Recently, we had the pleasure of creating a custom blog design for a new blogger – Kate A. from Labeled Chaos. She came to us looking for a custom WordPress design for a new blog she was launching. Her project was assigned to our designer, who ironically is also named Kate. So we’ll be referring to the client as “Kate A.” and our designer as “Kate” throughout this post. Hopefully, it won’t get too confusing…ha!
Developing the Branding
From the very beginning, Kate A. knew she wanted a design that would be simple and well organized. The first area of focus in any blog design is the branding which includes the logo design, color palette for the site, key design elements, and the overall style for the design. In Kate A.’s case, she did not yet have a logo, so that was Kate’s first area of focus.
After a quick brainstorming session and discussion with Kate A. about her overall vision for the design, Kate came up with three mood boards, which included the three logo design options she created. We usually try to make each mood board and logo design uniquely different, but Kate A. had such a clear vision of what she wanted that Kate decided to feature a few variations of that vision as not to vary from it. The logo options played with the word “Chaos” and then added a clean rectangle around the word “Labeled.” These are the variations Kate came up with:
At this point, Kate asked Kate A. for her honest feedback on the various options. Kate A. loved what Kate came up and only requested a few small alterations. From Kate A.’s feedback, Kate was able to compile the final mood board that would then be used as the basis for the blog design look.
Creating the blog design
Once the mood board was solidified, then came the fun part – creating the blog design. To begin, Kate asked Kate A. to send her links to some of her favorite blog designs. Most of the designs Kate A. loved were all black and white. Since the mood board had such a great color palette, Kate decided to keep the design black and white overall and then incorporated the color palette as subtle accents throughout the site. Adding the subtle touches of color helped her site look beautifully “labeled.”
Kate A.’s design features many of the key elements we included with our custom designs including a custom about me section in the sidebar, subscribe box, post excerpts, and an Instagram widget in the footer of the site. Kate A. wanted a tagline included, but due to the way the header came together, it didn’t really work to put it in the header area. So instead, Kate moved it below the ‘featured posts’ section on the homepage. This made it still visible when someone first enters the blog and also gives the design a nice custom touch. Here’s a full-length view of the final design.
Kate A. also needed coordinating business cards. Here’s a look at the final design:.
Final Thoughts
The entire design process from order placement to completion took about three weeks. Both Kate’s couldn’t be more happy with how the final design turned out.
Kate and the entire Designer Blogs team has been amazing. She understood my vision and was able to create a blog fitting my needs perfectly. She was very easy to work with and very quick to respond. She listened to my thoughts, provided her own and incorporated the best of both. I really appreciate the time and care she gave to creating my blog. I can’t wait to get started. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Kate A.
Labeled Chaos
If you are looking for custom blog or website design, visit our Custom Design Services page to request a quote.
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