food & Wine as one of the region’s best wine shops). When I’m not working, you’ll find me tending to an ambitious dahlia garden or chasing the elusive crunch-to-goo ratio in my prized salty chocolate chunk cookie recipe.
What I can do.
Brand Strategy
The work of clarifying who you are, what you stand for, and how you show up before anything is designed. This is where positioning, voice, and narrative are defined, giving the brand a clear point of view and a strong foundation for every creative decision that follows. Brands that start here don’t end up redoing the work—or paying for it twice.
Identity
Logotypes, typography, color, imagery—and the rules that hold them together. Confident, flexible identity systems built to last. The goal isn’t just to look good at launch, but to hold up over time, across platforms, and through business growth.
Digital
User flow and sitemap development, page-level wireframes, UX and UI guidance, responsive and accessibility considerations, and creative direction for web build execution. I also design digital ad units and social media template systems that extend the brand clearly and consistently across platforms.
Packaging
Distinctive work designed to stop people in their tracks (unconventional when it should be, restrained when it needs to be) all grounded in the realities of production, manufacturing, timing, and budget.
Design, pacing, and production are treated with equal importance—ensuring the final piece feels deliberate and tactile. In an increasingly digital world, a well-executed print project signals care, craft, and attention to detail.
How I scope it.
Flat Fee
Project-based engagement for early phase work that requires focused attention with a clear beginning, middle, and end—typically 6–8 weeks. Flat fee projects are scoped carefully up front, allowing for strategic thinking, creative development, and execution without watching the clock.
BEST FOR: full identities, major refreshes, packaging systems, launch campaigns
Retainer
For businesses that want a trusted creative partner on call, retainers offer consistent creative direction and design support over a set period of time—usually 3-6 months. This model allows for flexibility, continuity, and deeper brand fluency over time.
BEST FOR: early growth phases, rolling out new identity systems, creative direction across multiple touchpoints
Hourly
Tailored for smaller, clearly defined needs and quick turn projects. Hourly work is suited for things like brand merch, mini campaigns, or focused consulting sessions. A minimum commitment (10-hr design or 2-hr consulting) applies to ensure momentum and meaningful progress from the start.
BEST FOR: one-off projects, production support, focused strategy sessions
Want to work together?
If you've got a brand, business, or pie-in-the-sky idea that needs a little creative zhuzhing, let's chat. Drop a note in the form below, or email me at susan.baldaserini@gmail.com.