BorderBytes™ - Art Direction & Brand Stewardship
Thoughtfully designed home decor for inspired retail experiences
Project Highlight
A story-driven rebrand of a home décor line—rooted in warmth, creativity, and meaningful retail experiences.
Overview
As the second owner and creative lead of BorderBytes™, I reimagined a line of typographic vinyl wall décor with one goal in mind: to bring warmth, creativity, and meaning into people’s spaces. I led a full visual rebrand—evolving the logo, packaging, and retail displays to reflect a more welcoming, handcrafted spirit that resonated with shopkeepers and their guests.
I partnered closely with regional and national gift shops—including the iconic Shady Maple Gift Shop in Pennsylvania—to support curated product assortments, seasonal promotions, and inspiring merchandising solutions. Every catalog, tag, and wholesale booth was designed to tell a story—one rooted in charm, clarity, and thoughtful design.
Impact:
-
Grew the wholesale client base by 10%.
-
Increased sales by 30% over five years.
-
Built a cohesive and joyful retail experience that helped shop guests feel more connected to their home and their purchases.
My Role
As Owner and Art Director, I led the full creative direction and brand transformation of BorderBytes™, including:
-
Intentional brand experience across print, digital, and retail touchpoints.
-
Storytelling through design to connect products with guests and shop environments.
-
Logo and typography refresh to reflect warmth, creativity, and handcrafted appeal.
-
Product photography highlighting styled in-use moments for web and print.
-
Marketing collateral including signage, tags, and wholesale buyer materials.
-
Seasonal catalog layout for sales representatives and retail partners.
-
Wix-based web design tailored to B2B purchasing and wholesale browsing.
-
Booth styling and merchandising for gift markets and wholesale showroom.
Tools & Skills Used
-
Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign
-
Wix.com
-
Product Photography
-
Branding & Logo Design
-
Typography & Layout
-
MS Office365, Google Docs
-
Online Shipping Platforms (USPS, FedEX, UPS)
The Challenge
BorderBytes™ needed a refreshed brand identity to align with modern home décor trends and connect more meaningfully with wholesale buyers. The original logo and typography felt outdated, and the absence of a cohesive digital presence made it difficult for shop owners to browse and buy confidently. Without a clear visual system or storytelling approach, the product line lacked the warmth, charm, and intentional design today’s retail buyers—and their customers—expect.
Old product design by Just Jill
Just Jill's Wholesale Mall Booth set up
Old product design of Petites by Just Jill
Design Approach
I reimagined the BorderBytes™ brand to feel cleaner, more handcrafted, and emotionally connected to both shopkeepers and their customers. The refreshed logo and updated typography brought clarity and warmth, setting the tone for an entirely new product line. I designed new vinyl wall décor with purposeful messaging, styled wholesale showroom booth to feel like aa curated retail space, and built a clean, wholesale-exclusive website that made ordering intuitive and inspiring. Every touchpoint—from seasonal catalogs to in-store signage—was crafted to deliver a cohesive, buyer-focused brand experience across all channels.
New Petite BorderBytes Designs by Cjae LLC
New Large BorderBytes Design by Cjae LLC
Typography Redesign
Before & After:
I replaced the original product fonts—often ornate or outdated—with cleaner, more legible typefaces that felt fresh, modern, and true to current home décor aesthetics. Thoughtful kerning, hierarchy, and spacing helped the new designs feel both handcrafted and professionally refined—elevating shelf appeal and improving readability for customers browsing in-store or online.
Logo Rebranding: Then & Now
The original logo (left) leaned heavily on a dense, dated serif with overlapping glyphs and minimal white space—making it difficult to scale across print and digital formats. My redesign (right) introduced a cleaner, more modern aesthetic with a handwritten flourish and bright botanical mark that reflected creativity, positivity, and a handcrafted spirit.
Design Focus: Approachability, legibility, and alignment with creative home décor buyers
Outcome: A joyful, more flexible identity that translated seamlessly across packaging, signage, and web
“Home is where your style begins” → “Be Inspired! Be Creative!” —reflecting a shift from style ownership to style encouragement.
New Product Line Designs
As owner and creative lead at Cjae LLC, I developed my own original BorderBytes™ vinyl décor designs from concept through production. Each piece was thoughtfully styled to reflect seasonal themes, family values, and modern farmhouse aesthetics—bringing warmth and personality to walls, entryways, and everyday spaces.
Creative Focus:
– Typography-led design with emotional resonance
– Seasonal product storytelling
– Handcrafted appeal for gift shops and home retailers
Product Focus: Entryways, kitchens, laundry rooms, beach homes, faith expressions
Wholesale Booth & In-Store Displays
To reinforce brand storytelling at every touchpoint, I designed and styled retail booths, end-cap displays, and signage kits for shop owners and trade shows. Each setup was crafted to reflect the BorderBytes™ brand personality—clean, cheerful, and story-driven—while making it easy for wholesale buyers to visualize product appeal in their own retail spaces.
Design Focus:
– Seasonal color coordination and signage integration
– Modular layouts for easy merchandising
– Brand-consistent presentation across regional events and storefronts
Whether at a wholesale showroom or inside a hometown gift shop, every display was designed to inspire creativity, spark product discovery, and increase sell-through.
Shady Maple Gift Shop, wholesale customer, in-store display of BorderBytes products with new signage.
New booth set up at Lancaster County Wholesale Mall by Cjae LLC
Catalog & Layout Showcase
I designed branded catalogs to present full BorderBytes™ product collections in a clear, inspiring, and buyer-friendly format. These seasonal catalogs were used by sales reps and wholesale partners to browse offerings, plan inventory, and style in-store displays. Every spread balanced practical ordering details with thoughtful layout, clean typography, and consistent brand voice—turning what could be a transactional piece into a tool for connection and inspiration.
Design Highlights:
– Grid-based layouts for easy comparison and ordering
– Curated product groupings (Faith, Seasonal, Home, etc.)
– Visual storytelling to help buyers envision use in real spaces
Website Design
I built and designed a clean, wholesale-exclusive Wix website to showcase the full BorderBytes™ product line for prospective retailers and sales reps. The site focused on ease of navigation, clear product groupings, and a consistent brand tone—allowing buyers to explore seasonal collections, view catalog downloads, and place inquiries with confidence.
Key Features:
– Home décor-focused design with modern, minimalist layout
– Organized by product theme (Faith, Kitchen, Seasonal, etc.)
– Integrated catalog access and wholesale contact form
– Responsive experience tailored for desktop and tablet browsing
This digital touchpoint extended the BorderBytes™ brand beyond trade shows—offering a 24/7 resource for retail partners and creating a seamless buyer journey across print and web.
BorderBytes responsive website - desktop version
BorderBytes responsive website - mobile version
