Jane Butler · Co-Founder, Well Refined Studio
Building meaningful connections through technology and design.
Helping people make sense of what matters most through design, writing, illustration, and technology.
Chasing
3 kids
Big energy, bigger personalities.
Illustrated
4 children's books
With Famous at Home.
Home
New York City
Five people, 1,200 square feet.
Building
Near
Care, grief and end-of-life support.
About Jane
Creating beauty. Sharing hope. Living with the end in mind.
I design to help people see what matters most: meaningful connections, personal growth, and experiences over possessions. The work I'm proudest of helps someone, on their hardest day, feel a little less alone.
That belief led me to start Near — an online platform that helps families coordinate care and support through diagnosis, grief and loss. It's quiet, careful software for the hardest seasons of a life.
Alongside Near, I take on a small number of design projects each year and write at itsjanebutler.substack.com — from the heart, with empathy and practical tools to help you make space for what matters most.
Life behind the work
A family, a city, and a studio in between.
Five people in 1,200 square feet of New York City. Three kids, a husband, two businesses and a stack of children's books on the desk most mornings.
From the journal
Tools for a life well lived.
I write a Substack about motherhood, raising kids in New York, and making space for what matters most. Honest, practical, and from the heart.
Essay · Jan 12
A Life Well Lived
I've been thinking a lot about what it means to build a life — not just a body of work.
Essay · Mar 13
Creating Space for Meaningful Family Gatherings
We think we're together all the time, but we noticed we really aren't.
Essay · Feb 3
Why We Believe the City Is a Beautiful Place to Raise Our Kids
Opinions and thoughts as a family of five who love NYC.
Essay · Apr 10
The Travel Activity That Turned My Kids Into Explorers
A creative color hunt for kids in Nice, France.
Illustrator
Four children's books, and counting.
I've illustrated four picture books with Famous at Home — small, warm stories that help kids name big feelings: worry, wonder, celebration and faith.
- · What Do I Do With Worry?
- · What Am I Feeling?
- · 25 Days of the Christmas Story
- · And one more on the shelf.
Process
How it's done
A simple, considered way of working — built so you always know where the project is and what's next.
01
Approach
First ideas and honest conversation
Every project starts with a conversation. I want to understand the people, the moment, and the reason this thing needs to exist at all — before a single pixel moves.
02
Proposal
A clear direction and a real timeline
You get a focused proposal with the scope, the strategic direction, and the dates. No mystery, no scope creep, no clever pricing games.
03
Delivery
Beautiful work, shipped on time
I design, build and hand over a finished product you actually own. Then I stay close enough to support you as it grows.
Works
Selected projects
Product · Brand · Web
Near
An online platform helping families coordinate care, support, and presence during diagnosis, grief and loss.
Luxury Skincare · Packaging
Gia
Botanical-led identity and coral-toned packaging system for a clean, plant-derived skincare line.
Memory Care · Product
Jigsawdio
Custom photo puzzles designed for people living with Alzheimer's — a brand built around dignity and connection.
Ready to build something that matters?
All good things start with one step. Tell me about the project — I'll tell you honestly if I'm the right person for it.