Sarah Robertson is a designer, mentor, and writer based in Scotland with 20 years of experience in branding and business. Over the years, she’s helped clients refine their vision, craft beautiful visuals, and discover their voice. She runs the design studio These Are The Days, and writes the Brand Seasons publication.
Sarah has just recently launched the Brand Seasons® Playdeck on Kickstarter. It’s a 48-card deck to help you craft your brand strategy, style and story with substance, which emerged from her experience with using card decks for journaling, planning, and tarot. This box of brand wisdom and guidance for creatives and entrepreneurs is designed to help build brands with intention.
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Can you share a little about the inspiration behind the deck and why you wanted to create it?
The Brand Seasons® Playdeck was inspired by the cycles I’ve observed in both nature and business. I wanted to create a tool that helps creatives, designers, and entrepreneurs align their brand-building process with these natural rhythms. It’s a playful yet intentional resource, offering prompts and practices to guide people through different phases of their brand’s development—whether refining what already exists or starting fresh. Ultimately, I aimed to combine my expertise in strategy, styling, and storytelling to ignite a sense of playfulness and possibility.
At what stage of the process were you before joining the course?
Before joining the course, I had already conceptualised the Brand Seasons® Playdeck and had a clear vision of the topics I wanted to cover. Some card prompts and practices were already drafted, but decisions around design and the approach to printing were still open. The course also became a valuable resource when it came to my Kickstarter campaign. I had been considering crowdfunding but wasn’t yet settled on the idea.
What decisions did the course help you with?
The course helped me refine both the messaging and structure of the deck. It also introduced a fourth area: Brand Substance, meaning I now had a phase to align with each season—Sowing, Blossoming, Harvesting, and Grounding. I learned how to communicate the purpose of each card clearly and directly, making sure they were actionable. The course also offered insights into how to present the deck visually.
What was the most valuable takeaway for you?
The most valuable takeaway was learning how to structure my deck in a way that felt actionable and purposeful.
Is there anything that surprised you about the process so far?
I was surprised by how much the process of creating the deck mirrored the themes within it. Just like the seasonal cycles the deck is based on, there were moments of rapid growth followed by quieter periods where I had to step back, refine the details, or simply allow them to emerge. The process required both reflection and patience.
Would you like to share any details about the launch of your deck?
The deck is now live on Kickstarter! It’s available for a limited time, and backers can secure their deck alongside exclusive rewards, like membership to my Substack community and access to a private podcast. There are also lower tiers, such as the Brand Seasons Paper—a special mini zine I’ve created—to higher tiers offering community-based and mentoring experiences.