Brand systems and automations for independent California organizations.
I’m Aaron Sonnenberg, your creative technologist. Claude is my operations partner, handling drafts, code, and monitoring so your system keeps working long after launch. Together we run brand systems and automations at a price a traditional studio couldn’t match.
Most agencies sell a website and disappear. I build brand systems and stay. Ten years in, my clients still run on what I built, because I never stopped building.
Three pillars. One studio. The work compounds.
Brand and site work for small organizations. Anchor-client-plus-satellites systems built to outlive the launch.
WORDPRESS · SHOPIFY · ADOBEHosting, maintenance, accessibility monitoring, content pipelines. Small-org tier, durable retainers, real SLAs.
WP ENGINE · PA11Y · n8n · CLAUDEProductized offerings that emerged from running brand systems for a decade. Accessibility monitoring and lead enrichment billing monthly to real clients; ad-creative generation powering our own brand work.
ADA SCANS · LEAD ENGINE · AD GENERATORThree case studies. Each tells two stories: what got built, what’s still running.
AAGLA
Member operations infrastructure for the largest rental housing trade association in Southern California.
// still running: Novi customizations, member renewal automation
// 002 [RESTAURANT FRANCHISE]Mountain Mike’s Pizza
Multi-location feedback tracker, accessibility monitoring, and ongoing brand operations.
// still running: feedback tracker SaaS, OneTrust, retainer
// 003 [B2B SAAS · VETERINARY]Cubex Academy
Customer portal at 10K-user scale: commissioned plugin pair, custom theme, and the operating layer underneath.
// still running: portal ops, plugin engineering
Four retainers. The operating layer is real product.
| WordPress Care | monthly cadence + hosting | WP Engine hosting · monthly updates · daily security scans + backups · 24/7 monitoring · fixes |
| WordPress Care Plus | weekly cadence + 48-hr turnaround | Everything in Care · weekly updates · 48-hour turnaround · up to 4 small changes a month |
| Accessibility Monitoring | monthly WCAG cadence | Continuous WCAG scanning · monthly remediation · vendor coordination |
| AI Architect | fractional AI lead, monthly | Owns the AI roadmap · builds and runs the automations · working session on a cadence |
What clients say.
His thought process is both critical and creative, which allows him to consistently contribute valuable art direction and beautifully executed designs that are functional for the most optimal user experience.Ryan Green / Sr Director of Ecommerce / TravisMathew
Aaron has provided super fast response time, quality work and an amazing rate. We are beyond pleased with Aaron’s impeccable service. He is extremely knowledgeable and helpful in assisting us in managing our website internally.Carol DeNembo / then CMO / Mountain Mike’s Pizza
Notes from a 10-year studio.
Why I turned off automatic updates on every website I look after
Read →
Write in one notebook
Read →
The dashboard was green the whole time
Read →Questions people ask about Sonnenberg Design.
What does Sonnenberg Design do?
Sonnenberg Design is an independent California studio, founded by Aaron Sonnenberg in 2016. It designs brand systems and websites for small organizations, then stays on to run them: WordPress care and hosting, accessibility monitoring, automation, and AI services.
Who does Sonnenberg Design work with?
Independent California organizations: small businesses, trade and community associations, nonprofits and franchise brands. The studio is based in Orange County, California. Current clients include the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, Mountain Mike’s Pizza and Cubex.
How much does WordPress care cost?
There are two plans, and both include managed hosting on WP Engine. Care is $95 a month: monthly updates, daily security scans and backups, fixes, and a monthly report. Care Plus is $195 a month: weekly updates and reports, 48-hour turnaround, and up to 4 small changes a month.
Can you help my business show up in AI answers?
Yes. The free AI visibility check at aiscan.sonnenbergdesign.com reads your homepage and asks an AI assistant whether it knows your business. The $500 AI Visibility Review covers your whole site, tests real customer questions across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google’s AI answers, and ends in a prioritized fix list. The $500 is credited toward the fixes if you book them with us within 30 days.