carterative

The one-man marketing &
creative studio

One studio for everything marketing & creative.

Work with me

Trusted by dozens of business leaders

Brands I've built for

  • Dole
  • Bonduelle
  • Steak 'n Shake
  • Kerr
  • Titan Ridge
  • Luchetti
  • FujiSan
  • Steadi
  • ProBaller
  • Aqua Vibes
  • Omari

What I do

  • Websites & ecommerce

    A laptop showing a website, with a shopping bag

  • Branding & identity

    A rubber stamp beside colour swatches

  • Graphic design & print

    A vector pen tool with a curved path

  • Video & photography

    A film camera and a clapperboard

  • Paid advertising

    A megaphone

  • Social media

    A phone with a heart notification

  • SEO & AI search

    A magnifying glass

  • Email & SMS

    An envelope with a paper plane

  • Brand strategy & consulting

    A chess knight and a compass

  • AI systems & automation

    Interlocking gears with a spark
Work with me

Recent work

Websites
Brand guidelines
Kamari showcase
Meta Ads
Commercials
Video ads
Booth artwork
DOOH
Amazon & website PDPs
Bonduelle collage
Campaign systems
Launch films
Work with me

Where my work has been seen

  • Walmart
  • Target
  • Costco
  • Amazon
  • Instacart
  • DoorDash
  • Sam's Club
  • Kroger
  • Albertsons
  • Sprouts Farmers Market
  • H-E-B
  • Harris Teeter
  • Stater Bros. Markets
  • WinCo Foods
  • Frost Bank Center
  • Natural Products Expo West
  • International Fresh Produce Association
  • The New York Times
“His impact was very deliberate, creative, agile, and immediately results oriented. Most importantly, “surprising,” because of his native innovative marketing eye and digital/AI execution that rivalled agencies.”
Bobby ChackoCEO, Bonduelle

I believe big-brand work shouldn't need a big-brand agency. So you get the strategy, the design and the build from one person, in days, not months.

  • Brand-side CPG experience
  • Fixed price, quoted up front
  • One person, start to finish
  • Strategy, design and build
  • Turnaround in hours or days
  • Your files, yours to keep
Work with me
Carter Stoddard

Why work with me

carterative
Freelancer
Agency
In-house hire
Cost
$$
$
$$$$
$$$
Pricing
Fixed, per project
Hourly or per gig
Retainer, minimums
Salary and benefits
Time to start
Yesterday
Days
Weeks
Months
Turnaround
Hours to days
Days to weeks
Weeks
Depends
Range
All of it, one person
One specialty
All of it, five people
One specialty
Brand-side experience
Account side
Who you talk to
The person doing the work
The freelancer
An account manager
Your employee
Meetings
Minimal
Minimal
Many
Daily
Low commitment
You own the files
Depends
Work with me

What a table can't show

  • Taste

    Anyone can make more now. Knowing what to make, and what to cut, is the job.

  • Judgment

    I've sat in the rooms where brand decisions get made, so the work answers the question your buyer is actually asking.

  • No AI slop

    AI is a tool here, never the designer. Nothing ships that I wouldn't put my name on.

Work with me
Carter Stoddard

carterative

Meet Carter

I'm Carter. I run Carterative, and it's just me, by design. The name is Carter and creative put together, because the two have always gone hand in hand. I've been passionate about creating things for as long as I can remember, and at some point that became the job. Before this I spent two years on the marketing side of a multinational CPG brand team, across campaigns, retail launches and packaging, sitting in the rooms with executives and stakeholders where the decisions actually got made.

I left to build something of my own, so I could help brands grow the way I had watched it get done from the inside. Most of it happens at a desk, late nights and early mornings, whatever it takes to get it right. That's how I've always worked. Strategy, design, execution and everything in between, from the same chair and the same guy.

When I'm not working you'll find me with family, friends or traveling. The work still comes with me more often than it should. Helping a brand get where it wants to be is the part I can't put down.

If your brand doesn't feel like it has an identity yet, or you need creative and execution that comes from a person and not a prompt, that's the gap I close. I bring the taste and judgment AI can't. You're not hiring an agency, you're hiring one person who treats your brand like it's his own.

Questions I get first

What do projects cost?
Honestly, they vary. A landing page and a full brand build are not the same job, so I do not put one number on the page. Tell me what you need and I quote one fixed price for it, never hourly, and it does not move unless the scope does.
Can we talk before I commit to anything?
Yes. We start with a short call about what you need. After it, I send you a scope and a fixed price within 24 hours, and you decide from there.
How fast can you start?
Fast. There is no onboarding process or resourcing meeting, so once we agree on the scope I start.
How long does a project take?
It depends on the job. Small pieces turn around in hours to days. Bigger builds like a brand identity, a website or a trade show booth take longer, and you get the timeline in writing with the quote.
Who actually does the work?
I do. All of it. There is no junior, no team overseas, no one you have not met.
Will I own everything you make?
Yes. You get the native files, fonts and links, named properly and handed over. You own it outright and can change it without me.
Do you work with big companies or early-stage ones?
Both. Publicly traded CPG brands and founder-led D2C brands, sometimes in the same week. The big ones get someone who has already worked inside retailer specs and brand guidelines and does not need a handover deck. The early-stage ones get that same person, not the junior. Fixed price either way, sized to the scope, not to the size of your company.
Do we need to be local?
No. Most of the work happens over email and a shared drive. I will show up in person for the things that need a room, a shoot, a shelf walk, a pitch. Nobody has ever needed me to be there for the rest.
Can you sign an NDA?
Yes, I sign NDAs all the time. Send yours over and we sign it before you share anything.
Is it one project, or can you stay on?
Either. A one-day sprint for one problem, a fixed-price project for one deliverable, or a monthly retainer where everything I do is on tap. Most people start with a project and decide after.

Let’s build something amazingpremiumsickiconiclegitboldbeautifulunskippableloudon-brandtimelesscleanscroll-stoppingunforgettableyours

Work with me

Trusted by dozens of business leaders

Stay human

Carter looking out over Lisbon at sunset

“Anyone can make more now. Knowing what to make, and what to cut, is the job.”

—— Carter Stoddard, founder
Carter by the river in London
carterative

Taste can't be generated

“He diagnoses a problem almost instantly, cuts through the noise, and comes back with a creative solution faster than you'd expect.”

—— Jeannie Houchins, Bonduelle
Carter looking across the river in Porto
carterative

One person, every piece

Carter in a square in Madrid

“AI is a tool here, never the designer. Nothing ships that I wouldn't put my name on.”

—— Carter Stoddard, founder
Carter in a gallery in Lisbon

“Always ahead of trends and fearless in his approach, Carter tackles new challenges with confidence and originality.”

—— Tony Seeger, FujiSan Sushi
carterative

Made by someone who cares