Disclaimer: I am not a programmer. I know just enough about coding to get things to work, but not enough to make it pretty or even usually be able to explain it to someone else. However, I thought this might be helpful.
I am my own worst client. I’m an indecisive, know-it-all procrastinator. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the choices when you have no one to please but yourself. So designing, or in this case redesigning, a website is an arduous process. (more…)
When I was a kid, I had a theory that you could make more money by selling pencils for $.75 apiece than for $1.00, because more people would be attracted to the lower price and you’d sell more pencils.
I got to Mad Men late—missed the first season completely. AMC is one of my not my usual Sunday-night-channel-surfing stops. But after the Emmy’s, you couldn’t spit without hitting a blog post about the great period advertising drama.
At first I was unimpressed. Maybe because there was so much hype; but also, all the characters just seemed so stereotyped. Sexist men who cheated on their wives with anything that breathed. Flighty secretaries who seem perfectly happy to file their nails and nail their bosses. Everyone drinking and chain smoking because life is just so hard.
But it seemed like everybody loved this damn show. (Although I searched diligently for a review by a female, and came up empty.) So I kept watching. And after 12 of 13 episodes this season, I’m not so frustrated by the sexism as I am plain bored. (more…)
the client: First Baptist Church, Landrum, SC
the challenge: FBC wanted a new site design that reflected their existing congregation, while inviting new members. The new site needed to make information about their activities easily accessible to all ages.
the solution: Texture and warm oranges make inviting graphics, and the sidebar prominently features important links. The pages have been restructured based on the church’s discipleship plan, which will be intuitive to church members.
the client: Red Rain
the challenge: The new owner of Red Rain wanted a set of business cards that conveyed the hand-made, earthy feel of the establishment, while incorporating Art Deco elements. She also needed the card to serve not only to publicize the store, but her own endeavors as well.
the solution: A two-sided card that displays the store info on the front, and the owner’s personal talents on the back. The woodcut feel of the Red Rain logo, combined with the deco-style font suited the client perfectly. The cards were printed at twice the height of a normal business card so they don’t blend in with the crowd, but can easily be folded in half to fit in a wallet or pocket. Recycled, FCS certified paper was used.
the client: Hospice of the Valley
the challenge: A local hospice needed a trade show booth that showed it’s history and experience with care and compassion.
the solution: High quality photography and very little copy give that warm feel.
the client: Parkway Medical Center
the challenge: Parkway needed to remind residents that quality heart care was at their fingertips.
the solution: Sometimes a straightforward approach works best - heart-warming photos and bold headlines convey Parkway’s concern for the community.
the client: Monaco Pictures
the challenge: The Scene restaurant located in Monaco pictures needed to attract the lunch crowd, as well as evening movie-goers.
the solution: A series of ads that use a vintage look and clever copy combined with sumptuous food photos to make Scene stick out as a dining destination in its own right.
the client: Monaco Pictures
the challenge: Monaco needed a visual and conceptual identity that could be used to in the local paper to advertise the theater, restaurant, and lounge.
the solution: Classic movie quotes are updated with clever endings. The black and white film panels coupled with rich colors convey both elegance and luxury.
the client: The Bridge UMC
the challenge: An advertising campaign for a church geared towards young families, particularly men, to be placed prominently in a local mall. These flyers were to be placed alongside large backlit Duratrans displays for viewers to take home.
the solution: 4″x6″ postcard sized flyers encourage visiting The Bridge’s website.
the client: The Bridge UMC
the challenge: An advertising campaign for a church geared towards young families, particularly men, to be placed prominently in a local mall.
the solution: Photos that touch the heart convey the message of inclusion and togetherness on the two backlit Duratrans displays.
the client: Morgan-Lawrence County Red Cross
the challenge: The local Red Cross needed an updated look as well as quality information design for it’s quarterly newsletter.
the solution: A neutral brown makes the red pop, and clean typography allows each piece of information to be clearly read and understood.
the client: Catholic High School
the challenge: Raising $15 million is never an easy task, but that’s exactly what Catholic High School needed to do to build a new facility to accommodate their growing enrollment.
the solution: An 8.5” x 11” brochure with a tri-fold center spread that displayed the architectural renderings of the proposed building project. The school’s existing brand was updated with subdued colors and clean typography. A full day photo shoot at the existing school facility provided images of students that helps the reader connect on an emotional level to the project.
the client: Huntsville Hospital
the challenge: As Huntsville’s oldest and only not-for-profit hospital, Huntsville Hospital needed to remind citizens of who they are and what makes them unique and an integral part of the community. Within their brand message, they also wanted room to highlight individual departments.
the solution: Copy that ties the past to the present and resonates with young and old in the community. Images from historical archives combined with images from a photo shoot onsite reinforce the then-and-now theme.
the client: Huntsville Hospital
the challenge: As Huntsville’s oldest and only not-for-profit hospital, Huntsville Hospital needed to remind citizens of who they are and what makes them unique and an integral part of the community. Within their brand message, they also wanted room to highlight individual departments.
the solution: “111 years of service. 84 new ways to show we still care.” A newspaper campaign that emphasized how long Huntsville Hospital has been caring for their community. Copy that ties the past to the present and resonated with young and old in the community. Images from historical archives combined with images from a photo shoot onsite reinforce the then-and-now theme.
the client: CityHarvest
the challenge: A nonprofit food rescue organization needed to get the word out about the hunger problem and what they are doing to address it.
the solution: A type-based solution printed on recycled stock shows the unbalanced distribution of food. Copy about CityHarvest explains how they are trying to solve the problem.
the client: Relish Magazine
the challenge: A new music, art and culture publication needed a cover design that was modern and hip.
the solution: The bold masthead and black and white palette allows cover photography to jump off the page.
the client: Silent Vibe
the challenge: A unique organization needed a brochure that would stand out from the crowd.
the solution: The clean, crisp look separates this piece from the clutter. Lots of white space combine with subtle typography and a strong graphic sensibility.
the client: TAC Enterprises
the challenge: TAC wanted to harness the web to display their inventory and product details; particularly Kioti, their biggest seller.
the solution: The bright orange combined with clean layouts and whitespace perfectly display TAC’s product lines.
the client: City of Cullman Planning Department
the challenge: The Planning Department needed a cleaner website design that was easier to navigate, and showed off their upcoming development plans for the city.
the solution: Since the city is focused on building to the future with an eye towards the past, retro-style graphics with bold colors seemed fitting.
the client: Vision Wheel
the challenge: This site needed to be more funky and graphics-heavy to cater to the auto-accessories crowd.
the solution: Details like texture and color bring this site to life from its previous black and silver existence, while allowing for all the necessary information on the interior pages.
the client: Morgan-Lawrence County Red Cross
the challenge: A site that would follow the style of the national Red Cross website, but perform the specific functions required by the local chapter.
the solution: A website with the same look and feel as redcross.org, but a much cleaner layout with only two columns. The site also addresses the chapter’s e-commerce and communication needs.
the client: The Bridge UMC
the challenge: A website for a new church congregation focused on reaching out to the unchurched.
the solution: A two-fold site with specific information for visitors and regulars. A splash page allows visitors to find directions, service times, etc., while regular attenders can view sermons and upcoming events at a glance.
the client: Maven Concepts
the challenge: Maven Concepts was looking for bright, fun graphics and a functional layout for an online photo retouching service. The site needed to be small, but still contain a lot of verbiage.
the solution: Bright blue and green offset by dark grey set the tone; clearly defined sections allow the user to comfortably take in all of the information on the home page. Only three other pages for paying and confirmation were needed to complete the project.
the client: Maven Concepts
the challenge: Astwood Dickinson, an upscale department store in Bermuda, needed a facelift for their existing site to make it cleaner and more organized.
the solution: The modular format and bright colors allow for a dynamic site that reflects the exuberance of the islands.
the client: Maven Concepts
the challenge: A high-end, upscale design was needed for a new online magazine.
the solution: The clean, simple design allows the magazine to shine.
the client: Father Nature Landscapes
the challenge: Andrew McCurry needed to educate potential clients about his landscaping business without spending hours on portfolio presentations.
the solution: A site that walks clients through Father Nature’s capabilities and displays finished projects for inspiration, and copywriting that reflects the down-to-earth, friendly personality of Father Nature’s staff.
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the client: EnviraKleen
the challenge: Designing a logo for a new company specializing in environmental waterproofing and airtight crawlspaces.
the solution: A globe made out of either soap bubbles or mold spores, depending on how you look at it.
the client: FaithQuest UMC
the challenge: Making disciples is the goal of a new United Methodist congregation; they needed a mark that conveyed their mission.
the solution: A simple, clean circle surrounds a path representing the Christian journey. The hills represent the geographical area in which the church is located. The reversed out cross is the focus of the mark.
the client: Kenny Mango’s Coffee Shop
the challenge: Kenny needed an identity that took his current tropical theme upscale.
the solution: An island color palette combined with rustic texture convey the shop’s tagline: “Relax Under the Palms.”
the client: Kenny Mango’s Coffee Shop
the challenge: Kenny needed an identity that took his current tropical theme upscale.
the solution: An ornate logo that conveys a relaxed island atmosphere, and coffee labels that integrate the tagline “Relax Under the Palms.”
the client: The Bridge United Methodist Church
the challenge: With no congregation and no building, Rev. John Hill needed a strong logo for his new church plant. His vision was a simple, clean mark specifically targeting men who might be put off by the frequently feminine language and rituals of the traditional church.
the solution: A simple, strong mark that represents movement from one way of life to another. Colors that feel more like an outdoor sports company than a church.
the client: Blue Lake United Methodist Assembly
the challenge: A United Methodist camping facility needed a new look to attract both investors and campers.
the solution: A sporty, bright, fun new logo that can be used for the facilities corporate materials or for the camp program materials.
the client: Bayside Gardens
the challenge: The owner needed a unique identity to set his landscaping company apart from the rest in the artsy community of Fairhope, AL.
the solution: An artsy, hand-drawn feel with colors that reflect the coastal community.
the client: Hunter Construction
the challenge: An established construction company needed a new brand to reflect both their stability and their dedication to problem-solving.
the solution: An abstract hammer inside a solid square with bold colors accomplishes both goals.
the client: Silent Vibe
the challenge: The organization needed a logo that stood out to represent it’s mission of teaching music to the deaf.
the solution: A mark that represents both a sound-maker, the guitar, and the sound-reciever, the ear. The loose illustration conveys the relaxed spirit of the music lessons.
the client: Arbor Acres
the challenge: Arbor Acres needed an updated look for their newsletter and accompanying literature.
the solution: Incorporating a dark grey into their existing red and blue color scheme gave the newsletter a more technical feel appropriate to the information. Smooth color blocks and rounded corners also gave a more interesting, less corporate feel.
the client: Christ Garden UMC
the challenge: The pastor’s church vision was analogous to a grandfather’s vegetable garden with dirty hands and the fruit of hard labor.
the solution: Vibrant jewel tones set off a monotone header photo that conveys the main idea of the church: getting your hands dirty. Because the church is just getting started, we created large buttons in the middle of the page with pertinent information to curious visitors.