Next Chapter by Dana Shortt: From Gourmet Shop to a Brand About Reinvention

Brand Consultant · Creative Director · Brand Designer · Photographer

2026

Next Chapter by Dana Shortt is a series of thoughtfully designed workshops and experiences for navigating life's next chapter. After two decades in the culinary world, Dana needed an identity that could carry this new chapter of her own: warm, elegant, and aspirational, while standing entirely on its own. I led the strategy, identity, website, photography, experiential assets, and newsletter, grounding every touchpoint in a single idea: life's next chapter isn't something to fear, it's something to look forward to.

Process

For over 20 years, Dana was known for Dana Shortt Gourmet, a beloved local food business in Waterloo that she has since sold and is no longer affiliated with. Launching a new venture meant a real risk: that customers, press, and her existing audience would fold the new brand back into the old one, or assume Next Chapter was simply a rebrand of the store. The identity had to make a clean, unmistakable break while still carrying forward the trust and warmth Dana had earned over two decades.
The strategy repositioned Dana from food business owner to guide for life's transitions, shifting the equity from a product (gourmet food) to a feeling (confidence, connection, reinvention). From there:
- A distinct name and identity system, "Next Chapter," that signals forward motion and a deliberate turning of the page, with no visual or verbal ties to the former store.
- A warm, elevated visual language (typography, palette, photography) that feels personal and human rather than retail, so the brand reads as Dana's experiences, not a storefront.
- Photography and experiential assets that put Dana and her guests at the center, reinforcing that people are buying access to her and her world, not a product line.
- A clear content hierarchy and copy voice across the website and newsletter that tells the "why now" story plainly, so anyone landing cold understands what Next Chapter is and how it's different.
A complete, cohesive brand system spanning strategy, identity, website, photography, experiential assets, and newsletter, all working from one story. The website leads with a clear narrative and strong hierarchy that lets first-time visitors immediately grasp what Next Chapter is, who it's for, and why it exists, cleanly separated from Dana's previous business.
The brand launched to strong early traction: an 81% open rate on the first newsletter, a sold-out debut workshop with the second already filling up, and consistently positive reception on the website, with clients and audience calling out the clarity of the story, copy, and visual hierarchy.