Hi, we’re the Design Bugs…
We design stand-out brands and websites for businesses that make people happier and healthier...
Your branding
and business besties
Led by sister act Kristy Coady and Rebecca Geraghty, we are a small but mighty team of graphic designers, marketers and copywriters. We specialise in the health and wellness industry, because our business started in an MRI machine (for real).
Kristy (on the left) had been dreaming of starting her own studio for years, and then a serious back injury put her out of action. She found herself lying in an MRI with nothing else to do but think about how to finally start that studio (we’re forever glad she didn’t waste that time thinking about what to make for dinner instead). Design Bug was born there and then, and little sister Bec came onboard pretty soon after.
Now here we are 15 years later, with a small studio that designs with the same kind of heart and soul our amazing clients have for their businesses.
So if you’re ready to flourish and need a strong brand to get there, you’re in the right place. The first step is to fill out a design brief and then we can organise a catch up to see if we’re the right fit.
Oh and as for our name? We called the studio Design Bug so we could justify buying ourselves the VW Beetle we’d dreamed of as kids. After all, what’s the point of being in business if you can’t have a little fun with it?
PS – Speaking of fun, we’re also the creators of Swell Magazine. It’s all about wellness and that sun-soaked Newcastle lifestyle, and we made it to share uplifting stories that’ll put a smile on your face. Check it out here!
The VW Beetle (and our first logo!)
Why do we specialise in
health and wellness branding?
Good question!
Look, we love a health trend as much as the next person. We were buying Air Swings and Thigh Masters off Danoz Direct long before wellness became cool, and now we can’t live without tumbling classes and chiro adjustments. But our passion for your industry runs deeper than that…
You see, our business was born in the middle of Kristy’s rehab journey, and the professional support she had during that time was life-changing. So now we’ve made it our mission to make amazing health and wellness brands more visible, so they can help more people.
When you work with us, you get truly specialist advice from a team who understands the big picture of your market. From juice cleanses to beer yoga, we know that trends come and go so quickly in this industry, which means having a strong and trusted brand has never been more important.
But the problem is, the constant challenge of standing out takes you away from the parts of business that bring you true fulfilment. And that’s why we are here…
We’ll create the right brand foundations, so the rest of your marketing and customer education falls into place.
Our holistic process is a deep dive into your individual challenges, plus the exciting opportunities ahead. This tailored approach is how we arrive at a completely unique brand strategy for every client.
So if you want your brand to be smart and truly authentic, we are so happy you found us! Take a look at our work and you’ll see that no two projects are ever the same.
“The outcome is something I never would have come up with – their ideas were really smart. It was a clear branding process, and now we have a brilliant name and logo that sets us apart from every other fitness centre in Newcastle.”
Karl Versteeg, Groundwork Fitness Founder.
We work with brands from all corners of the health and wellness industry…
- Nutrition
- Fitness
- Allied Health
- Medical Research
- Self-care
- Natural Therapies
- Mental Health
- Health Foods
Say hi to your design team
If you’ve made this far down this page, you’re probably thinking we *might* just be the designers for you (we’re truly flattered). Read on to learn about our experience and specialities.
Kristy Coady
Founder & Brand Strategist
Kristy is the founder and creative director of Design Bug and Swell Magazine. She’s a mega perfectionist who checks and rechecks everything (and then checks once more to be safe). Her brain moves so quickly that she can easily go from client calls to strategising design projects, directing photoshoots and creating the pages of Swell Magazine all in a single day. But arguably her most valuable contribution to the office is making sure there’s always coffee and snacks on hand.
Kristy graduated from the University of Newcastle with a Bachelor of Visual Communications (Design) HONS in 2007. Her big passions in life are print design (which is why we started a magazine), nailing the perfect handstand, and cheering on our clients on as they grow.
Rebecca Geraghty
Brand & Web Designer
Bec is our all-rounder. She wears multiple hats (and wears them well), including chief web designer, creative director and marketing ideas extraordinaire. She’s a whiz at problem solving, plus she knows how to ‘speak geek’ with our technical collaborators and then translate it into plain English for the rest of us mere mortals. Bec’s calming presence and dry sense of humour rounds out the team perfectly. She can also sum up any scenario with the perfect gif in seconds – it’s a real skill.
Bec graduated from the University of Newcastle with a Bachelor of Visual Communications (Design) in 2012. Her concepts are original, well thought out and executed to perfection (yup, perfectionism runs in our family).