Nostalgia seems to be everywhere right now, so Haeberlee is jumping on the bandwagon and taking a look back at where it all began.
In 2005, Bluefishsign was created.
It’s funny to look back at something that started so long ago and realize how much has happened since. At the time, there was no Haeberlee Studio, no Flame+Sugar, and no clear picture of what the business would eventually become. I just really liked building websites and creating an online world for myself. Fun fact – it was Neopets that got me into it! Looks like the company is still around!
Bluefishsign was primarily a web design and development business, but it also became a space for personal creativity and exploration. Alongside client projects, the site included a personal blog where I wrote about topics that genuinely interested me, including Christian apologetics and web tutorials.
Looking back, that part of Bluefishsign feels significant. I wasn’t only learning how to build websites. I was learning how to research, write, communicate ideas, and create something that reflected what I cared about. It was an early combination of creativity, technology, writing, and storytelling that would continue to show up in different ways throughout the years.
Coding Required.
Websites have always been about more than making something look good, but the process of building them has changed dramatically. Templates and platforms existed back then, but getting a website to do exactly what you wanted often meant getting into the code. There was something rewarding about taking an idea, figuring out how to build it, and watching it come together in a browser. That hands-on foundation is still a big part of how I approach design today.
From the Ancient Archives
Going back through old projects recently has been one of those experiences that makes you stop for a moment.
Some of the work feels very much like its era. The technology has changed, design trends have changed, and the way websites are built today is almost unrecognizable compared to those early years. But there is something really satisfying about seeing those old projects again. One of the projects from the Bluefishsign era was Reign Beauty, a beauty brand connected to the Miss America world. Bluefishsign designed and developed the website, and it became part of the studio’s early portfolio.
There was also work for Armor All, where Bluefishsign handled web development.
These projects might look like pieces of an old portfolio today, but at the time they were opportunities to learn, solve problems, and build experience that would eventually become the foundation for everything that came after.
From Bluefishsign to Haeberlee Studio
The business didn’t become Haeberlee Studio overnight.
Bluefishsign evolved. The work expanded. Branding became a bigger part of the process, alongside web design, digital marketing, visual identity, and creative direction. Eventually, the name changed to Haeberlee Studio.
Looking back, the evolution makes sense. The work was always moving toward something more holistic. A website was never really just a website. A logo was never just a logo. The strongest work happened when all of the pieces worked together. And don’t get me started on social media. That’s a whole another beast.
Today, Haeberlee Studio is a creative studio focused on helping artisans and product-based businesses build brands that feel as intentional as the products they create. That means bringing together brand identity, web design, and creative direction to create cohesive experiences that carry through every part of a business.
But! There’s another side to the studio.
One of the biggest ways that perspective has grown is through Flame+Sugar. Flame+Sugar is Haeberlee Studio’s artisan product brand, bringing product, branding, and storytelling together. Creating Flame+Sugar has given me the opportunity to experience the other side of the process.
It’s one thing to design a brand for a product-based business.
It’s another thing to actually develop the product, create the packaging, photograph it, build the online store, market it, sell it, talk to customers, and figure out what actually works.
That experience has changed the way I think about branding. A brand isn’t something that exists separately from the business. It touches everything.
The product.
The packaging.
The website.
The photography.
The customer experience.
The story.
Flame+Sugar has allowed me to test ideas in the real world and bring those lessons back into my work through Haeberlee Studio.
What Has Stayed the Same
Twenty-one years is a long time. Technology has changed. The internet has changed. The tools have changed. The expectations around branding and digital experiences have changed.
But the reason I enjoy this work hasn’t really changed.
I still love taking an idea and figuring out how to bring it to life. I still enjoy the details. I still get excited when all the pieces of a brand finally start working together. And I still believe the best design isn’t just about making something beautiful. It’s about creating something that people remember and connect with.
That’s the thread that connects Bluefishsign to Haeberlee Studio.
2005 Was Just the Beginning
When Bluefishsign started in 2005, I couldn’t have known where it would eventually lead.
There have been changes, detours, new skills, new challenges, and plenty of things I never could have planned for.
But looking back, I can see the connection between it all. Different names. Different stages. Different kinds of work. But the same creative foundation underneath it all.
And now, 21 years later, there is still plenty more to create.
2005 was just the beginning.
So the question isn’t really where I’ve been.
It’s where will the next 21 years take us?