Category Archives for My Work
WINK! Weddings Branding
I’ve been meaning to post about this for a while, but one of my favorite recent projects that recently wrapped up to work on was the branding of Wink! Weddings coordination and design.
The client wanted something fun & a bit cheeky. They also really wanted to play up the exclamation point in their name. I started by narrowing down my extremely disorganized “brainstorming board” to three logos.
From there we narrowed it down, revised and played with it, turned it sideways, and boom bang bing- the final logo emerged! We brought the look of the logo onto the website. When a client is down for anything and ready to be creative- it pumps me up! I’m always down for new ideas and taking risks. So we made a sideways menu bar with a black and white striped footer. Infinet Design developed the site and did an amazing job. I couldn’t be happier with the result. You can check it out on the web here.
Good branding will get you far friends- with so many websites out there, people will choose your business based upon their connection to your visuals. So invest in branding- it’s SO worth it!
And for the ladies out there planning a wedding- check out Wink! They offer amazing services that are so needed on your wedding day. I had no idea how much I needed a coordinator for my wedding until we were in the middle of the process. And with Wink’s creative spirit and amazing experience- they would be a great choice. It’s so important and so worth every penny!
Happy Wednesday friends!
photo by Melissa Klausman…
WEBSITE LAUNCH: Melissa Kilner of ReSTART Live
These past 2 weeks I had the awesome opportunity of working alongside Promise Tangeman (who is just one of the coolest ladies on the planet) and Melissa Kilner to create a full rebrand for Melissa Kilner Photography.
Melissa is one of three photographers who are working with the amazing Jasmine Star in a program called “ReSTARt” where they essentially “restart” (how appropriate!) their photography business. Jasmine goes through every nook and cranny of their business. Everything from how they respond to emails, to how they interact with their models, to the way their brand looks. That’s where I came in! I got to work an intense week and a half on creating this thing from the ground up. We got Melissa a new logo, color palette, and a brand spankin new website that launched officially today! You can check it out here.
Today is the last of the three sessions of ReSTARt. You can watch the broadcast live starting at 9am PST today.(Wednesday March 6th) If you have a photog business, it’s a must see! But really if you have any sort of business at all there’s some great info covered. Promise will be on today at 11am PST releasing the websites. If you’d like to join in and watch- you can watch it for free live here —> creativelive.com
Thanks so much Melissa and Promise for being so amazing to work with!! Can’t wait to watch you girls do your thaaang today!…
Hi Peanut Branding + A Giveaway!
Good morning friends! I hope there are some mommy-to-be readers out there because we have a really awesome giveaway from Hi Peanut Photography happening for you today!
But first, I want to share a bit of an insider look into the branding that I did for them recently. It started off with a moodboard… Brienne (the owner of Hi Peanut) wanted something sophisticated and modern. Anything to keep her away from the scary maternity photos people think of so often when hearing “maternity” photos. So I came up with a soft color palette, with a bit of pop, as it is for children.
I really wanted to get that soft look, so I went outside the computer and created some watercolor splotches for the logo.
After a few rounds of revisions, we finalized the logo.
I was happy with how it turned out- representing the brand well with it’s soft touch and more modern san serif type.
We then created the website!
So here comes the fun part! Hi Peanut is giving away a free maternity session to one lucky mommy to be! It’s pretty awesome because not only does it include a free photo session- it also includes hair and makeup. Pretty awesome, right??
Here’s how to enter:
Leave a comment on this post, go to the facebook page and click the “like” button. Plus tweet or facebook the link (use this shortlink: http://bit.ly/13WY3n7) to this post telling your other mommy friends about the giveaway. Like I mentioned before, the winner gets a free maternity session, including professional hair and makeup. Travel is included within 50 miles of Santa Clarita, California.
We will announce the winner on Wednesday March 6th!! Stay tuned!
So get on it!! And send this post to your pregnant friends! Yay!…
Crafty Illustrations on Dribbble
I did these illustrations for a client a while back and posted them on Dribbble. I went through Dribbble for the first time in awhile today and was reminded of how awesome it is. I’m really bad at remembering to post work while I’m designing. But it’s a great resource for designers.
It’s a great place to gather inspiration as well as get feedback from other designers on work in progress. I’ve yet to utilize it to it’s full potential, but it’s something I plan to do more of this year. If anyone wants an invite to join I have a few to give out. Put a link to your portfolio in the comments and I can check it out!
Happy Thursday friends!…
Animal Desktop Download
I’ve been wanting to do another desktop download for awhile now- and this weekend I finally had the chance to make one for you. It’s inspired by the fun animal trend happening these days. I’m a huge animal lover and thought it would be fun to have a few on my desktop! If you’re into it- you can download the correct size for your screen at the bottom of this post. If you would like to take these little guys out and about with you, I sized a few for your iPhone and iPad as well.
Enjoy hanging out with these colorful little guys today- I know I will! Happy Monday friends!
Pick your size: 2560 x 1440 || 1680 x 1050 || 1440 x 900 || 1280 x 800 || iPhone || iPad…
BLOCK SHOP DESIGN PROCESS
Hey friends!! It’s been a bit cray cray over here while trying to get things done before Christmas. One of the biggest things I’ve been working on this week was the launching of Block Shop Textiles! I am seriously honored to have had the opportunity to work with the fabulous Lily Stockman and her lovely sister Hopie Stockman on their newest business venture. Block Shop Textiles is a project that has been in the making for about 2 years for Lily and Hopie. Lily designed her first scarf while over in Bagru, India, and the idea for Block Shop was born. These scarves are all hand block printed by master carvers living in Bagru India. I could go on and on, but you should really read more about the insanely awesome process it takes to make one of these scarves here.
Anyways, I’m here today to talk to you a bit about the design process it took to brand this thing. While the scarves completely speak for themselves, they really needed a logo and look that would complement the uniquely handmade works of art. Lily came to me with a photo of a wooden block with the Chhipa family flower, which is called a bhuti. This block had been in the master printer’s family for over 100 years. It seemed only fitting that it would be the inspiration for the logo.
We started off with a mood board. The vibe we were going for was something that would resonate with the people here in the states, but would have traces of the Indian culture as well. Textiles and patterns similar to what was printed on the scarves also served as inspiration.
After we established a feel, it was time to put it in action. From the photo of the Chippa family flower, I started playing with some different renditions of what that could look like throughout the brand and logo.
After deciding on a flower to use, I began working on the logo. We wanted something that looked like it could be stamped, resembling the stamping of the patterns on the scarves. Something “block-like”. We went through quite a few renditions, and I’ve shown a few below for you to see how we got to the final product.
After sorting through, taking out versions, adding in a few versions, and then finally revising the logo we thought worked the best, we ended up with the final product!
All of us were really happy with how the final logo turned out. It includes the history of the Indian master printer’s family, resonates with the culture here in the states, and has the block, stamp look that resembles the printing process of the scarves. Woo hoo!
It’s always exciting for a designer who works on the computer waaay too much, to see what they have worked on outside of the screen. When Lily sent me the photos of the scarves with the new logo implemented, I was ecstatic! Check out the applications of this little logo below:
Pretty sweet, right?? The scarves are really amazing.
After the scarves were all set, it was on to the website. This thing needed to be up quick, as they wanted to have time to get those Christmas orders in! With many late night hours spent working, we got it up just in time for the holiday orders to come rushing through. And boy did they. I believe they sold somewhere around 70 scarves in the first half hour the site was launched!
So… check out the website, feast your eyes upon the beauty of these handprinted scarves and grab yourself one! They are selling really fast, a few are already sold out, so now’s the time to act!
Again, I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to work with such awesome, creative women such as Lily and Hopie. They are really any designers dream client. I know this is just the beginning for Block Shop Textiles!!
MOODY MOOD BOARDS
When I first started freelancing I really loved the idea of creating mood boards for clients. Not only had I seen them done by some designers I respected, but mixing type, colors and images together on a page sounded just plain fun. But I soon realized that I didn’t really know what I was doing with mood boards. I would send them to clients and they just didn’t get it. I got tired of people rejecting my mood boards and stopped that step in my design process.
But I recently re-worked my branding process and thought I would give mood boards another shot. It’s pretty amazing to think how much I’ve learned about working directly with clients through this freelancing process… Now I’ve yet to have someone “not get” my mood boards, most always my clients love them. And so do I! I’ve been posting a few of them on my Facebook page to give you something pretty to look at during the day. They’re a blast to create.
So what is a mood board, you ask?
They are the exciting trailer of what’s to come! They set a vibe, a feeling that the brand will create. I think every designer has a different take on them, but for me it’s all about the vibe. I know it’s not mathematical, but there is something magical that happens when the right colors, photos and textures come together. They create an energy. We see certain images and feel certain things. When the mood board makes you feel the right things- that’s where the magic happens! We will take that feeling and place it in every aspect of the brand. Branding is all about the emotions we feel when interacting with a business. The mood board sets the emotion. And when you get it right, it’s a good time for all!
So there’s the bit of knowledge I have to share about mood boards. Not that I’m an expert – no one liked my mood boards at first, but I’m really glad I kept at it and now have found a fun and useful step to my design process.…
Brushing Up
In high school my dream was to be a wedding photographer. I was dating a guy at the time who was really into graphic design, and although I always wanted to try it, it was kind of claimed as his thing. So I focused on photography.
Flash forward five years. I have now discovered my love for graphic design, and have set on pursuing that as a career. But it doesn’t mean I don’t still dabble in photography. It’s still something I really enjoy doing.
I’ve recently had a few people ask me to photograph their engagement pics. I was hesitant at first, as it’s been awhile since I’ve brused up on my photography skills. But after a few times of playing around with my cam, I thought it was something I could do. So I said yes!
Here are a few previews from the recent shoots. I realized when you have adorable couples to shoot, it makes photographing them that much easier. Both of these couples have really amazing stories, and are some wonderful people to spend a few hours with talking, laughing and taking photos of.
I’ll also be photographing both of their weddings coming up soon! I’m excited, as last summer I photographed a few weddings, and had a great time.
Can’t wait, and congrats on your engagements Kelli and Jordan, AND Janelle and Eric!!…
Girl Crush Blog Live
I recently had the pleasure of designing the new blog site for Wendy Withers of Girl Crush! Wendy is art producer turned mommy, turned blogger. I met Wendy when I interned for Blogshop LA.
Wendy already had a blog and logo, but she has recently been featured in Joy Cho‘s new book Blog, Inc. (so exciting!) and wanted to give her blog a little facelift.
So here it is! Check it out, she’s got a ton of great content on there. She interviews women all over the world who are doing amazing things. (Women who are Girl Crush worthy!) It’s inspiring to read! And congrats Wendy on your feature in Blog, Inc! It was awesome working with you!…
“A Daring Adventure” Desktop
So I finally got a new iMac this week. It’s a 27in and I’m in love. So since I have this awesome new computer, I had to create a sweet new desktop for it, right???
I liked it a lot after I created it and wanted to share it with you guys 
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing” -Hellen Keller. Isn’t it true??
If we don’t see life as an adventure, take some risks, and bring meaning to our everyday, life can get pretty boring real fast. (YOLO, right?! hehe)
So I thought it would be nice to have the reminder to see life as an adventure. Hopefully it will help you remember as well!!
You can download the desktop here or click on the top image.
Happy Thursday everyone!…