In the wake of DuckByte’s second anniversary, explore what one rebranding project—crafted for Angela Nesbitt—taught us about listening, design, and quiet growth.
A Quiet Anniversary
DuckByte’s 2nd anniversary came and went quietly last week. It’s not that I wasn’t excited, or that I didn’t want to mark the occasion, it is that as it came upon me, I was engaged with a design project not quite like one I’ve had yet.
It was a project that asked me to dive, to glide… to fly, rather than paddle and quack in revelry. Both are good. One stirs something deeper.
An Invitation to Go Deeper
Working with Angela Nesbitt on her website rebranding project was a rare kind of invitation—one that asked me to expand, to listen, and to create from a deeper place.
Not that it would necessarily show on the surface —though I might hope it does—but something at the foundation of me quietly shifted. It wasn’t that I felt pressure from the outside—in fact, quite the opposite. What emerged came from within, like the quiet compression that can turn coal to diamond.
This inward invitation opened my expectations about what a redesign project might look like, what I bring to the table as a designer, and where the alchemy of client engagement fits in.
Listening Differently
As the project progressed, I became more open—and more still.
I listened more—not necessarily to the client, although that too, but to what the language of the project itself was trying to say. I listened to how it wanted to translate into design—and, ultimately, to where it was guiding me toward the edges of discovery I hadn’t yet touched as a designer.
Sometimes when we encounter the edges of our capacity to translate vision into form, when we step near the line of what is known, we often step back or push against.
This time, I leaned in. I listened. I found inner stillness, and there I found a compass that showed me where I could grow.
It’s not every day a project like that comes into my world—and instead of resisting or thinking it was too much, I reached toward where I could grow, and watched new horizons emerge.
Meeting Angela
When I first met Angela—who was recommended to DuckByte by a trusted referral—I knew instantly I wanted to design her new website. It felt like the Emerald City to my Oz.
There was something not just in the work she was doing—bringing clarity and deep presence to high-level leaders at moments of realignment—though that alone was inspiring.
There was something about Angela herself that spoke volumes without ever needing to say a word.
She was a city on a hill unto herself.
Stillness, Grounded in Flight
All I can say is that anyone who has the chance to work with Angela—through her coaching or consulting—will walk away holding something they didn’t expect to find: a part of themselves they hadn’t yet met, revealed quietly and without explanation.
Not because she showed them where to look or what to do, but because she embodies a reflection of stillness, grounded in flight.
A Quiet Celebration
Happy anniversary to DuckByte. I didn’t throw a party this year—but sometimes the deepest joy lives in the stillness of the pond, not the wake of the waves.
None of this could happen without the current we move through together. Thank you, Paul.
And to Angela—for reflecting the light just right.
To see where the stillness met design, visit Angela’s project page here.
Stillness at the Helm
Guiding visionary leaders toward clarity, alignment, and quiet strength—Angela Nesbitt’s work speaks without noise.
Design That Listens First
At DuckByte, design begins with listening—before color, before code, before trend. Angela’s homepage reflects what emerged when clarity led the way, shaped not by flash but by quiet focus and the truth of what wanted to emerge.
See the full project here →