Small Business
Digital Media Design
Featured on this page is my marketing strategy and digital media design for canihaveabite, an organic carryout food business in Kansas City, MO. All food and beverages were designed to be taken home, put in your fridge or freezer, and eaten later. There was also a small cafe with dine-in meal options.
Background:
Prior to 2020, canihaveabite relied primarily on foot traffic for business. In 2020, canihaveabite lost all visible access to their retail location due to shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. The business had to rely on online traffic almost overnight.
I rapidly launched a new online storefront – increasing sales by 26% despite the loss of retail location visibility – and successfully guided the business through the storm. Through strategic marketing decisions and intuitive creativity, I maintained loyalty from customers and captured a wider audience.
The business moved brick-and-mortar locations in 2021. Learn more about my retail design strategy here.
About This Project
Client:
canihaveabite
Time:
2018-2023
Role:
Creative Director
Design Highlights
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Photography
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Website Design
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Online Ordering
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Marketing Strategy
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Social Media
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Special Items
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Retail Design 2021-2023
The Digital Storefront
The canihaveabite website served as the brand’s primary digital storefront. My goal was to create a site that felt visually impactful and contemporary while remaining practical, intuitive, and informative. The website integrated seamlessly with e-commerce software, allowing customers to easily browse the weekly menu, place orders, and stay informed about business updates.
Because “people eat with their eyes first”, photography played a central role in the site’s design and overall marketing strategy. I prioritized high-quality, appetizing imagery across the site, making the product the focal point of the brand’s online presence.
I also led a multi-channel marketing approach. Email marketing focused on customer retention and repeat orders, while social media expanded reach and awareness among both new and returning customers through consistent visuals and messaging.
Product Catalog & Photography
Experience the canihaveabite menu! Coming soon: click on each photo to read the name and description of the dish. For my favorite dishes, like easter eggs in the catalog, you’ll find a story about how I named it. Scroll down further to learn more about my photography process.
Behind the photos
I love compostable packaging, except when I need to photograph food in it. Is that an unpopular opinion? The “recycled-brown” color of compostable packaging reduces the contrast between the food and its container, dampening the visual appetite of the food or drink on camera. A dish could look mouthwateringly delicious in my hand, then photograph flat and dull. But I was determined to capture each item accurately and vibrantly.
My photos library (8/29/2020) usually looked like this
Before & after editing
In 2020, canihaveabite moved the majority of sales online (because of the COVID-19 pandemic). Photos quickly became a necessity, but I did not have photography training. I taught myself through online tutorials.
As a creative, I get why the Adobe Creative Cloud is the standard industry software. But for a small business in the food industry, every expense matters. The profit margin is very thin, especially without alcohol sales. So, it was most cost effective for the business to use the following:
Equipment
Lightbox
Panasonic DMC-ZS35 point-and-shoot digital camera
iPhone and iPad
Software
Affinity Photo
TouchRetouch app (by ADVA)
Polarr app (by Polarr, Inc.)
Featured in these photos is Vegan Lasagna, our most popular menu item. All dishes were photographed from above to maintain visual consistency across a large menu. This was the visual journey for every photo: select an attractive product, photograph it in the lightbox, choose the best image, retouch any food splashes, and finish by adjusting the colors and background/shadows.
September 18, 2020 - Vegan Lasagna final
April 3, 2020 - lightbox
September 18, 2020 - lightbox
Online Ordering
Online ordering was crucial to the success of the business. Due to canihaveabite’s unique production model, it was necessary for online ordering to be both attractive for customers and work seamlessly with retail sales. Maintaining a precise inventory count was important. After testing a few software systems, we used an Ecwid integration on the website.
The video featured below is a walkthrough of canihaveabite’s online ordering system, as it appeared to customers. I managed the online product catalog and software.
Website Design
The website for canihaveabite was one of the first sites I professionally designed (back in 2018), and it was on Wix. The color scheme was selected by the business, but I led the charge on brand storytelling. I wanted the site to be informative, practical, and engaging. The design was responsive across all devices (phone, tablet, and computer).
Customers used the site to view the weekly menu, place orders, and receive timely business updates. The website integrated seamlessly with multiple e-commerce platforms. I managed the e-commerce software and online product catalog. Behind the scenes, I also handled the site’s SEO strategy.
Looking back on this project, there are a number of changes I would make to the site today to improve the overall design and structure. But we all need to start somewhere!
Email Marketing
Every Sunday, potential customers could view this week’s menu in their email inbox. Email marketing proved to be an effective sales strategy – more than 50% of canihaveabite subscribers opened the weekly email. The average click rate was successfully consistent at 11% over 3 years.
Printable Food & Beverage Menu
Many customers preferred to view the weekly menu through a more a traditional visual medium, as they would in a restaurant. I designed a weekly Food and Beverage menu and integrated it into the canihaveabite website as an accessible, customer-friendly way to view offerings. The clear hierarchy and familiar format resonated especially with older customers, many of whom preferred browsing the menu this way before placing orders online, over the phone, or in person.
Bonus Items
How do you capture attention as a millennial in 2019? By creating GIFs.
2019 Moving Announcement
In 2019, canihaveabite moved its brick-and-mortar location in Kansas City, Missouri. To inform canihaveabite customers about this change, I designed an animation to play on TV screens displayed inside the store. This GIF was quite popular.
After 2020, the business moved again due to insurmountable construction hurdles created by the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more about my Visual Merchandising Design process for canihaveabite’s 2021-2023 Crossroads store, click here.
GIF designed for TV display inside the store
Behind the scenes of my design process:
Social Media
I also oversaw the creative direction of the business’s social media accounts (on Facebook and Instagram). I designed a focused social media marketing strategy for canihaveabite that strengthened the brand and expanded its audience. Strategic content emphasized community, product storytelling, and behind-the-scenes moments. This visual storytelling built trust and recognition that translated into future customer visits. I also managed real-time and event-driven posts: announcing snow day closings, promoting pop-up appearances, and highlighting limited-edition menu items.
“No way! This cup can go in the compost??” and other common questions from customers inspired many posts.