MEET THE DESIGNER
HI, I’M CHARLOTTE!
QUICK FACTS
My top 3 loves: Travel, family, Animals
My Coffee Order: Almond Mocha
My Fave Drink: Aeperol Spritz!
Fave Travel Spot: Zimbabwe or Portugal
Fave Summer Activity: Exploring on my Paddle Board
Design, strategy, and storytelling are my thing, I help small New Zealand businesses bring their ideas to life through thoughtful branding, websites, and storytelling that actually connect.
My work blends creativity with marketing + strategy, giving every design purpose, personality, and a clear direction forward.
I’d love to hear your story, let’s grab a coffee (in person, or virtual!)
STARTING A BUSINESS
I TOOK A LEAP!
I started Tide & Trace because I’ve always been a creative at heart, but more than that, I’ve always believed design should work. After spending a year and a half at Rocketspark coaching designers across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK, I saw a clear gap in the market. So often, beautiful brands and websites didn’t connect, convert, or reflect the strategy behind them. That’s where we focus our attention (as well as beautiful designs of course!).
During my time at Rocketspark, I worked alongside incredible creatives. Including photographers, copywriters, marketers, and designers at every stage of business. The goal was to help them grow, refine their skills, and build communities around their work. But deep down, I wanted to bring my own ideas to life instead of watching others take their own approach.
The only way to make that happen was to create something myself. And that’s how Tide & Trace was born.
FAVE FOOD + DRINK
Almond Mocha or an Aeperol Spritz are top of the list, closely followed by a peppermint tea or a Syrah!
Being a Gluten Free foodie means i’ve tried it all, my go to local spot is Wooden Spoon Cafe!
TRAVEL LOCATIONS
So far, I’ve been lucky enough to explore 14 countries, and counting!
Zimbabwe and Portugal take the cake so far! Opposites yet both places that i’ll forever hold in my heart.
BEST TRAVEL STORY
Definitely my solo travel to Zimbabwe (sorry mum + dad!) to volunteer at a Rhino and Elephant Conservation!
From new friends that are like family to culture like never before, this one topped them all
FINDING MY GROOVE
The mix of creativity, people skills, and strategy finally clicked when I found design again. This time, the kind that builds brands, not buildings. I realised what I’d been chasing all along wasn’t just making things look good, but making them work: helping small NZ businesses show up, connect, and grow.
Today, as a brand and website designer based in Cambridge, New Zealand, I get to blend everything I’ve learned along the way, the marketing, the psychology, the people skills and the creative craft. This is Tide and Trace, a purpose-driven studio that helps people bring their ideas to life.
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
MY JOURNEY TO TIDE AND TRACE
After studying Interior Architecture, I’ll be honest, I was a bit lost. Then COVID hit. The world changed, and I realised that spending my career behind a screen designing buildings with modern technology wasn’t for me. I missed the physical, hands-on side of creativity. The pen on paper, the tangible process of making ideas come to life. You’ll never find a piece of paper near me without a doodle on it.
During COVID, I stayed in retail because it felt safe when everything else didn’t. When I was later diagnosed with epilepsy and experienced my first seizure, I felt even more stuck. But I slowly worked my way up, managing stores and mentoring my younger staff to be the best versions of themselves. I’ve always loved sales, not the pushy kind, but the natural connection that comes from listening, understanding, and helping people find what fits.
From there, I moved from outdoor retail into high-end women’s fashion, a complete 180 and a completely new world. It pushed me creatively again: planning events, finding creative ways to reach targets, managing social media, and building structure and confidence in my team. This time, my team was a group of middle-aged women who quickly became work mums to me, I still hold them all close in my life.
After reaching as far as I could in that role, I jumped ship into the tech world. On my very first day, I couldn’t even turn my MacBook on, we all had a good laugh about it. How had I ended up in a tech company, tech was never my forte (even at 27 years old). That moment summed me up perfectly, I’ll never pretend to know everything, but I’ll always learn fast, ask the right questions, and explain things in a way that makes sense. That’s been at the heart of every client relationship since.
READY TO START YOUR PROJECT?
Your next chapter starts here. Whether it’s a custom website design, creative branding support, or bespoke piece of art, we’re ready to hear your story and help you leave your mark.
Leave us your details below and we’ll be in touch within 24 hours to start shaping something meaningful together!
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