Brandy needed help. Big time. Manager of 3 retail sewing and vacuum repair shops, sewing teacher, and mother of 2 boys, Brandy had no time to learn about websites. She’d bought a domain name, had been paying a monthly hosting fee for over 2 years and still hadn’t put together a website for her family-owned business. Her store flier, which went out quarterly, took too much time and energy to create and too much money to print and mail. And the only way clients could register for classes was to come in to the shop. It was time to call in a professional. So, of course, she called Studio Bold!

I worked with Brandy on developing a plan. We transferred her domain and subdomain to a new hosting provider and set up company email accounts.

I worked with one of my writers to develop the content she needed and created a website that provides general store information as well as a class schedule. I built the website using WordPress so that she can easily update content as needed.

REMINDER: You don’t have to be a blogger to use a CMS like WordPress!

For the design she showed me some fabric that she liked.

I used the fabric on top as my inspiration for the background and color palette.

I chose stock photos that were not only relevant, but also reflected the turquoise, brown and orange palette.

And I used the signage in their store window as inspiration for the header logo.

I added a Paypal shopping cart so that class registrations could now be done online. I also set up an e-marketing account at MailChimp where her client email addresses are all stored and she can use a branded e-mail template to send her quarterly flier, coupons and and store news.

Yay!!!!! It looks great!!! We are so excited to move into the 21st century! Thank you sooo much!! — Brandy from Sandy’s Make It Sew

I was so excited when Tiffany Romero, founder of The SITS Girls, asked me to work on a logo for her new personal site. She wanted something light and airy. She loved the look of anything vintage but still wanted the logo to be clean and professional. She had a logo for her old blog, R Family Diaries, that used turquoise and black and she thought she’d like to keep that color palette.

Tiffany sent me some images that she’d found on the web that had a similar style to what she was going for.

She decided to have me create 2 concepts for her to choose from, but because of all the love that she and the other SITS Girls have given to me, and because I was having so much fun working in this vintage style, I did 3 concepts. Here they are:

I kept it light by using thin fonts or thick fonts with highlights to represent old-style engraving, and added lots of ornamental details. She’d used a fleur de lis (in French, fleur means flower, and lis means lily) graphic in the past so I wanted to try and incorporate that as well. In addition to the client-requested color palette of turquoise and black, I decided to try a chocolate-brown and an antique-gold instead of black. These felt more in keeping with the vintage style and would prevent the logo from looking too in-your-face.

Tiffany said it was hard to choose but she liked the middle one best. I did, too!

Check out the logo on Tiffany’s new site here!

She showed me a few stock themes that she like and we discussed the aspects of them that she’d like to incorporate into her site. She liked the combination of the soft yellow and blue/grays and wanted a very subtle floral background. We decided to keep the feel of the site light and airy so that her portfolio and blog photography wouldn’t be overshadowed. The final site was built using StudioPress’s “Serenity” Theme as a base.

She just wanted a simple text logo which I also incorporated into a blog badge.

Because I hired you, even though I’m a designer so I could have done it myself, it allowed me to have the time to blog EVERY DAY. I would not have been able to build up the blog, as a newbie, without letting go of the design aspect. This freed me up to focus on planning posts and being creative with my content. The result is that I have a nice-looking blog filled with content — which has made a HUGE difference in my confidence as a blogger. — Sonya McCllough, Sonya Mac Designs

Erin contacted me to design a logo and website for her new health coaching business, Health & Wellness Innovations, as well as redesign her existing blog, The Grass Skirt. For her health coaching company, she wanted something clean and modern and was hoping to use the color yellow. I really wanted to use a similar graphic element in both logos to tie them together as a brand. The pineapple was a great solution because I could stylize the graphic to also look like a sun—representing health, warmth and happiness. Also, her blog name, The Grass Skirt, is based off of her signature smoothie recipe which uses pineapple, kale and  banana (among other things). Yep, kale. Don’t knock it til you try it. I’ve started making this green smoothie for my kids and they beg for more!

Here’s what her new health coaching site looks like. I created a background pattern based off of the pineapple in her logo. I also used an embedded font throughout the site that matches the font in her logo. Because yellow type can be tough to read on a white background, I kept the subheads over-sized and then used the aqua from blog’s color palette for smaller hotlinks.

For the blog design, I kept the same structure so that her audience could comfortably go back and forth between the two sites. I also kept the font the same as it is used in both logos. I did a lot of custom work on this design including using post excerpts with thumbnails, cute post headers, and a recipe gallery.

The biggest hurdle on this project was in moving her old blog from WordPress.com to a self-hosted site. The move involved mapping the old wordpress.com domain to the new domain,  importing all the content and notifying her audience to update their bookmarks and subscription information.

About the logos: “I love them both!!!  You did an amazing job!  I honestly cannot think of anything that I’d change.”
About the Health & Wellness Innovations site: “My first reaction when I clicked on the link was, “Wow!!!  I cannot believe this gets to be MINE!”  In other words, I love it.”
About the The Grass Skirt blog: “I DO love it!!!  It seriously looks amazing.  I love how you have a featured photo next to each post!  I am so excited to launch it to my readers! ”  —Erin Turner

]]> http://boldmom.com/2011/05/20/health-wellness-innovations-the-grass-skirt-blog/feed/ 19 http://boldmom.com/2011/05/10/facebook-landing-pages/ http://boldmom.com/2011/05/10/facebook-landing-pages/#comments Tue, 10 May 2011 15:44:42 +0000 Renée http://boldmom.com/?p=1663 I’ve been working with a lot of my clients on enhancing their social media presence.  Here are some examples of Facebook Page landing tabs I’ve designed and programmed (Note: Facebook still refers to it as a tab even though it no longer looks like one). A landing tab is an attractive way to welcome new visitors to your Facebook Fan Page and encourage them to ‘Like’ your Page so you can begin serving them content on their news feeds.

{Click to visit on Facebook}

{Click to visit on Facebook}

{Click to visit on Facebook}

{Click to visit on Facebook}

Jean’s main concerns for her blog design were that the colors and graphics on her existing blog just weren’t her style. She showed me some examples that she liked of designs that were more clean, modern and graphic. The new design is more representative of her style and the theme of her blog.

The Focal Point

The logo is clean and creative; using the four circle O’s in her blog title to form two little boys. The stacking of all the O’s make the logo seem off-balance, almost teeter-tottering—similarly to how Jean, mother of an autistic child and a toddler, says she feels on an every day basis.

It was important to Jean to continue to have photos of her two boys, Jaylen and Xavier, in her header. The problem was that the boys are quickly growing and changing and she didn’t want to have to pay me to change the pictures out every few months. I coded her header so that the two pictures on either side of the logo are actually separate image gadgets (widgets in WordPress). This way Jean can change out the photos herself as needed and it will remain looking like it’s all part of a single header image.

Simple Patterns

She wanted a geometric pattern and liked the idea of having much of the background be white or a solid color as opposed to having pattern throughout. The circle pattern I created for her only tiles horizontally across the top of the blog. This allowed me to use a more eye-catching pattern without overwhelming the viewer and distracting from the content.

Minimal Accessories

The original design had quite a few sidebar gadgets. One easy way to simplify them was to create little social media icons rather than separate gadgets for each.

I also recreated her badge using the new logo. Her old badge wasn’t a standard size, which made it difficult for some users to place it on their sites. Her new badge is a standard 125 x125 pixels.

Another thing I cleaned up was the navigation menu that was originally made of large images using a non-web font. Using the Pages gadget (similar to Menu in WordPress) I made a text-based menu that not only looks clean but also is better for SEO. And by reducing the height of the header/menu much more of her blog content is above the fold (viewable without scrolling) — which is the most valuable part of a web page.

And I couldn’t help but do a quick favicon to match!

I’m so pleased with how the Blog Mini Makeover turned out and so is Jean. She’s also written a post about her experience so go check it out — she’s so funny!

First off, I love it. Absolutely love it. So professional and clean. Exactly what I wanted. And even the favicon is adorable! The colors, sidebar width, and everything else are perfect. And the number 1 thing Renee!!! I was thinking that I loved those two pictures I just put up on my last blog post and was thinking I would ask you if we could switch them out with the other ones we had up there and you READ MY MIND! That is amazing! My jaw literally dropped when I saw that! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I LOVE it!!!! —Jean of Mommy To Two Boys

Bold Mom Rebecca Rabson of SmartSeat Chair Protectors (pb&j Discoveries, LLC) has two very energetic, adorable, and messy boys! She saw a need for “simple solutions to everyday problems that are safe, affordable and reusable” so she created a dining chair cover. It is soft-to-the-touch, yet waterproof, stain resistant, washable and toxin-free (which is always nice). I was instantly interested as my current chair cover situation was begging for improvement. I had been using one of those clear vinyl covers that ties on over the chair. But I never trusted it so I’d combine it with a dishtowel and a micro-suede chair cover. All of which were constantly coming off when Zach sat, knelt, stood, and squirmed during meals and craft time. Becky sent me a SmartSeat cover last week and I couldn’t be more pleased. Not only does it look a hundred times better than the other “protection”, but it hasn’t budged in over a week! Thank you so much for sending this, Becky!

Bold Mom Renee's dining chair before and after using the SmartSeat

Needless to say, this mom-inventor is super busy developing and promoting her products yet she still places family time as number one. I’ve asked Becky to describe her experiences in being a bold mom and business owner.

Enjoy!

Bold Mom: Rebecca of SmartSeat Chair Protectors

Mom-Inventor of the SmartSeat | Married | Mother of 2 | Newton, MA

The Big Idea

My boys are my inspiration! I came up with the idea for the SmartSeat Chair Protector when we renovated our dining room and bought our first nice dining room set. I wanted to eat meals together as a family, but didn’t want my very cute, but messy kids to ruin my new chairs. I looked but couldn’t find an attractive, waterproof protective cover. I didn’t want a sticky vinyl cover that flopped over the seat and squeaked when sat on. If you’ve got kids, then you know how much they hate sticky plastic seat covers! And, having purchased upholstery that I loved, I didn’t want a slipcover that would completely change the look of the chairs. The SmartSeat Chair Protector was my solution: a discreet, attractive, waterproof protective cover for upholstered dining room and kitchen chairs.

The Biggest Fear

I think that my biggest fear was investing our own money into the company! When we first got started, we didn’t know whether SmartSeat Chair Protectors would sell. It was very scary to put some of our savings into the company. Though we haven’t yet been able to repay ourselves, it is encouraging to see the business grow every month. I’m hopeful (and optimistic) that things will continue in this positive direction.

The Biggest Challenge

I think that the biggest challenge for any working mother is managing the balance between work and caring for family. I love being a stay-at-home mom and didn’t really intend to go back to work. It was only after friends and family started giving me positive feedback on my chair covers that my husband encouraged me to look into what it might take to have them made for sale. I’m pleased to say that, for the most part, I’m able to work while the boys are in school and then give them my full attention when they come home from school. I feel very lucky to have a flexible job and recognize what a blessing it is to be my own boss and work from home. But I also think it helps that I try to stay positive. There are definitely days when I feel like I haven’t been there fully for my kids, or that some thing for work fell through the cracks—and those days are real downers. But if you dwell on the rough days, you can’t move forward or enjoy the days when you feel like a rock star! I think that it is really important to be grateful and enjoy whatever is good in your life, particularly the little things.

The Biggest Joy

I love hearing positive feedback from customers! The best part of my day is definitely exchanging emails or calls with people who have used my product. It is so great to hear when someone has used our product in an unexpected or unusual way.

Recent Boldness

Recently, we started to increase production and began looking for other places to sell the SmartSeat Chair Protector. I’m proud to say that the SmartSeat Chair Protector is now being sold on BabyAge.com, and on several mom-owned boutique websites, including Berry Best Moms, The Busy Mom Boutique, and The InnoShop.

Thanks, Becky! If you haven’t checked out Becky’s website yet, please do. Make sure to watch the video of this ingenious mama demonstrating her product. She also has a blog that chronicles her successes, features SmartSeat reviews, and shares interesting articles about parenting. I can tell you from experience that this product is dynamite and I’m excited that it’s another example of a Mom that dared to be bold—and is benefiting from the results!

Please share your thoughts by posting a comment.

Bold Mom Kim Roberts of Pretty Keepsakes gets to escape into a world of fairies, princesses and all things girly—and get’s paid for it! She started out crafting keepsakes (too good to be called “favors”) for her daughter’s parties and the hobby turned *poof* into a career! Her creations are sought out by birthday-planning mommies, brides who want something special for their flower girls, and any gift-giver who has a girly-girl to please. Cue the sparkles! I’ve asked Kim to describe her experiences in being a bold mom and business owner.

Enjoy!

Bold Mom: Kim of Pretty Keepsakes

Party Keepsakes Maker | Married | Mother of  2 | Anthem, AZ

The Big Idea

I’ll give you a little background on myself which will eventually lead to how the idea for my business began. I have to admit that I go overboard with my kids’ birthday parties. I don’t mean overboard on expense, I mean overboard on the little things that I know will mean so much to my kids-the special little things that only a Mom would know about her child. Coming up with the ideas that are specific to what my son or daughter is really into at the time of their birthday gives me great joy.  I feel that it shows them how well I know that and how special I think that they are.

Last year, my daughter Ava turned 4. She just loves pink, flowers, princesses and glitter just like most 4 year old girls do. I absolutely love this age group and I wanted to take advantage of it because it’s such a magical and fairytale-like time. We had the party outdoors and I wanted it to have the fairytale feel with tulle draped over the chairs and tables, flowers on the table tops, lots of ribbon, glitter and so forth. I wanted party favors to go along with this vision. I didn’t want the standard party favor junk. I wanted something that was pretty and that was great quality so that it would essentially thank them for joining us at her party,  become a keepsake from the party, and I also wanted something that the girls would really love to play with over a long period of time. All of the girls were coming dressed up as their favorite princess, so it only seemed fitting to have magical wands. I wanted a pretty wand with flowers and tulle and ribbon, so I made the first flower wand!

I ended up placing the wands across the girls’ place settings and they were exactly what I was looking for! They completed the theme of the party, they were an added decoration and the girls were playing with them well before we ever sat down to eat! The girls are still using the wands to play dress-up, for Halloween and as décor in their rooms. I love it!

The Biggest Fear

I consider myself to be pretty lucky in the fear department. I am one of those people who likes to jump right in and deal with the problems if they actually arise. This type of attitude tends to drive a lot of people crazy, but I just think that if I can prevent something “bad” from occurring, I will try to prevent it. If I can’t do anything about something but worry about it, it’s a waste of my time and I just block it out of my mind. Consequently, I haven’t had any real fear so far.

The Biggest Challenge

The beauty of this job in regard to balancing work and family is that I find it easy to involve my kids in my work.  My kids love to help me pick out new flowers, sort the flowers, pick the flowers off of their stems and they offer me invaluable feedback on my newest designs/ideas! They are my target audience! A mom can read her children’s reactions like they were printed in big print in front of you! Two nights ago, I started to play around with making halos.  I left the unfinished one out and when my daughter woke me up the next morning with it on her head, I knew that she loved it!

The hours are also really flexible with this job, as well. My favorite time to make my items is when my kids are working on something next to me, but I can also work while my children are at school, while they are in bed, and so forth.

The Biggest Joy

The biggest joy that I find from my company is that instead of tearing me away from my family, it actually keeps us closer. There really isn’t anything better than that, is there? I also really love being a part of someone else’s special day. To be a part of someone’s wedding or special party means a lot to me. It’s a great compliment and I am thrilled to offer people something that I couldn’t find elsewhere.

Recent Boldness

I was an assistant teacher and I recently relinquished myself from that commitment—I quit. Although I loved working with kids, it was not leaving enough time for me to be the Mom that I want to be or to run my company the way I want to. Once I had a more flexible schedule, I focused on planning activities for my family, volunteering in my kids’ classes, catching up around the house and I am going to build my product line and work on advertising for my company.

Thanks, Kim! If you haven’t checked out Kim’s Etsy shop yet, please do. She has bouquets, wands, hair accessories and even wand and ring-bearer pillow sets that are so, well, pretty!

Please share your thoughts by posting a comment.

To request a questionnaire so you can be considered for a future Bold Moms (& Dads) article, please contact me!

View previous Bold Moms (& Dads) articles.

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This upcycled record album design by Brinda Kay Designs uses the front cover of an album and the actual record and mounts them to a heavy mat board. The graphic portions are coated with clear acrylic resin. The case is handcrafted from real patent leather and lined with fleece. The hardware is all nickel. There’s even a tab on the side to hold your stylus. Check out her Etsy shop NOW for her pre-launch sale pricing! Also visit her main site www.vindicatedvinyl.com for more options and made-to-order items.

Here are some other unique designs:

The iPad Skins from street artist turned decal designer Frank Rizzo, of Decal World, are beautiful and practically indestructible! AND they’re running a 15% off iPad Skins tomorrow only to coincide with the iPad announcement!

These iPad cases from Finders & Keepers are a true example of upcycling creativity! Doesn’t the GAP one just crack you up? Plus I doubt you’d have to worry about your iPad being stolen if you (or, ahem, your spouse) left this on the front seat of your car!

Even my 22 month old can easily use and understand touch screens. Wouldn’t these animal iPad covers from Canadian shop BoutiqueID really make YOUR techno-savvy kids giggle?

For more bold iPad case designs visit these other blogs:

Web Urbanist — Cover Up! 15 Ingenious iPad Case Designs

She Posts — Tech Style: Twenty-four iPad Cases to Match Your Personality

Apartment Therapy Unplggd — 10 Great iPad Cases

Is your blog in a mid-life crisis? Does it stand out from the rest—but not in a good way? Is your blog’s look overshadowing your writing? Then Studio Bold’s Blog Mini-Makeover is just the thing you need to help refine your blog design so you can grow your readership and achieve your blogging goals.

This package is normally valued at $350, but as my gift to you today (OR because of my commitment to beautifying the web OR because of my love for the SITS Community), I am giving away a Blog Mini-Makeover!

Here is what the package includes:*
• Logo
• Blog header
• 125×125 pixel badge (Perfect for your SITS Featured Blogger Day!)
• 4 social medial icons, such as Facebook, Twitter, RSS, and e-mail

To qualify to win a Mini-Makeover for your blog (a $350 value), check out my portfolio and then tell me something you saw that you’d love to have on your site. A button? A color scheme? Let me know in the comments!

For Additional Entries (separate comments, please):
• Comment on my post on SITS to learn How Not to Design when making changes to your blog.
• Follow @StudioBold on Twitter.
• Like Studio Bold Graphic Design on Facebook.
• Tweet the following message: Have you seen the design portfolio for @StudioBold? Swoon! I want to be a best dressed blog too! http://bit.ly/gtcbEY

It gets better! If you pay a deposit on a design from Studio Bold between today and March 3, 2011 you can take 15% off your order just by leaving a comment below.

Fine Print:
If the winner has purchased a design from Studio Bold within the last 7 days, the cost of the makeover will be deducted from her invoice. Not eligible for work previously completed by Studio Bold. Contest ends February 17, 2011 at 11:59 PST. Winner will be drawn with random.org and notified via email. Winner must respond to email within 24 hours to claim prize.

* One draft will be presented for each item in the Blog Mini-Makeover. Additional concepts can be purchased if you would like more options to choose from.

Congratulations to Jean of Mommy to Two Boys for being the winner! Stay tuned for the big reveal!