Stacy Thal

summary: Stacy is a senior brand/creative strategist with a strong track record of brand refreshes, rebrands, and go-to-market brand foundations for DTC and consumer brands (MYXfitness, Goode Health, Google Store, Yahoo, Pottery Barn). She has directly led brand strategy, creative direction, brand voice/values, and coordinated website revamps as a project-based Fractional Creative Director, which maps well to this scoped one-month style guide refresh. The main caveat: her documented strength is brand strategy and creative direction plus 'directing' brand books and website rebrands (via external agencies), not hands-on visual/style-guide design execution herself, so the 'polished visual system' and hands-on website implementation aspects are somewhat delegation-oriented. Availability is also flagged false and her $100/hr rate should be checked against the ~$8-10K one-month budget.

synthesis_quote: Stacy developed a robust brand strategy that served as the cornerstone for all marketing efforts... coordinated with an external web design and development agency to revamp the website.

tier: undefined

evidence: 'lead a brand refresh... redefining the brand's identity and messaging' (MYXfitness); 'Complete rebrand', 'New brand launch' skills

evidence: 'Fractional Creative Director' at MYXfitness and Goode Health delivering brand foundation on tight timelines

evidence: MYXfitness 'a direct-to-consumer startup'; Yahoo 'senior leader in the in-house agency'

evidence: 'coordinated with an external web design and development agency to revamp the website... beautiful, highly functioning, high-performing site'

evidence_snippets: 'lead a brand refresh that aimed to differentiate the company in a crowded market' (MYXfitness)

evidence_snippets: 'developed a robust brand strategy that served as the cornerstone for all marketing efforts' (Goode Health)

evidence_snippets: 'coordinated with an external web design and development agency to revamp the website'

evidence_snippets: skills: 'Directing brand book / guide', 'Complete rebrand', 'Visual Brand management (not direct design)'

evidence_snippets: 'establish a unified voice and tone for consistent branding across all platforms' (Yahoo)

evidence_snippets: 'preferred_hourly_pay_rate: $100/hr'; 'has_availability: false'

evidence_snippets: 'Directing brand book / guide', 'Complete rebrand', 'Brand strategy'; MYXfitness 'lead a brand refresh... redefining the brand's identity and messaging'; Goode Health 'strategic go-to-market brand foundation'.


Sorrina Beecher

summary: Sorrina is a senior brand/content strategist and award-winning writer with 20+ years of experience in brand positioning, messaging, rebrands, and website refreshes. She has genuine brand-strategy depth (brand audits, positioning frameworks, brand guidelines, complete rebrands) and can clearly own a scoped engagement independently. However, this role hinges on a HARD requirement for hands-on brand identity and style guide development 'from strategy through polished visual system' — i.e., producing a polished visual/design system. Her profile consistently shows her *directing* design and *writing/verbal* brand work ('Directing brand book / guide', 'Directing website rebrand', 'Facilitated a verbal brand refresh'), working 'alongside external design resources,' rather than personally building the visual system. She is primarily a brand-voice/content strategist, not a visual brand designer, which is a material gap against the core deliverable (a refreshed visual style guide).

synthesis_quote: Award-winning journalist, brand marketing strategist, and writer... ensuring alignment of brand creative with corporate priorities, strategy, and vision.

evidence: Developed a Brand Positioning Framework; Brand audit, Brand strategy, Complete rebrand

evidence: Fractional Head of Marketing & PR at JOY ENGINE; commissioned project roles

evidence: Directed a full website refresh; tools include Webflow, Squarespace, Wordpress

evidence: Industries: Marketing Agencies, Ecommerce, Marketplaces; subindustries: Apparel, Beauty, CPG

hard_fail_reasons: req-001 (Brand style guide development from strategy through polished visual system): Not clearly met. Evidence shows Sorrina *directs* brand books/guides and works alongside external designers ('Directing brand book / guide', 'Worked alongside external design resources'), and produced verbal/messaging brand guidelines rather than a personally built polished visual design system. She is a brand strategist/writer, not a demonstrated visual brand designer, so the core visual deliverable is unproven.

evidence_snippets: Created Brand Guidelines to ensure brand story and messaging alignment.

evidence_snippets: Facilitated a verbal brand refresh, including positioning, messaging, and a new website.

evidence_snippets: Worked alongside external design resources and coordinate visual content creation

evidence_snippets: Developed a Brand Positioning Framework for an investment boutique.

evidence_snippets: 'Directing brand book / guide', 'Directing website rebrand', 'Created Brand Guidelines', 'Facilitated a verbal brand refresh, including positioning, messaging'; 'Worked alongside external design resources.'


Saima Omar

summary: Saima is a content marketer and brand strategist with real brand strategy work (rebrands, tone/voice, brand book direction), but her profile skews heavily toward content/copywriting and SEO rather than visual brand identity system design. Crucially, her brand-related skills are framed as "Directing brand book / guide," "Creative direction," and "Visual Brand management (not direct design)" — meaning she directs rather than personally builds polished visual systems. This role wants a senior brand/creative strategist or brand designer who can develop a style guide from strategy through a polished visual system and support website implementation. Her evidence supports the strategy/verbal side of branding but does not demonstrate hands-on delivery of a refreshed visual style guide, which is the core hard requirement.

synthesis_quote: Led rebranding initiatives defining the vision, mission, values, and brand essence, and crafting the tone of voice for their new market identity.

evidence: Industries include Marketing Agencies, Ecommerce, DTC

evidence: Tools: Webflow, Squarespace, Wordpress

hard_fail_reasons: req-001 (Brand style guide development): Profile shows brand strategy and tone/voice work but explicitly notes 'Visual Brand management (not direct design)' and 'Directing brand book / guide' — no concrete evidence of personally delivering a polished visual style guide 'from strategy through polished visual system.'

hard_fail_reasons: req-003 (Senior brand/creative strategist): Her senior depth is in content/SEO and verbal brand strategy, not the visual creative/design specialization the role requires; primary roles are Content Marketer and Social Media Manager.

evidence_snippets: Created full brand tone and voice guides for Lawyers With Purpose

evidence_snippets: rebrand into a neurodiversity-focused stationery company that went from minimal sales to generating $5,000+ in the first month

evidence_snippets: Tools: Canva, Photoshop, Webflow, Squarespace, Wordpress

evidence_snippets: 'Directing brand book / guide', 'Visual Brand management (not direct design)', 'Creative direction'; rebrand at Cali & Caro was 'vision, mission, values, and brand essence... tone of voice'


Rebecca Shank

summary: Rebecca is primarily a lifecycle/retention and email marketer (Klaviyo-driven DTC growth) who also carries brand strategy credentials. She has real brand-adjacent experience — brand positioning, brand strategy, "Directing brand book / guide," "Complete rebrand," and creative direction — plus DTC eCommerce and agency-relevant industry exposure. However, her hands-on design capability is explicitly limited ("Graphic design (basic)" and "Visual Brand management (not direct design)"), and her brand work is framed as direction rather than personally producing a polished visual style guide. For a role that needs proven brand identity/style guide development from strategy through polished visual system, her evidence is directional and generic rather than a demonstrated deliverable, so she does not clearly clear the hard skill bar.

evidence: 'Brand strategy', 'Brand positioning', 'Complete rebrand', 'Directing brand book / guide'

evidence: Industries 'Ecommerce... Marketing Agencies'; DTC jewelry/beauty/fashion clients

evidence: Tools 'Shopify', 'Ecommerce tools (Shopify, Magento, etc)'; 'Directing website rebrand'

evidence: '$85/hr', 'has_availability: true', Dallas US timezone

hard_fail_reasons: req-001 (Brand style guide development) not clearly met: skills show 'Directing brand book / guide' and 'Visual Brand management (not direct design)' with 'Graphic design (basic)', indicating a directional/advisory role rather than proven delivery of a polished visual style guide from strategy through visual system.

hard_fail_reasons: req-003 (Senior brand/creative strategist able to own brand foundation with minimal onboarding) only partially met: seniority (CMO title) exists, but her proven senior depth is in lifecycle/email/DTC growth, not in independently producing a polished brand identity system, leaving the brand-foundation ownership unproven.

evidence_snippets: 'Directing brand book / guide' and 'Complete rebrand' (skills)

evidence_snippets: 'Graphic design (basic)' and 'Visual Brand management (not direct design)' (skills)

evidence_snippets: 'The owner felt the Brand Strategy really brought to life what he was working to build' (Capablanca)

evidence_snippets: 'I'm Rebecca, a lifecycle and retention strategist specializing in Klaviyo-driven growth for DTC and high-consideration brands.'

evidence_snippets: 'The team was impressed by the translation of the brand guidelines into email campaigns' (Poise)

evidence_snippets: Industries: 'Ecommerce, Local Businesses, Marketing Agencies'

evidence_snippets: Skills list 'Brand strategy', 'Brand positioning', 'Directing brand book / guide', 'Complete rebrand'; but 'Graphic design (basic)' and 'Visual Brand management (not direct design)'.


Valbona Demiri

summary: Valbona is a content and email marketer with brand-voice and messaging experience, plus one instance of building a "brand book" for a startup. However, she is not a senior brand identity / visual system designer. The role requires proven brand identity and style guide development from strategy through polished visual system, which her profile does not substantiate—her graphic design is Canva/Photoshop tactical work, and her core function is content/email marketing, not visual brand systems. She fails the HARD requirement for proven brand style guide development at a senior visual level.

synthesis_quote: Created a detailed brand book to establish Mate Health's identity, including brand voice, visuals, and messaging guidelines.

evidence: Industries: Ecommerce, Marketing Agencies

evidence: tools: Webflow, Wordpress; developing user journey flows for their Shopify website

hard_fail_reasons: req-001 (Brand style guide development): No proven senior visual brand identity/style guide track record; only one content/voice-led 'brand book' at an early-stage startup, with graphic design limited to tactical Canva/Photoshop asset production.

hard_fail_reasons: req-003 (Senior brand/creative strategist): Profile positions her as a Content Marketer/Email Marketer, not a senior brand/creative strategist able to own a polished visual brand foundation with minimal onboarding.

evidence_snippets: Created social media posts, brochures, and edited short video clips using Adobe Premiere and Canva for Aerterra.

evidence_snippets: tools: Ahrefs, Canva, Google Analytics, HubSpot, Photoshop, Webflow, Wordpress

evidence_snippets: Currently developing user journey flows for their Shopify website...

evidence_snippets: Created a detailed brand book to establish Mate Health's identity, including brand voice, visuals, and messaging guidelines; roles: Content Marketer, Email Marketer

evidence_snippets: Skills: Brand voice strategy, Graphic design, Creative development management; 'crafted an authentic and engaging brand story'