photo by Ashley White Photos @ashleywhitephoto
About Lisa Burford
Creating purpose-driven design for brands that care
Welcome to the studio. I specialize in ethical branding, web design, and illustration for small businesses that prioritize impact over profit-at-all-costs. Together, we create work that doesn't just look good, it stands for something.
My journey: Passion meets purpose
I’ve been in the professional design world since 1999. (Yes, that means I remember the internet before social media).
Over the last 27+ years, I’ve worked across print, digital, video, and tech, always pushing the boundaries of what visual communication can do. But my work has always been fueled by a simple belief: Good design should mean something.
I live and work in Joshua Tree, California, surrounded by cacti, coyotes, and quiet. That desert landscape creeps into my work from the resilience of the plants to the stark beauty of the light. When I’m not designing for clients, you can usually find me in my garden, running my sustainable floral studio, or illustrating the small moments that make this place magic.
Expertise in ethical and impactful design
Ethical design isn't a buzzword here.
I bring decades of experience in branding and web design, but I don't use it to manipulate people into buying things they don't need.
My services – from Dedicated Design Days to full Brand Stewardships – are built on honesty. I partner with businesses that share my commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, and social impact. We build systems that engage people, not target them.
photo by Kristen Loken @kristenloken
What it feels like to work together
-
"Working with Lisa was a dream. She was professional, creative and open to listening to exactly what I wanted. It's amazing to see my vision for a logo—which was once only in my head—now fully realized on the page."
Lisa
Writer -
"Lisa understood the vision of the brand. She was very thorough in how she explained the process. The form we filled out was a wonderful tool to better communicate what the company needed from Lisa. She is professional, thorough, thoughtful and very creative. So easy to work with!"
Stacie Hedges
Project Manager Consultant
Haven Training Center -
"We initially approached Lisa with an idea that we knew we wanted to refresh some of our graphics to be more modern, but we didn't want to let go of too much of what it was. We also needed to have these elements be something that works well with another brand's graphics without looking too much like theirs, as they are often seen together. With just a little bit of direction, Lisa delivered something that everyone in our community loves. I'm already looking forward to when we're ready for our next phase of this project!"
Eunice Brownlee
Consultant
Agile Leadership Journey
photo by Ashley White Photos @ashleywhitephoto
A friendly approach to serious work
I believe in treating clients as partners, not just "accounts." My style is approachable and open. I will challenge the norm when we need to, and I’ll push boundaries to make sure your brand is as unique as the human running it.
Exhibitions and publications
2022.
The Fluorescence.
Día de los Muertos large-scale nicho installation.
Sunnylands Center and Gardens
Rancho Mirage, California
Mixed Media 3D and AR
The Fluorescence is a mixed media 3D and AR nicho created to inspire the viewer to wander within themselves. The mysterious, otherworldly garden forest pulls the viewer in and creates a desire to explore the unknown. In a garden, life flourishes and death is eventually unavoidable, but through death's dissolution, new life sprouts.
The Fluorescence was part of an installation of large-scale nichos provided by Raices Cultura and all designed by Coachella Valley and high desert artists. The Fluorescence was on display at the Día de los Muertos celebration at Sunnylands Center and Gardens in Rancho Mirage, California the first week of November 2022.
2019. Published in Might Kind Magazine, Issue 1. Digital Illustration
2019, July. Featured in The Standard Magazine, The Art Defined Issue. Local Artist
2015 Desert Explosion: Nothing is Subtle in the Desert, Twentynine Palms Visitor Center, Twentynine Palms, California. Woodworking and Watercolor
2011 AIDS LifeCycle Fundraising Art Auction and Benefit, Ace Hotel and Swim Club, Palm Springs, California. Acrylic
2010 Mail Me Art: Medium Without a Message Exhibition, Red Gate Gallery, London, UK. Illustration
2010 Art Diaries: Bound Exhibition, 4ArtInc Gallery, Chicago, Illinois. Video
2010 Tangerine Treehouse Art Show, Tangerine House, Palm Springs, California. Mixed Media
2010 AIDS LifeCycle Fundraising Art Auction/Music/Raffle, Space 120, Palm Springs, California. Illustration
2009 Square Foot Art Show, The Galaxie, Chicago, Illinois. Acrylic and Photography
2009, November. Published in OK Periodicals, Issue 3. Acrylic
Awards
2017 American Advertising Federation (Desert Ad Fed) - Judges Award: The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Year of the Cheetah Integrated Campaign. Role: Web Developer
2017 American Advertising Federation (Desert Ad Fed) - Gold ADDY Award: The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Year of the Cheetah Integrated Campaign. Role: Web Developer
2017 American Advertising Federation (Desert Ad Fed) - Gold ADDY Award: The Retreat, Responsive Web Design. Role: Web Developer
2016 Communicator Awards - Gold Award of Excellence: Hard Rock Energy Drink, Rock Naturally, Integrated Campaign. Role: Web Developer
2016 Communicator Awards - Gold Award of Excellence: Port of Everett, Integrated Campaign. Role: Web Developer
2016 Communicator Awards - Silver Award of Distinction: Muckleshoot Casino, Integrated Campaign. Role: Web Developer
Silver ADDY Award. Role: Web Developer