moved to www.bellafaithdesign.com/blog
Well, it has been driving me bonkers that due to the way blogger is set up, the html doesn't validate. I thought as a web designer that provides valid html & css, it would be contradictory for my blog to not be valid. So, I've moved to a Wordpress blog (self-hosted at my domain) that does validate. You can join me at www.bellafaithdesign.com/blog - see you there!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
seeing my designs in public
Recently, I redesigned the logo for KC Parent & KC Baby Magazine. Family Media Group launched the logo on the KC Parent Magazine with the September issue last month. They had sent me a mock-up of the magazine cover with the new logo prior to the release date, but seeing it in person had a whole different dimension to it. A couple weeks ago, I went to urgent care. In the waiting room, I saw the magazine. Just sitting in the magazine sorters like all the other magazines. I wanted to jump for joy, yell my excitement, tell the world that I designed that logo, but I restrained myself. Sitting there in the waiting room, I felt like a secret celebrity {albeit, I was the only person in the waiting room}. Thankfully, the short visit with the doctor was enough time to humble myself. But I still excitedly showed the magazine to my husband {and my mom a couple days later}. Now the October issue of KC Parent is out, but I haven't yet had a chance to grab a copy of it.
Yesterday, I was out doing some shopping at Babies R Us & there was the KC Baby Magazine with the new logo! It's just so cool to see your designs in public! I grabbed a copy of it to flip through at home. The Art Director for KC Parent & KC Baby Magazine, who designed the covers of the magazines with the new logo, has also worked with the Editor to redesign the interior layout. And it keeps getting better with each issue!
September Issue of KC Parent Magazine
October Issue of KC Parent Magazine
Yesterday, I was out doing some shopping at Babies R Us & there was the KC Baby Magazine with the new logo! It's just so cool to see your designs in public! I grabbed a copy of it to flip through at home. The Art Director for KC Parent & KC Baby Magazine, who designed the covers of the magazines with the new logo, has also worked with the Editor to redesign the interior layout. And it keeps getting better with each issue!
KC Baby Magazine - doesn't that look great?
Friday, October 2, 2009
project :: kcparent.com redesign
One really fun project I worked on lately was the redesign of kcparent.com
Family Media Group, publishers for Kansas City's parenting magazines (KC Parent & KC Baby), needed a redesign to their KC Parent website. They wanted to freshen up the site, make it more modern & bright. They already had a programmer in place, but they were looking for a designer to combine all their ideas into the "look" for the site. That's where I come in, but let me show you what their site looked like before I stepped into the picture:
When I stepped into the picture, they originally wanted to keep their logo. However, once I presented them with the first mock-ups of the new layout, they decided they wanted a new logo too. They wanted their logo to be modernized, with a sans-serif font & mainly font-based. Family Media Group already had a "set in stone" launch date for the site, but we were able to stay on time by finalizing the logo within one week. Wanna see the old logo & the new one?
Once I had the logo finalized, I was able to finish working on the website. Family Media Group wanted a featured article slide show on the homepage, another area that highlighted the current magazine issues and info pertinent to the particular season and upcoming holidays (with a carousel-like function) and a featured event area with a hover function providing more event details. I then sent my validated code of XHTML, CSS, & JavaScript to their programmer who integrated my design into Family Media Group's CMS (Content Management System).
Another area I designed for kcparent.com was the KC Mom Blogs. Family Media Group wanted a blog that was a part of their site, yet had a different look to it {while still keeping with the modern theme}. The KC Mom Blogs is a "mega-blog" of several bloggers (& not just moms) that cover various parenting topics.
So now you know a little bit about what I've been up to.
Family Media Group, publishers for Kansas City's parenting magazines (KC Parent & KC Baby), needed a redesign to their KC Parent website. They wanted to freshen up the site, make it more modern & bright. They already had a programmer in place, but they were looking for a designer to combine all their ideas into the "look" for the site. That's where I come in, but let me show you what their site looked like before I stepped into the picture:
kcparent.com before redesign
When I stepped into the picture, they originally wanted to keep their logo. However, once I presented them with the first mock-ups of the new layout, they decided they wanted a new logo too. They wanted their logo to be modernized, with a sans-serif font & mainly font-based. Family Media Group already had a "set in stone" launch date for the site, but we were able to stay on time by finalizing the logo within one week. Wanna see the old logo & the new one?
before
after
did the kcbaby logo too
Once I had the logo finalized, I was able to finish working on the website. Family Media Group wanted a featured article slide show on the homepage, another area that highlighted the current magazine issues and info pertinent to the particular season and upcoming holidays (with a carousel-like function) and a featured event area with a hover function providing more event details. I then sent my validated code of XHTML, CSS, & JavaScript to their programmer who integrated my design into Family Media Group's CMS (Content Management System).
kcparent.com redesigned
Another area I designed for kcparent.com was the KC Mom Blogs. Family Media Group wanted a blog that was a part of their site, yet had a different look to it {while still keeping with the modern theme}. The KC Mom Blogs is a "mega-blog" of several bloggers (& not just moms) that cover various parenting topics.
KC Mom Blogs Icon
KC Mom Blogs Design
So now you know a little bit about what I've been up to.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
bellafaith design on cssbased.com
i noticed earlier today that bellafaith design was getting some referral traffic from cssbased.com. so i decided to go to cssbased.com & see where people were linking from. the front page pulled up & there we were!!
for those of you who don't know what cssbased.com is, here's a quote from their site:
screen shot of bellafaith design on cssbased.com
for those of you who don't know what cssbased.com is, here's a quote from their site:
"CSS Based is a project providing web designers a gallery of well designed CSS-based websites from all around the world"
i am always going to cssbased.com for design inspiration, so i am very excited that our redesign is in their showcase!
Friday, September 25, 2009
bellafaith has come a long way
i've been super busy the past few months, but i finally had time in between projects to finish bellafaith's redesign! originally, i chose bright colors for summer, intending to change the colors to correspond with the seasons. however, now it is technically fall and i've only just launched the bright colors! maybe i'll switch the colors out in a month or so... if i can wait that long! i love fall colors {the golds, browns, oranges, deep reds, etc}!! but i'm also a big fan of that purple....
you can probably see now why the redesign was in development for so long. as a designer, i am always getting new creative ideas and i am my own worst client. for my clients, i will sketch out a design {on paper} and then lay it out visually in photoshop. after any changes are made and the client approves the design, then i'll actually code the website. i tend to skip a lot of that when i design for myself and just "wing it". not recommended {as Francisco Inchauste points out. maybe i'll actually follow the rules with my next redesign {it sure would make things a lot easier}.
so, before i unveil the new site, let's start at the beginning. i launched bellafaith design about 13 months ago with this design:
then, i decided to play with flash a little bit. i added a landing page where the visitor could select whether they wanted to view the html {version above} or this flash design:
well, i got annoyed with the landing page {as most visitors do - who wants that extra step?}, so i started looking to redesign. i really liked the idea behind the horizontal way, so i created a simple site using javascript to scroll the site horizontally:
and then, i decided i wanted some more color & fun to bellafaith's site. plus, i wanted to use cufon, so i redesigned. it took a few months to work on the site, but here it is now:
i was so excited when i launched the site last night, and that excitement has grown as i've already seen a triple increase in traffic to www.bellafaithdesign.com! so now that the site is finally up, maybe i'll actually have time to update you on all the projects i've been working on lately!
you can probably see now why the redesign was in development for so long. as a designer, i am always getting new creative ideas and i am my own worst client. for my clients, i will sketch out a design {on paper} and then lay it out visually in photoshop. after any changes are made and the client approves the design, then i'll actually code the website. i tend to skip a lot of that when i design for myself and just "wing it". not recommended {as Francisco Inchauste points out. maybe i'll actually follow the rules with my next redesign {it sure would make things a lot easier}.
so, before i unveil the new site, let's start at the beginning. i launched bellafaith design about 13 months ago with this design:
my first website
then, i decided to play with flash a little bit. i added a landing page where the visitor could select whether they wanted to view the html {version above} or this flash design:
my flash website
well, i got annoyed with the landing page {as most visitors do - who wants that extra step?}, so i started looking to redesign. i really liked the idea behind the horizontal way, so i created a simple site using javascript to scroll the site horizontally:
my first real redesign
and then, i decided i wanted some more color & fun to bellafaith's site. plus, i wanted to use cufon, so i redesigned. it took a few months to work on the site, but here it is now:
ta-da! it's bright & fun!
i was so excited when i launched the site last night, and that excitement has grown as i've already seen a triple increase in traffic to www.bellafaithdesign.com! so now that the site is finally up, maybe i'll actually have time to update you on all the projects i've been working on lately!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
finally, a real entry!
I originally used this blog to test blogger designs, without the intent on ever writing anything. This blog has been "up" for almost a year with just a "test blog entry" & I figured it was finally time to write something real. However, I've been trying to come up with how I should officially start this blog. I have now come to the conclusion that I should just start with some background info on myself.
I've always had a passion for design. Growing up, I wanted to be a Fashion Designer. I held my own fashion shows and loved everything about clothes. During high school, my design focus changed and I wanted to become an Architect. I went to Kansas State University for Architecture, for a semester. After spending so much time in studio that first semester, I was bored of drawing lines & wanted something else. I changed my major to Advertising and with that lost my out-of-state tuition waiver (something K-State does for those majoring in Architecture & live in Missouri), so I transferred to the University of Missouri.
I was at MU for a full year (even took summer classes) and actually worked for an Architect (one of my two jobs, the other was at Abercrombie & Fitch, so both design related, right?). After my Fall semester at MU, I transferred to the college in my hometown (a mixture of things led to my transfer). So, I started design classes with my other Advertising curriculum at Northwest Missouri State University & I was immediately in love with graphic design.
I took classes for 2 semesters and due to other things going on in my life, moved to Kansas City without finishing. I worked in a jewelry store and then took a career in the financial industry (yes, design took a backseat at that time). My husband & I were married a few months later and eleven months after that were blessed with our first daughter. I stayed home with her and a year later, we were blessed with our second daughter. Sixteen months later, we have been blessed with our third child, this time a little boy.
A few months after our second daughter was born, I was ready to unleash my creative passion. I started my own graphic & web design business. I had purchased some books before she was born & didn't get around to reading them until after she was here. From reading the books and various online resources, I taught myself web design with valid html, xhtml & css. I learned how to hand code, since I couldn't afford the software needed at that time. The only software I used was Adobe Photoshop Elements & Notepad. Once I could afford it, I invested in an Adobe Creative Suite 4 package. I have also learned some php and javascript. I want to become even more knowledgeable about these and learn how to use and apply Flash.
I named my business after my 2 daughters (this was before I knew we were pregnant with #3) & my Christian faith. I have other business venture ideas (all relative to design) & hope to launch them soon. I plan to use this blog to experiment with designs, showcase current projects, and also share resources with other fellow designers (or wannabe designers). So there you go, more info about me than you needed (or wanted) to know.
I've always had a passion for design. Growing up, I wanted to be a Fashion Designer. I held my own fashion shows and loved everything about clothes. During high school, my design focus changed and I wanted to become an Architect. I went to Kansas State University for Architecture, for a semester. After spending so much time in studio that first semester, I was bored of drawing lines & wanted something else. I changed my major to Advertising and with that lost my out-of-state tuition waiver (something K-State does for those majoring in Architecture & live in Missouri), so I transferred to the University of Missouri.
I was at MU for a full year (even took summer classes) and actually worked for an Architect (one of my two jobs, the other was at Abercrombie & Fitch, so both design related, right?). After my Fall semester at MU, I transferred to the college in my hometown (a mixture of things led to my transfer). So, I started design classes with my other Advertising curriculum at Northwest Missouri State University & I was immediately in love with graphic design.
I took classes for 2 semesters and due to other things going on in my life, moved to Kansas City without finishing. I worked in a jewelry store and then took a career in the financial industry (yes, design took a backseat at that time). My husband & I were married a few months later and eleven months after that were blessed with our first daughter. I stayed home with her and a year later, we were blessed with our second daughter. Sixteen months later, we have been blessed with our third child, this time a little boy.
A few months after our second daughter was born, I was ready to unleash my creative passion. I started my own graphic & web design business. I had purchased some books before she was born & didn't get around to reading them until after she was here. From reading the books and various online resources, I taught myself web design with valid html, xhtml & css. I learned how to hand code, since I couldn't afford the software needed at that time. The only software I used was Adobe Photoshop Elements & Notepad. Once I could afford it, I invested in an Adobe Creative Suite 4 package. I have also learned some php and javascript. I want to become even more knowledgeable about these and learn how to use and apply Flash.
My first website
I named my business after my 2 daughters (this was before I knew we were pregnant with #3) & my Christian faith. I have other business venture ideas (all relative to design) & hope to launch them soon. I plan to use this blog to experiment with designs, showcase current projects, and also share resources with other fellow designers (or wannabe designers). So there you go, more info about me than you needed (or wanted) to know.
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