water & sword
a web design studio
Turn your scattered projects or offers into a cohesive, online story —without the overwhelm of doing it alone.
My name is Sojourner Ahebee and I create narrative-driven websites that help artists, small businesses, senior professionals, and creative entrepreneurs go from half-formed ideas, projects, and offers to a distinctive, purposeful online home — so you can confidently communicate what you do without hours of wrestling with templates and web builders alone. The outcome? A web world that feels as layered, intentional and alive as the work you do!
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I believe a good website can be a digital world, a place to gather all the unfolding version of yourself, your projects, and the things you want to share.
Together, we’ll translate the essence of your story through many layers: colors, typography imagery, structure, and of course the unique offerings at the core of the web world.
The end outcome? An online home that not only looks beautiful, but says something true about who you are and what you came to do.
narrative strategy + creative direction
1.5 hour recorded narrative strategy session exploring the heart of your work, creative lineage, current projects, creative values, aesthetic preferences, and long-term goals
deep narrative research & distillation identifying the larger story connecting your work, how to position your practice online, and the emotional experience you want visitors to leave with
brand strategy document: A simple, one-page internal guide outlining your tone of voice, positioning, target audience, and narrative direction. This document will guide the structure and storytelling of the website and can also serve as a touchstone for future projects
website foundation
site architecture & wireframes: collaborative planning of your website structure and navigation to ensure your work is easy to explore and emotionally cohesive. This will include simple layout drafts mapping where text, imagery, and information will live before visual design begins
copywriting & narrative shaping: original writing of website copy that feels aligned with your voice and creative practice
asset guidance: support identifying what imagery, writing samples, videos, testimonials, or archival materials will strengthen the site experience
visual web design
mood storm: up to two distinct visual mood boards exploring typography, color palette, layout inspiration, and imagery style
visual identity refinement: final curation of typography, imagery, and color selections so the website feels emotionally resonant and visually cohesive
revisions: Up to 2 rounds of refinement to ensure the final direction feels aligned with your vision and next stage of growth
development + launch
Squarespace development: full website build in Squarespace using the approved designs and copy
mobile optimization: responsive formatting across desktop and mobile devices
domain connection: support connecting your custom domain and preparing your site for launch
basic SEO setup: page titles, descriptions, and foundational search optimization
handoff session & guide: recorded walkthrough and maintenance guide so you feel confident updating your site moving forward
Depending on your needs, your website can include:
your publications, media features & digital archives
blogs & newsletters
event listings
project documentation
visual art
podcasts
creative services
inquiry forms for collaborations, speaking engagements, or bookings
ongoing editorial + website support ** (ADD ON)
ongoing website maintenance and updates
additional website pages and expansion support
timeline — 4–6 weeks
investment — beginning at $1999
please note: pricing varies depending on the size and complexity of the website, number of pages, copywriting needs, and any additional storytelling or editorial support required.
Is this for you?
This offering is for you if any of the following is true:
your current website no longer reflects the depth or direction of your work
you don’t have a central online home for your creative practice, business, or body of work
your online presence feels fragmented across social media platforms
you want a website that feels less like a template and more like an extension of your creative world
you are preparing for a new season of visibility, publication, performance, teaching, or expansion
If you want a central, online place to hold all the layers of what you do, but feel overwhelmed about getting started, I get it…
Maybe you’re tired of feeling like your projects, published writings, or business offerings are fragmented across Instagram Stories, Tik Tok posts, and Facebook statuses that don’t give you ownership and are subject to the whims of an algorithm.
Every time you think about applying for that artist residency, business grant, or new role, you feel a tinge of insecurity because you don’t have a single place to send people to see your work.
You’ve tried working with a web designer before, but ended up with a bloated resume masquerading as a website, and the all-too-familiar “bio, services, testimonials” formula that doesn’t really capture your creative essence or special sauce.
Maybe you’re a journalist who just started a newsletter about growing an herb garden and you write poems but somehow you’re still struggling to tell a coherent story about how they all connect.
You actually have a website that’s okay, but your work or your business offerings have substantially changed. And now you’re left with a website that doesn’t capture the new chapter you’re calling in.
And if you’re being honest, you’re not sure about the expense of building a website and are secretly wondering if you’ll ever find that trusted person who gets YOU and is capable of executing your vision.
If any of the above resonated, I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone.
In reality, building a website is a huge undertaking and deeply reflective process that requires a thoughtful distillation of your background, work, values, and aesthetics. But it’s often treated as a purely technical project (building the actual website).
That means artists, small business owners, and mission-driven professionals like you are usually caught between squeezing yourself and your work into someone else’s template or becoming a copywriter, strategist, designer, and coder overnight.
But let’s be real, you can’t afford to wait on your website any longer. The world needs the work you’re creating, the ideas you’re sitting on, the mark you’re leaving—and your website should make it easier for people to find, understand, and connect with it all.
Imagine if you could present your body of work as a coherent practice, without having to organize, articulate, and design it all yourself ?
No more depending on social media to hold all your work. Instead, you now have a clear way for curators, clients, publishers, funders, collaborators, and audiences to discover you.
You might not even notice it at first, but one day you discover something has changed. You love sending people to your online home, and you feel proud when you do so.
It’s not about getting hundreds of new clients or becoming widely known overnight. It’s about establishing you credibility before the first conversation or making it easy for someone to understand what you make and why it matters.
Just imagine, one day you look around and notice that the right opportunities seem to find you easily. And over time, you are understood, taken seriously, and remembered.
That is what’s waiting for you on the other side of a website.
Not the version of you rewriting your bio for the fifteenth time or wondering whether your website actually makes sense to anyone but you. We’re talking about the creative, visionary, deeply thoughtful version of you—the one who has ideas to share, art to create, clients to serve, communities to touch, and opportunities to pursue.
Ready for the version of you your website should support?
Here’s What Happens Next
When you build a website with me, we’ll work collaboratively to translate your unique gifts, offerings, and body of work into a powerfully coherent and authentic story—so you can attract the right opportunities and confidently share your work with the world.
First, tell me about your project.
Complete my website inquiry form below to share a few details about the website you have in mind, including what you need it to do, your budget, your timeline (or any time constraints you’re working with), and the kind of support you’re looking for.
Then, let’s talk.
Once you submit your inquiry, I’ll get back to you within 48 hours via email to touch base and schedule a free, 30-minute introductory call over Zoom.
During our call, we’ll talk through your vision, budget, and timeline, and I’ll share more about my design process and what working together could look like. You’ll also have plenty of time to ask questions and get a feel for whether we’re a good fit.
If we decide to move forward, I’ll take care of the next steps.
Within five days of our introductory call, I’ll send you a proposal outlining our shared goals, scope of work, investment, and timeline.
You’ll have an opportunity to review the proposal and share your feedback. Once we’ve landed on a plan that feels right, I’ll send over a contract for us both to review and sign.
And then? We begin building your website!
Meet Your Web Designer
Hi, I’m Sojourner Ahebee!
I was born in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa to an African American mother and an Ivoirien father. In 2002, civil war struck Côte d'Ivoire and at seven, I was forced to relocate to Philadelphia, where my first and deepest longing — the longing for homeland — took hold of me, giving birth to my first poem.
As a nearly life-long resident of Philadelphia, I am shaped by this city’s bounty of porches and the sound of my grandmother’s voice calling me home.
I spent the last few years working as a journalist and audio producer for national outlets including WHYY's science podcast, The Pulse, and MSNBC’s politics podcast Into America, telling deeply-reported stories about health and education.
Since then, I wrote a children’s book (forthcoming from Scholastic in 2028) about about my grandmother’s childhood in rural North Carolina, and expanded my writing practice into creative communications.
Today, through my communications and web design studio, Water & Sword, I partner with artists, mission-driven organizations, and creative entrepreneurs to:
Design websites that serve as digital homes for creative and mission-driven work
Develop brand identity, visual direction, and cohesive design systems that can be used across platforms
Create simple communications strategy, digital materials, and systems that help clients show up online consistently
When I’m not working, I’m talking to my ancestors at my altar, watching old Black films, and adding new entries to my digital garden.
Recent Project
Building a Digital Home for an Artist
A year after her New York Theater Festival debut, writer and artist Genara Cristina Necos hired me to design and develop a bold, expressive, and narratively-layered website that documents her recently produced play, bears witness to the Caribbean lineage that binds her, and the many oceans and creations that spill out of her in response.
Recent Project
Narrative Strategy for A Medical Student Scholarship
I developed a narrative-driven scholarship campaign for The Medical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania, resulting in a 156% increase in applications and stronger engagement through scholar-centered storytelling.
Let’s Work Together !
If you're interested in working with me, complete my client inquiry form and include a few details about your project. I’ll review your message and get back to you within 48 hours !
