I have been working with this client for some time now, first for a logo redesign, then later on a business card design, label design and lastly on a brand new website using WordPress as the CMS (content management system).

The blog design journey has been fraught with interesting and fun challenges, and the site has had many incarnations,  fascinating exercise, as a designer to leave personal taste out of the equation. After all, if we always insisted on forcing our clients around to our way of thinking, all our work would begin to look the same, and the client would probably  not be as satisfied as they tend to be, when they have been an integral part of the design process, and had a hand in most of the decisions. As a designer, I find that the best role for me is to advise, suggest, provide samples, and then leave the final decision up to the client.

Here is a series of images, showing how this particular blog design developed.

What you will notice is the abrupt departure from the original design about three quarters of the way through. My theory is that when you feel like you’ve been looking at the same design for too long, and made too many changes and tweaks sometimes it helps to throw a brand new design into the mix, keeping those original elements that the client liked initially. What you end up with is a cleaner, less fiddly design, that works all around, and that the client is happy with!

The content is still being loaded, but if you want to stop by and check out some of the best looking cupcakes I have ever seen, then check out Yummy Mummy Cupcakes!

So why do you need a custom blog design?

Firstly, if you have no idea what a blog is, you need to go and read this. It’s a wikipedia article that explains the concept.

So blogs have been mainstream media for sometime now, and I myself have been blogging since 2004 on various platforms. Many people start out on one of the free services, of which there are many out there, e.g. Blogger, WordPress, Vox etc

Ultimately, blogging has joined the ranks of professions out there either as a full time pursuit, or as something which supplements, or complements an existing business or job position.

It has become commonplace, and even expected that professional blogs make use of their own domain name and WordPress (the open source publishing platform, not the free service) has become the go to content management system of choice. One of the reasons being, it is so easy to use, and has a myriad of personalisation options.

Now, while there are a multitude of free themes available for users of WordPress (installed on their own domains), and yes one can really whittle away hours and hours searching for the perfect one, according to ones mood, the absolute best solution for all those people who take their blogging seriously, is a custom designed theme, made for them from scratch.

So, why?

1.  Branding

Branding is so much more than just a logo, and a set of colours that one sticks to. Branding encompasses the realm of the complete look and feel. Branding is defined by colours, and use of texture, and the feeling that it gives the user when they navigate its interface. When you see a website that you like, what does it feel like? Is it metal and modern? Cold and blue steel? Hot and shiny reds and lavas? How about warm rich velvets and plums? All of these elements bring about a sense of branding, and putting your own personal stamp on your blog is essential if you want to stand out from the rest.

2.  Authority

If one takes the time and money to invest in a proper blog design, it shows readers that you are serious about what you do, intend to build a sense of community and intend sticking to your blog for the long haul. It is unlikely that someone invests in a custom blog design, and then simply allows the blog to languish without quality content keeping it alive and visited regularly.

3.  Authenticity

When your blog looks good, you feel good engaging with it, both as the writer, and as the reader. As the writer it also makes you up your game in terms of sounding good and providing your readers with a solid experience, whether that be based solely on your writing, or in the way you choose to present your photographs, their borders, the gallery etc.

4.  Functionality

A good blog design should allow for a greater functionality than just a mainstream template, and a good designer will incorporate the appearance of elements that they anticipate will become part of the blog (i.e. a sidebar widget/gallery/button etc), it’s a little like gazing into a crystal ball, but a quick look around the professional members of the blogosphere should help you out with deciding what to prepare for, in the incorporation of the latest widgets and functions.

5.  Traffic

If your blog looks good, it stands a much better chance of being re-visited, and recommended/retweeted by readers. If your design is outstanding, it may even be featured on several sites that promote good design, drawing additional readers and commenters, and ultimately traffic to your site. In blog world traffic = money, either through the sale of your own services or products or through the additional revenue that advertisers will provide owing to increased readership.

I will be show casing a custom blog design that I recently did for an Athletic Club in Rochester, New York, USA tomorrow, so please feel free to stop by and comment on the design.

As for this blog itself, a brand new design is currently in development, but I’m really pleased to be able to say that it is taking me forever to get to my own designs, since I have great projects underway, for wonderful clients.

Updated to add:

Here is the finished blog over at Meet Me at Midtown. It is beautifully written by professional writer, and corporate blogger Kristi Gaylord, who is also a member of the club, who has three kids under the age of 4 and is training for her first half marathon!

If you are interested in having your own domain name, web hosting, blog or website for personal use or business, then please contact me for a quotation.

One of the first questions, that graphic designers usually ask of themselves when embarking on a business card design, is whether or not to orientate their design as landscape (horizontally) or portrait (vertically).

Some designers tend to prefer one way or the other, all the time.

On occasion, the decision is easily made, given the dimensions and shape of the clients logo, or simply the clients natural preference.

But I say, ask not what your business card design can do for you, but rather what you can do for your business card design, and if the design calls for it, the client wants it, and it works, then why not both?

Both? But surely, having landscape on one side and portrait on the other flies in the face of every last design principle you ever had drummed into you at art school?

My favourite design principle that was drummed into me, was, “Never forget to constantly push the boundaries, and completely ignore all the rules if you have to.”

So, if you are making use of the awesome double sided cards from Moo, then this is the perfect time to use such a design.

Here below is the design that I created for new brand, Yummy Mummy, The Cupcake Foundry, which uses alternating designs on either side. As you will see below, the detail side of the card, makes use of a portrait design, and the image side is a landscape layout.

If you consider, that no one is physically able to look at both sides of a business card at the same time (unless they have two – and why would they?) then this makes this set up perfectly plausible.

What do you think of the concept, and of the design?

If you want to order your own designs from Moo – then please visit their website by clicking the square banner below.

Thank you for reading!

I love doing logo design.

Particularly when one has such delicious subject matter to deal with!

David Airey is a graphic designer whose work I really admire, and he is well respected throughout the industry.

He set out 5 principles for good logo design in a recent blog post:

1. It’s describable
2. It’s memorable
3. It’s effective without colour
4. It’s scalable (works whether it’s large or small)
5. It’s relevant to the industry in question

You can read the rest of his post here.

I agree with all of the above points, but in the practice of designing a logo, sometimes it’s difficult to bring these points across when you have a client who has just started their very first business, and has an idea of what they want their logo to look like, and that ‘look’ has all sorts of gradients and drop shadows in it.

However, having said that, even though as a designer we may know what is best (or think we do!) ultimately, my goal is to make sure I have a happy client who is going to recommend my services to everyone they meet.

This is why it’s important to present at least three concepts to a client. I usually present 2 which go along with the principles of good design, and then a third, which is exactly what the client asks for.

More often than not, the finished design will be somewhere toward my side of the scale, but still in a place that the client is delighted with.

Ultimately, it’s great to be able to bring a client around to your way of thinking. But if they leave your studio with a design with which they are going to sing your praises, and they have paid your bill in full, then consider it a job well done.

Here is a recent logo that I am still working on for a client.

The text still needs quite a bit of work, and right now the client has a preference for the last one in the series which I am glad about, as it will work beautifully in grayscale, and the entire concept has yet to be finalised, but so far so good!

Incidentally the background for this preview was thrown together quickly to best show off the logo designs with corresponding colours, and the client likes it so much that I’m going to incorporate it into the final website design as well.

Business cards are an essential piece of business stationery for the following reasons:

• They eliminate the need to find a handy piece of paper, and an obliging pen to jot down your contact details for whomever you’re talking to
• They also eliminate the need to fumble with your phone, and accidentally save the incorrect information if you are in a rush
• They carry more than just your contact details, and can also provide a description of your services, allowing potential clients to see how they can utilize your services in future
• Having a great business card, allows your clients to ‘read between the lines’ (not literally), because if you have a really great business card, designed by a professional graphic designer, using a good quality stock with the appropriate finishes, it leaves the best possible first impression with someone each time that they look at it.
• Remember, business cards are not just for the professional business person, but also a handy way for moms to exchange information at school to easily organise playdates!

This is a test post. Using a design for an ‘image side’ to a Moo.com card.