Four Years In: Why Creative Partnership Retainers Create Better Work

Elexia Johnson
Dec 11
6 min read

In 2021, I started working with El Sueñito Brewing Company on their brand identity. A couple years later, they became one of my first retainer clients. Today, I'm managing several active creative partnership retainers—my largest being El Sueñito and Saanj Winery—and I can confidently say: this is where the best work happens.

One-off projects are great. I love the intensity of a rebrand, the satisfaction of delivering a finished website, the thrill of seeing a campaign launch. But retainers? Retainers are where you get to do the work that actually matters. The work that compounds. The work that builds something bigger than any single deliverable ever could.

Here's why creative partnership retainers create better outcomes for both designers and clients—and what I've learned from four years of this model.

Why Retainers Unlock Better Creative Work

When you work with a client once, you're always playing catch-up. You're learning their voice, their audience, their goals—while simultaneously trying to deliver great work under a tight deadline. You do your best, but there's only so deep you can go in a 4-week project.

With a retainer? You're in it with them. You understand their business on a level that's impossible to reach in a single project.

Photoshoot for Saanj Winery Red Wine Campaign

I know Saanj Winery's brand so intimately that when we plan a campaign, I'm thinking several steps ahead. I know which retail partnerships matter most. I know what messaging resonates with their audience because I've been creating content for them for two years. I can make recommendations that go beyond "this looks good" to "this will help you reach your Q1 sales goals." That level of strategic thinking comes from being embedded in their business long-term.

Same with El Sueñito. After four years of partnership, I don't just design beer labels—I understand the story each label needs to tell. I know their brand's dreamlike, whimsical aesthetic well enough to stretch it in new directions while keeping it recognizably theirs. I can design a Día de los Muertos label that honors Mexican tradition while feeling distinctly El Sueñito. That depth only comes from time.

Retainers give you the gift of deep knowledge. And deep knowledge creates better work.

The Magic of Ongoing Collaboration

Here's what happens when you work with a client over months and years instead of weeks:

You build trust. They trust your creative instincts. You trust them to give honest feedback. There's less second-guessing, less micromanaging, less "can we see 17 more options?" because you've proven you understand their vision.
You maintain brand consistency. Every new beer label, event asset, social post, or campaign feels cohesive because the same person is creating it all. There's no handoff. No relearning the brand guidelines. No drift. The brand stays tight, recognizable, and strong.
You can be proactive, not just reactive. Instead of waiting for clients to come to you with requests, you can spot opportunities. You can say, "Hey, I noticed this trend—what if we tried this?" or "Your Instagram engagement dropped last month—let's rethink our content strategy." You become a partner in their growth, not just a vendor executing tasks.
You get to do work that wouldn't exist otherwise. Some of my favorite projects have happened because I was already embedded in a client's world. Directing media days for Saanj Winery. Creating an investor pitch deck that tells their story visually. Designing merch that people actually want to wear. These weren't in a scope document. They happened organically because the relationship allowed for flexibility and creativity.

Founders of Saanj Winery & Elexia at the launch party

How I Structure Creative Partnerships

Every retainer I offer is customizable because no two businesses have the same needs. Some clients need design execution—producing assets, maintaining visual consistency, delivering on a regular cadence. Others need strategy and creative direction alongside execution—campaign development, brand consultations, big-picture thinking. And some even need C-Suite level creative leadership—someone who can guide their entire creative vision, manage external vendors, and make high-level brand decisions alongside their executive team.

I work with clients to build retainer agreements that match their needs and budget. And here's the key: flexibility matters. Small businesses evolve. Priorities shift. A brewery launches a second location and suddenly needs different support. A winery expands into new retail partnerships and needs content for those relationships.

I try to stay flexible—getting down and dirty when needed, whether that's showing up for media days with my camera, directing a photoshoot, or even helping at a client event. The partnership has to feel collaborative, not transactional.

With all my retainer clients, I hold monthly and quarterly check-ins. At the start of each month, we review upcoming projects and map out priorities. This helps me plan my time and ensures nothing falls through the cracks. When multiple clients need something at once, we prioritize based on brand impact—a beer label has more weight than a simple email banner, for example—and I work to get it all done.

What Makes a Great Retainer Partnership

The best retainer relationships have a few things in common:

Clear communication. Clients respond to emails in a reasonable timeframe. They show up to meetings prepared. They give feedback that's specific and actionable.
Respect for timelines. They understand that good work takes time. If they need something designed, they provide assets and direction before the deadline, not the day it's due.
Openness to collaboration. They listen to recommendations. They see me as a creative partner, not just someone executing their ideas. We're building the brand together.
Mutual investment. They care about the work as much as I do. They want their brand to be excellent, not just "good enough." And they trust me to help them get there.

When those elements are in place, the work becomes deeply rewarding. It's not just about delivering files—it's about building something that lasts.

The Work That Only Happens Over Time

Some of my proudest moments as a designer have come from retainer work:

Watching Saanj Winery grow from a brand concept to a recognizable presence in five Seattle retail locations—and knowing I've been there creating content, directing shoots, and maintaining visual consistency the entire time. Their bottles stand out on crowded wine shelves because we've stayed committed to bold, distinctive design from day one.
Seeing El Sueñito expand from one brewery in Bellingham to two locations, with 10.6K Instagram followers and a 4.7-star rating across 269 Google reviews. They've built a community that spans drag shows, book clubs, and cultural celebrations—and every beer label, every piece of merch, every event asset I've created has contributed to that growth. I've designed more than half of their nearly 30 beer labels, each one an opportunity to push the brand in new creative directions while staying true to its core.
Maintaining brand consistency across expansion. When El Sueñito opened their second location in Seattle, there was no scrambling to figure out how the brand should look and feel in a new market. I already knew. The transition was seamless because we'd built a strong foundation together.

These wins don't happen in one-off projects. They happen when you're in the trenches with a client, month after month, year after year, refining and evolving and building together.

Why Clients Benefit from Creative Partnership Retainers

If you're a business owner reading this and wondering whether a retainer is worth it, here's what you get:

A creative partner who knows your brand as well as you do. Someone who can execute your vision without endless revisions because they get it.
Consistent, cohesive branding. Everything you put out into the world looks and feels like it belongs together. No visual whiplash. No "wait, does this feel like us?" moments.
Proactive support. A designer who spots opportunities, suggests improvements, and helps you stay ahead of trends—not just someone who waits for you to assign tasks.
Flexibility. Need something last-minute? Your retainer partner can often accommodate because they already understand the context. No onboarding. No explaining your brand from scratch.
Compounding value. The longer the partnership, the better the work gets. Your designer becomes more strategic, more efficient, and more aligned with your goals.
Long-term brand growth. You're not just investing in design—you're investing in a creative partner who's committed to your brand's evolution and success. Every campaign builds on the last. Every piece of content strengthens your position in the market. Over time, that consistent creative excellence elevates your entire brand.

Retainers aren't just steady income for designers. They're strategic investments for businesses that want to build brands that last.

What I've Learned After Four Years

If there's one thing four years of retainer work has taught me, it's this: the best creative work happens in collaboration.

Not in isolation. Not in a vacuum. Not in a 4-week sprint where you're scrambling to understand a brand while delivering under deadline pressure.

The best work happens when you're deeply embedded in a client's world. When you know their story, their struggles, their wins. When you care about their success as much as they do. When you've built trust over time and earned the freedom to push creative boundaries.

That's what creative partnership retainers give you. And that's why, after four years, I can't imagine working any other way.

Interested in a creative partnership retainer for your brand? Schedule a free consultation to talk about how ongoing creative support can help your business grow.

Want to see the work that comes from these partnerships? Explore my portfolio for case studies on El Sueñito Brewing, Saanj Winery, and more.