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Category Archive: web design
It’s been an incredibly busy summer and early Autumn here at a Girl Named Fred. I am so blessed to work with such a wonderful range of clients. Now that some projects have wrapped up, I get to share. And first on the sharing list? Hillside Studios!
Kristi Hill is a wedding, lifestyle and boudoir photographer based in Greeley, Colorado. She has a photo-journalistic style with a distinct flair for the artistic! When she approached me about refreshing her visual identity and marketing materials, she had this to say:
I feel a little “mom & pop.” I feel like my current logo doesn’t encompass “weddings”, which is my primary business focus right now, it’s not feminine enough and feels a little corporate. Also, since there’s been a lack of an actual “look,” I feel like my marketing items are a little disconnected from one another. I want everything to work together as a whole, hip, but still classic, package. Also, as much as I love my Hillside box, I say that I am a creative and think outside the box, which clearly my logo does not say.
Kristi really wanted to keep the hills of her current logo, but other than that we had lots of room to work with type, colour and overall design to develop a visual identity that was much more representative of Kristi and her photography. Here’s the before and after:
Although I’ve looked at script typefaces for logos before, this is the first time that it really made sense for both me and my client. Something about the open, feminine shapes of this particular typeface really work for the message Kristi is trying to communicate: that she is a professional photographer that clients can connect with on a personal level, and who will deliver high-quality images through fun and creative photography sessions.
We kept the hills, but treated them as a layered landscape – you know those hazy days when hilly landscapes look dreamy? That’s what we were aiming for.
And the blue? Well, blue has always been Kristi’s favourite colour. So we went with it!
Once the logo was done, we developed business cards. Kristi had a hard time picking a favourite design, so she went with two: one traditional size and one square size. You can print high-quality business cards at a great price these days, which makes it easy to have options.
Next we tackled her blog. Here’s what it looked like before:
And here’s the after – fresh and open a little bit dreamy!
Kristi has a separate portfolio site from her blog, so we re-designed that, too! Here is the before:
And here is the after. That’s more like it!
(This is a customization of a CMD site template. We were able to make it completely Hillside Studios!)
Finally, we developed a brochure. Keeping with our design guidelines (fresh, open, lots of white space, emphasis on the photography) we put together a piece that really helps Kristi tell her story effectively. Here’s a peek:
How does Kristi feel about the new look? You can see her comment below!
It was such a pleasure working with Kristi – if she’s half as wonderful working with her clients as she was working with me well, her clients are in for a treat.
You can connect with Kristi through her blog, her portfolio site, on Facebook and she’s on Twitter, too!
What can I tell you about Courtney Tompson? First, she is a bundle of sunny energy. Second, she is a very talented photographer. And third, I had a blast working with her on her new visual identity!
Courtney is just starting her business, so she needs a visual identity that is going to stand the test of time. As she said to me, it needs to reflect who she is now and where she is going. So we stayed away from trends (that’s my general approach) and focused on developing a visual identity that was fresh, young and modern but sophisticated enough to appeal to, well, a sophisticated clientele.
And here’s the logo:
Now, I’m the first to say that I think the icon portion of a logo can be a lot more than initials in a circle… but in this case, that design approach just fit perfectly. Courtney is blessed with initials that take a ligature so beautifully. Look at the c-t connection! And connection is the name of the game when it comes to making images with impact. So we both felt this was a perfect solution for her logo.
The type is Futura; Courtney loved the round shapes and spare feeling of the type, and it is a great alternative to the very over-used Century Gothic that we see so much of!
Courtney specializes in three kinds of photography, so we developed a main logo (above) themed for weddings, and two secondary logos:
On the left, a spicy magenta for Courtney’s boudoir photography; on the right, a fresh green for Courtney’s seniors photography. Overall, the palette is bright and energetic and very positive.
Next we tackled Courtney’s blog. She wanted to implement a combined portfolio-blog, so ProPhoto was the way to go (their templates are just terrific, and the customization options are endless!). Here’s what it used to look like:
And here’s how it looks now:
Love that fresh blue! The blog feels so welcoming, now.
You can see it for yourself, here.
See that grad cap icon in the blog post? It’s a little hard to see, I know. We developed a set of mini-illustrations that Courtney can use in her blog posts and in her other marketing materials. There’s a little something for weddings and engagements; a little something for boudoir (spicy!); and a little something for graduation.
Once the site was done, we did some work on Courtney’s client guides. First we did a wedding version: fresh and airy and just a little bit romantic:
For Courtney’s boudoir clients, we spiced things up a bit with some punches of magenta and lots of feminine touches:
Courtney, thanks so much for letting me help you tell your story!
I am so, so excited to share this new work with you. About six weeks ago, Josh and Jenny Solar (of Solar Photographers and Banana Abby fame) contacted me about a new project they were planning: The Happy Family Movement. It’s impossible for me to do a better job of explaining their motivation than they can, so here’s what they have to say:
Jenny & I talk a lot about what mark we want to leave on this world. How can we make the world a better place? What do WE have to offer? We’ve spent many nights up late talking about just that… about what we’re passionate about. About our WHY… it always comes back to our relationships with our loved ones. The ones we’re connected to the most, each other and our kids. We live our life pretty unconventionally. Both Jenny & I are pretty much stay at home parents. When we are spending time away from our kids, it’s doing something we love, photographing couples in love and families with strong connections.
Being with our kids and doing what we love has taught us many things, but the most important is that we should be LOVING the life we’re living, and we do our best to do just that…
So, where does that leave us? With a new project, this project, which started just six short weeks ago, yet truly started six short years ago when our first child, Max, was born. It started with a tiny idea and happy music, but it also started with a much bigger idea, years ago, an idea that WE could raise a happy, loving family. An idea that WE could do things differently, that WE could have fun with our kids, that WE could live by our own rules.
So, with a name like the Happy Family Movement, it seems pretty clear that we needed a visual identity that is, well, happy, right? When we talked about what would work best for this project, we decided pretty quickly that a strong, typographic logo and type-based visual identity elements would work best. I mean, it’s pretty hard to “own” an icon that says happy. And we knew we needed strong, clear, bright colours that were youthful but not childlike. Overall, we wanted to communicate a very strong vibe of positive, happy, loving energy.
The Happy Family Movement logo comes in three colour ways, so that Josh & Jenny can have maximum flexiblity in using it:
Aren’t you smiling already?
Next we tackled the Happy Family Movement website.
See? Lots of strong type (oh League Gothic and Museo Sans, how I love thee!). Bright colours. And fun icons.
When you visit the Happy Family Movement website, you’ll find a bunch of fun features. Interested in happy music? Then sign up for their weekly Music for Happy People playlist:
[Trust me. They have great taste in music!]
Want to bring a little more fun back to family meal time? Then try out their latest challenge:
[This is a family that loves pancakes. I think folks who sign up are in for a good time!]
The Happy Family Movement will be offering some really fun products. The first Adventure in a Box is focused on Road Trippin’:
[Can you tell I had a ton of fun working on this project?]
How will you know if something is Happy Family Movement approved? We’ve got some fun badges:
There are tons of other fun visual identity elements that are still in the works. I’ll do an update soon!
This is the third project I’ve done with the Solars and I continue to be inspired by their passion, their commitment to living life out loud, and their incredibly positive attitude. I simply could not ask for a better client relationship. And I am so pleased to play a role in this wonderful project.
Please, do check it our for yourself. You’ll find the Happy Family Movement website here, and you can follow the Solars on their own happy family adventure on their blog, here.
I have some new work to share with you today and, as usual, I am excited to do so! Sarah Briese is the delightful photographer behind Sarahendipity Photography. Based, in Lee’s Summit, MO, Sarah specializes in fun, affordable photography for all the moments of your life. Sarah’s worked with Rachel of Serendipity Photography (hmmm… see the inspiration for her name?) for some time, but also wants to do some work on her own. She came to me to help develop a separate identity for her photography. And so Sarahendipity Photography was born.
What was she looking for in a visual identity and marketing materials? I’ll let her tell you… “I need something bright, but still professional enough that brides would look to me for weddings. Serendipity describes me to a ‘T.’ Making it Sarahendipity just screams ME. Fun, personal, and descriptive.”
We needed to make sure that her new look would appeal to her client base. “I am drawn to people that like to be themselves and have that side of them captured in photos. I love to have a good time and love a client that loves to do that too. Whether it be engagements, wedding, family or children. I like to see the real person and capture that in photos.”
The visual identity we developed captures Sarah’s desire for something fun, fresh and unpretentious.
The type is dynamic, but the elegant typography (that’s Bodoni, folks) tempers it a bit. Really fresh colours inspired by Spring, and a heart-based icon that is both floral and four-leaf-cloverish add to the heartfelt feeling of the logo.
Using the elements of the identity, we designed some business cards (Sarah couldn’t choose, so she opted for two looks):
Some DVD packaging:
and a pricing guide:
Sarah’s old blog was a bit dark and dreary and just didn’t really reflect her sunny, bubbly personality:
So we gave it a fresh new face. So much better, don’t you think?
Sarah – thanks so much for the opportunity to help you bring Sarahendipity to life. It was such a pleasure working with you …. and I know you’ll have lots of success in your new venture!
I’m so, so excited to introduce you to Banana Abby! Is she not just the cutest little basset hound you’ve ever seen? Josh + Jenny Solar and their kids sure think so; that’s why they adopted her into their family and named their latest photography venture in her honour (Josh decided earlier this year that his wonderful dog photography needed a home of its own). I was so pleased when they asked me to work with them on Banana Abby’s visual identity and marketing materials. We worked together on the refresh of Solar Photographers (you can see that post here) and it’s such a compliment to get repeat work from a client.
OK, enough talk… let’s get to some show and tell. When I asked Josh what he was looking for in a visual identity for this new venture, he told me he wanted something very simple, very un-cluttered — something where the focus could be on the dog. He wanted it to be a little fun (no surprise there… the Solars are all about fun!), joyful and also to express the bond that dogs and humans share.
Here’s what we developed:
The star of this show is clearly the dog – and a well-loved dog at that. We’ve got some subtle heart shapes in the nose and tongue to reinforce the emotional bond between dogs and their people. And we’ve chosen a joyful yellow to give the mark some energy. Classic typefaces help keep the look classy, not kitschy.
For the watermark, we re-assembled the elements into a circular shape that’s easy to place regardless of the image (that’s Josh with the real life Banana Abby, snapped by Jenny):
For business cards, we developed a fun pattern featuring four essential doggy components: bones, balls, fire hydrants and dog houses:
We used that pattern and its elements in the website design (and if you visit the Banana Abby site you’ll see Banana Abby has a little animation going on… very cute!):
Finally we developed a pricing guide, which kind of pulls all the design elements into once place:
In keeping with the Solars’ commitment to give back, 10% of the proceeds from Banana Abby photo sessions will be donated to Wayside Waifs, the animal shelter that was once Banana Abby’s home (and where Josh volunteers to photograph animals for adoption).
This was such a fun project — thanks to Josh and Jenny for the opportunity to help bring Banana Abby to life!
Form & Function designs and builds furniture for keeps. Located in my hometown — Vancouver, BC — this retail operation is masterminded by Jack and Susan McCullough. Jack looks after operations and Susan is an incredibly talented designer.
When they contacted me, about a year had gone by after they had lost much of their inventory in a devastating fire. But – they had re-located, re-built and were ready for a visual identity re-fresh! We started off by taking a hard look at their logo. Here’s what they had been using:
And you know, it wasn’t terrible. But it was completely lacking in the qualities they wanted their brand to communicate: custom design, fine manufacturing and style! So we spent some time working on type choice (we went with Bembo, Perpetua and Meta); we gave some thought to harmonious letter spacing, and we chose a colour that reflected Jack & Susan’s love of cherry wood. Here’s the final logo:
Much better! Next we tackled an update for their website. It used to look like this:
Now it looks like this:
We have plans to build it out; but for now it’s a simple landing page that is more effective at describing what they do, and how they do it.
We designed some new business cards:
And a brochure (the first one they’d had in a long, long time! And it’s a tri-fold, so imagine it folded if you please):
We also did some notepads for in-store notations:
And a suite of advertisements for Canada’s leading daily newspaper, The Globe and Mail:
Jack & Susan have been such a pleasure to work with. If you are ever looking for a beautiful piece of furniture made right here in Canada — and built to last — please do think of Form & Function. You won’t be disappointed!