About
About Maison Pence
Structure before aesthetics. Meaning before marketing. Clarity before design.
Maison Pence was founded on a belief that brands should be built like architecture — with strong foundations, intentional frameworks, and enduring beauty. After two decades in education, design, and brand strategy, I saw a recurring truth: most brands fail not because they lack talent, but because they lack structure.
Logos change. Trends fade. But systems — when built intentionally — last.
Maison Pence was created to bring structure back to brand-building.
Our proprietary Structural Brand Architecture™ method unites research, psychology, and design to create brands that aren’t just seen — they’re understood.
Every decision, from tone to typography, stems from clarity. Every detail is designed with purpose. This is not branding as an aesthetic exercise — it’s branding as intelligent architecture.
What We Build
Maison Pence works with founders, funded startups, and established businesses seeking more than a rebrand — those who want a system.
Our work spans:
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Brand strategy and positioning
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Visual and verbal identity architecture
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Product and service structure
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Market differentiation and messaging frameworks
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Branded collateral systems and launch design
Each engagement results in a brand that feels both timeless and intelligent — one that can scale, pivot, and endure.
Our Philosophy
We don’t chase trends. We design permanence.
To us, a brand isn’t a logo or color palette — it’s an ecosystem of meaning, a structure that shapes perception, emotion, and trust.
Our role is to bring order to chaos, purpose to presentation, and elegance to execution.
When your structure is clear, growth becomes inevitable.
Founder
Erica D. Pence — Founder & Principal Brand Architect
Erica brings 35 years of entrepreneurial experience to brand architecture, with formal training that bridges multiple disciplines: a Master's degree in Information Science, Google UX Design Certification, and completion of Marie Forleo's B-School program. Her career has spanned education, information architecture, and business building — experience that now informs every strategic engagement.
The Educator Advantage
Most brand strategists come from agency backgrounds. Erica came from education — 22 years teaching complex concepts to diverse audiences, designing curriculum, and building systems that transfer knowledge effectively.
This shapes everything about how Maison Pence works:
Every deliverable is designed for implementation, not just presentation. Clients don't just receive strategy documents — they receive systems they can actually use, with the training to use them independently.
The goal isn't dependency. It's mastery.
Built From Experience
Before Maison Pence, Erica founded Bath Alchemy Lab — the first online soapmaking academy. What began as a craft business evolved into a full digital education platform: video courses, certification programs, a published formulation guide, and thousands of students across multiple countries.
Building that brand from scratch — the positioning, the systems, the scale — taught lessons no certification could. Bath Alchemy Lab became proof that clear structure creates sustainable growth.
That same methodology now powers every Maison Pence engagement.
Why Refined, Established Businesses
Maison Pence works best with founders and firms who have already proven their craft — interior designers, architects, artisan makers, professional service providers — businesses where quality is never in question, but positioning hasn't caught up.
These clients don't need to be taught excellence. They need a strategist who can articulate it, systematize it, and translate it into a brand that attracts the right clients at the right price.
Luxury isn't about price point. It's about intentionality. And that's what we build.
Ready to Build Something Enduring?
The process begins with The Appraisal — a diagnostic study that reveals where your brand stands and where it can grow.