Lots of agencies build websites.
Not many actually get what's at stake when that site represents a community.
Karen Vick has been doing this work for nearly two decades — as a designer, a strategist, and someone whose roots run deep in the communities Guiding Brands was built to serve. Caribbean-born perspective. Florida-based relationships. A portfolio built on organizations that needed more than good design — they needed someone who understood why it mattered.
Good design without strategy is decoration.
Strategy without design is just noise.
We bring both together — and we do it in service of your mission, every time.
Guiding Brands started as Island Design Studio in 2007, built on one conviction: small businesses and community organizations deserve the same caliber of strategic design that larger companies take for granted. That hasn't changed. The work has just gotten deeper, sharper, and more intentional.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS-
🏆 Gold Stevie Award — Achievement in User Interface Design. Led redesign of 250+ websites, resulting in $1.5M+ in revenue for a national franchise client.
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🖥️ Squarespace Circle Gold Partner — coveted network of designers recognized at this level.
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🌿 Founding member, Jamaican Women of Florida — providing scholarships to college-bound young women of Jamaican descent.
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🎙 Host, The Guiding Brands Podcast — practical marketing and strategy for mission-driven small business owners and nonprofit leaders.
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🎯 Former trainer and public speaker for the Urban League of Broward County, Center for Micro-Entrepreneurial Training, and organizations across Florida.
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⭐ 20+ years of experience serving nonprofits, community orgs, small businesses, and mission-driven brands across South Florida and beyond.