Logo and website - Fireside Follow-ups x Weekend Media
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Introducing Fireside Follow-Ups: Real Conversations About Design & Business
Fireside Follow-Ups is back! This is my series of relaxed conversations with past clients, digging into the real experience of going through a brand and web design project. The decisions, the process, and what actually changes afterwards.
This month I'm joined by Gaby Thompson, founder of Weekend Media: a storytelling and branding agency working primarily with outdoor and mountain sports brands from her base in the French Alps. Gaby and I go way back; we worked together at Komoot before we each went our own way, so this project felt like a natural continuation of an already brilliant working relationship.
You can watch (above), listen (below) or read (further down the page).
Listen:
What we covered
What started as a simple request to "revamp my page" evolved into something much bigger: a full design discovery, new brand identity, logo, and a website built to support Gabby's shift from solo freelancer to agency founder. In this episode, we talk about:
The freelancer-to-agency leap. How one conversation about a portfolio refresh sparked the realisation that a whole new business structure was possible
Why a portfolio site wasn't cutting it. Clients kept coming back with questions, because the old one-pager showed the work but never explained the offering
Using your website earlier in the conversation. Moving from something you share after several calls to a genuine first-step outreach tool
The power of case studies over portfolio pieces. Telling the story of each project journey rather than just displaying the end results
Collaborating in the open. How weekly check-ins and working together in Figma meant Gabby felt part of the journey from start to finish
The real talk
My favourite moment? Gaby describing how seeing the design evolve in Figma each week would "spark something" for her: new ideas, new directions, new possibilities. That's exactly the kind of collaboration I love. Not a big reveal at the end, but a shared journey where the client shapes the outcome alongside you.
And for anyone in that in-between stage (freelancing, growing, wondering whether to take the leap) Gaby's advice is refreshingly simple: it's 100% worth the investment to have a brand you're genuinely proud to share.
Watch the full conversation to hear Gaby's tips on finding the right designer, why style alignment matters most, and how a proper brand changed the way she shows up everywhere, from client outreach to Instagram.
Read:
(0:11) Still recording. Hi. Welcome to Fireside Follow-Ups.This is a short series where (0:18) I'm going to be hanging out with clients one more time talking about a project (0:23) that we recently collaborated on. This month is Gabby Thompson from Weekend (0:27) Media. Thanks for sticking around.But yeah, obviously wanted to talk about the (0:34) project that we did together, the like branding and website project for Weekend (0:38) Media. So I guess we'll just kick off by you telling us kind of who you are and (0:44) what Weekend Media is. Okay, cool.Yeah, I'm Gabby. And yeah, Laura, you helped me (0:53) set up Weekend Media, which is like a storytelling branding platform, like a (1:05) small agency for content creation, brand identity creation, and campaign (1:17) storytelling. Yeah, very cool.And there's like a lot of different partners that you (1:22) work with, right? Like we've collaborated as well on like the graphic side. And then (1:26) it's, yeah, like you say, an agency, which is, which is different to what you were (1:32) doing before. Because we obviously worked together at Komoot for a little while (1:37) until we then didn't.And yeah, I think you had your site on the side before, like (1:45) you had some occasional freelance bits and bobs that you were like picking up after (1:51) that wrapped up. What made you decide to jump into doing something like with more of (1:58) an agency structure instead? Yeah, so before when we were working at Komoot together, I (2:03) always had like, almost like a portfolio website. And because I was doing bits and (2:10) pieces here and there, like more on the photography side, and just things I was (2:16) interested in for, yeah, like interesting projects.But then when we both (2:24) transitioned from working at Komoot, initially, my thought was just to continue as I was (2:30) and keep on doing bits of like the photography work and see where that led. But then I (2:37) think after we had an initial conversation, because originally, I think I asked you if (2:42) you could help me just revamp my page. Yeah.And help me create something that I felt (2:48) was like more shareable. And I think after we like talked about that, and how that page (2:55) would look, it actually got me thinking, but there wasn't any reason why I could actually (3:01) like expand the website to actually bring in like all the different skills I've like (3:08) gained over the years from like my work at Komoot and before. And also because I like (3:17) come in contact with a really like great network of other people.And yeah, it meant (3:24) that sort of like expanding the website allowed for like me to take on like bigger (3:31) projects, more interesting pieces of work that had like multiple elements to them. And (3:37) just yeah, like broaden what, yeah, what I could like take on work wise. Yeah, because (3:44) I think that's, obviously, as I say, we worked together before.And that's one of the really (3:49) amazing things about you is you're able to like see something like more holistically, (3:53) right, like as a vision and how all the different elements can tie into it. And then you've (3:57) got this network where you're able to like pull in exactly the right people for each (4:01) project. So yeah, I think it made a lot of sense.And what did the website that you had (4:09) before look like? Like, what was the structure? Like, how was that? (4:15) So yeah, I'd made my site before just myself. It was just a Squarespace site. But I mean, (4:23) at the time, it kind of like did what it needed to, right.But it was really just like a portfolio. (4:29) So it was just one page that showed like previous projects and previous pieces of work. But (4:37) then there wasn't anything on it that really, like, explained, like, the type of projects (4:47) that I could work on or really like showcase the kind of stuff that I could do.So I'd (4:53) find like, I would send the portfolio to a client, but then the client would come back (4:58) with like a lot of questions. Whereas now I think the thing that's really cool is that (5:04) all the information is available on WeCanMedia. And I think people already really get a feel (5:09) for like, what we do, the type of projects we can handle, they can see like examples (5:16) of work to see if it kind of aligns with their vision, like all this kind of stuff.Yeah, (5:21) which is really cool. (5:22) So like, practically, how has that shifted things for you? Like, like you say, for example, (5:27) they had a lot of questions. Like, I guess that saved you time, right? And energy and (5:32) just like replying to everything.Like, is there anything else, you know, in that's (5:37) that shifted for you in like your business and how you approach things since having this (5:41) project, like completed? (5:43) Yeah, I think like, now with people look at WeCanMedia, and they get like a real feel (5:49) for what's possible. And then when I speak to clients that come to me, and they already (5:55) have in their mind that they want to go ahead with a project, and they like can reference (6:00) things they've seen and like, yeah, like reference what they've seen and say, like what direction (6:06) they'd like to go in and this kind of thing. Whereas before, I don't think that was really (6:10) possible.And it wasn't clear, like, which work was from which project, you couldn't (6:15) see so much like the project journey. (6:18) Because we worked together, didn't we to do like, you know, you had like portfolio pieces (6:23) before, but we worked together to do more like case studies that kind of did a bit of storytelling (6:27) and then wrapped in the different services that you offer and that sort of thing. I don't (6:33) think we've said actually what kind of clients you work with.Maybe we should clarify that. (6:39) Yeah, so it's been like a real mix. Because as you said, the thing that's cool is because (6:43) I work with a team of freelancers.And when a project comes in, I can really like, try (6:50) and find the people that are right for that, that project. Yeah. Yeah.So I've done like, (6:57) I do work sometimes that will be like a single service. So it might be like a photography (7:04) job where it would just be like me going to do the job. But then there'd be other things (7:09) like the project we did together for Mint Snowboarding, where they needed like a new like graphic (7:15) toolkit, which you created.And then I'll potentially take on the photography if they (7:22) need video, they're like pulling someone else. And yeah, really like build a team. (7:27) Yeah, cool.And is it exclusively kind of outdoor brands and that kind of industry or (7:33) like what's the industry and the demographic? (7:36) Yeah, primarily outdoor brands. And because I'm based out in the French Alps, it tends (7:44) to be like winter sports and like summer sports on the mountain. But yeah, sometimes (7:55) it's a little bit different, but within the kind of sports world.(8:01) And so we've kind of talked about it already, but like, is there anything specific that (8:06) felt quite misaligned from the old site that you had in your mind? Okay, when we tackle (8:11) this new thing, we need to make sure that we do this, this, this. (8:15) I think like just really clarifying the offering. Yeah.Because I think the problem with just (8:22) having a portfolio website is I feel like it's harder to really share the site. Like (8:31) I feel like you share it at a later stage. So you've already had like multiple conversations (8:35) with a client and then you'll share the site with them as like an example.Whereas I feel (8:40) like with this, if I want to do some outreach or I see that there's somebody like looking (8:48) for someone to take on a project that like would be interested in, I feel like I can also (8:54) use the site like as a first step. (8:57) So it kind of comes into the conversation a lot earlier then. (9:00) Yeah.Yeah, definitely. Yeah. (9:02) So in terms of like the journey that we went on together, obviously the website was the (9:06) main kind of final output.But we started right back at the beginning, didn't we? And (9:12) we did like a whole design discovery piece and then into kind of branding and logo work. (9:20) Was that something that you were aware from the beginning that you needed or that you (9:23) wanted or like how much did I kind of help you to guide that journey and how much did (9:29) you already know that you wanted including? (9:33) I felt like you did an amazing job of guiding me because in the beginning when I had my (9:41) portfolio page, it was just under my name. And then actually when I thought about creating (9:46) a setup that's like multi-skilled where there'd be like multiple people working on a project, (9:52) it made a lot more sense to actually create a brand.And I felt like, I felt like, yeah, (10:01) you really guided me through that process. But I also felt like the whole time I had (10:05) like plenty of input and yeah, could also be like super involved with like shaping (10:12) how it was going to be. (10:14) Yeah.I guess we'd done so much collaboration before, right? That it felt for me anyway, (10:19) like quite a natural way of working. Do you think that helped? (10:24) Yeah, no, definitely. I think because I suppose for us, we were lucky because we already understand (10:30) how each other work.So yeah, I think it made it super smooth and super easy to create something. (10:43) Yeah, I think so too. And then, yeah, so we started with like design discovery and then (10:49) we did the logo work and the branding.And then we did like a journey map, like wireframes (10:55) and things of the website first. Did that, did that change your thinking about the site (11:05) in any way? Did that help to kind of, kind of bring it to life? Or did that impact anything (11:11) in any way? (11:12) I think it really helped like clarify how to like pull everything together in a way that (11:20) was like really user friendly. Because I was wanting to offer like multiple services, (11:28) but then it was maybe slightly confusing because people could use one service or two or three (11:34) or complete package.It really helped like create a framework that was like easy to navigate (11:40) and I think quite like clear for clients. (11:44) That kind of ties into it being quite important for you that it felt more like an agency rather (11:49) than a personal portfolio. Is that right? Like you wanted to make that clear distinction that (11:55) this was a whole different kind of ecosystem that they were in.(11:59) Yeah, I think it was like it really helped make that shift from it just being me working as a (12:04) freelancer to yeah, creating like a small, a small business. How does it feel different now? Or does (12:11) it feel different? I guess is probably the right question when you're sending out the site now (12:15) versus when you were sending out before? Because obviously, we transitioned out of (12:21) Komoot before your site was ready. So there was this kind of middle ground period, I guess, where (12:28) you're like, you know, you are like launching into your own new thing, but you still had the old site.(12:32) So like, what was the shift for you when the new one was ready? (12:36) I think it's like giving me a lot more confidence. Because I feel like I have like a website that I'm (12:42) really proud of that I can send out to clients that I'm like, really stoked for them to like, (12:49) look at and yeah, just feel really proud of it really. (12:53) Ah, so for someone in that kind of in between stage, so like maybe they're freelancing, (12:57) and they've got their own thing and they're growing, like, what would you say to them? (13:02) Do you think the shift has been something that you would recommend? Or like, (13:06) what advice would you give them? (13:07) Yeah, like 100% I think it's like, really worth the investment.Yeah, to have like a brand or (13:16) like logo and website that you are like really proud of, you're happy to share. (13:22) I think it's like really helped me kind of boost my presence. Because like when I talk about (13:31) media on like online, for example, on like Instagram or social media, I'm always like, (13:37) wanting to like use the graphic elements.And yeah, I feel like, yeah, it all fits together (13:45) really well. (13:47) Yeah. Yeah.Thinking of it more as a brand rather than like this isolated website. (13:53) Yeah, exactly. And I think it would have been really, (13:55) really difficult to achieve the same results just by myself.(13:59) Yeah. So if someone was asking you about hiring a designer, so not necessarily me, (14:05) but like, you know, going at this type of project alone versus bringing someone in, (14:11) what would you say to them? And how would you advise they kind of go about thinking about that? (14:17) Yeah, I think I suppose it's about like, I think it's about finding someone who has like a style (14:22) that you can relate to. And that you that you like, I think like the biggest thing is actually (14:28) finding someone who has the style that you like.And then it was actually really useful for me (14:35) looking at your website, because I really liked your website. And also, it was interesting to (14:41) see the different case studies and the work that you'd done, like outside of what we'd created (14:46) together at Komoot. And also, I think it's like important.I think most of the time you'll be (14:54) able to, when you find someone, it's nice to just have like an initial call to understand (14:58) like how they work, how you could work together, and what's possible. (15:04) And I guess just to wrap up, like, how would you describe the experience of collaborating (15:10) and working together? (15:12) Super easy. No, it was really nice.I think we had a good rhythm because (15:20) we had like those weekly check in calls. So every week, you would like let me know, (15:26) like what the kind of goal for the week was. So I also know if knew that if there was (15:32) somewhere where I wanted to like, add input.I also knew that that was like the week where (15:39) whatever was happening and I could do my own research and like come up with like (15:44) ideas. And we worked together in, what's it called? (15:51) Oh, Figma. (15:52) We worked together in Figma.Yeah. So it was nice because I could also like, (15:57) see everything as it was evolving. And it also helped me because if I went into Figma and I (16:03) could see like you'd been like playing around with colours or the framework or whatever, (16:09) it also would sometimes like spark something for me and I would think of something else that maybe (16:14) I thought was like important or interesting or so I very much like felt like part of the journey.(16:21) Oh, that's great to hear. (16:23) And then it was always like exciting each week to find out like, (16:27) what had been updated and what was happening next. And yeah.(16:30) Yeah, cool. How did it feel when like the final thing came together? Like, (16:36) did you have a vision before of how it was going to look or was it like a whole surprise? (16:42) I suppose because it like evolved and I'd been like kind of part of it all the way through. I (16:48) suppose like each week I was like updated as to like what was changing and we would like (16:53) decide together like which direction it would go in.But yeah, I don't know. I think it turned out (16:58) better than I had hoped for. Just like seeing it all like on one page together with the graphic (17:06) elements, the logo, the colours, having like the moving elements.Yeah, I love it. (17:14) Oh, super nice to hear. Thanks for having me on the project, Gabby.It was amazing. (17:19) I just loved it. (17:20) Oh no, thank you so much for your help.(17:23) You're welcome. (17:25) Okay, I think that's probably it. (17:30) Cool.(17:33) Thanks. I wonder if I stop now if it's gonna like (17:36) cut us off or if we can still keep talking without the recording. (17:40) Yeah, I don't know.(17:42) We were hanging out before it started recording, weren't we? (17:45) Yeah. (17:46) Let me try.