Squiggles by Siggles

My sister, Signe, recently asked me to create an Etsy shop banner for her. Signe just loves to paint and create works of art and decided to begin selling pieces in order to save up money for a horse. I should mention Signe is eleven-years old. She has had a deep love for horses for as long as I can remember; she has always yearned to call one her very own. Signe fell for the animal before she ever even had her first ride! Once she finally did have that first ride, it only reaffirmed that a horse was right for her.

"Bumpy Road" by Signe Anna

Maybe I'm biased, but I think it's absolutely adorable that she came up with the idea to sell her paintings. And not only is it adorable, it's very respectable. She's not like every other young girl, asking and begging and pleading with her parents to buy her a horse for her next birthday or for Christmas. She's willing to work for it by starting her own little online business on Etsy. What an entrepreneur—she must take after her big sister ;)

Signe holds a special place in my heart. She's the baby of our clan of five sisters, while I hold the spot as the oldest. We're twelve years apart, but the years we have in between us will never keep us from having the most loving, rewarding sisterhood.

To support Signe's effort or to see her artwork, you can visit her shop, Squiggles by Siggles on Etsy.

Veterinary Website Design

A Fall-Themed Website

Massachusetts based veterinarian, Victoria Howell, had a very specific idea in mind for her brand new website, www.victoriahowelldvm.com. She wanted it to convey the warm, homey feel she and her staff have created at their hill-town clinic in Shelburne. She also really wanted it to have a fall leaf background, which is a very beautiful time of the year in her area. Tori and her staff loved the final design; I think the website truly reveals the compassion these ladies offer in veterinary care.

Although Tori has owned her own clinic for over twenty years, this is her first website for her business. She realized that no matter how long you've been established, it's important to invest in a website to create an online presence and to increase your exposure.

Web Design Makeover

Out With the Old, In With the New

Skip Feller of Rudee Tours, Rudee Rocket and Rudee Inlet Charters in Virginia Beach, Virginia was more than ready for three web design makeovers. Each of his websites suffered from an illogical layout, a dated design and invalid links. He also wanted the ability to easily update their website's photos and schedule calendar in Wordpress. I re-designed each site to convey the feel of each boat tour: Rudee Tours—beachy and laid back, Rudee Rocket—loud and fun, Rudee Inlet Charters—rustic and rough.

Rudee Tours Before & After Makeover

Rudee Tours

From Outdated to Updated

Riverbend Publishing came to me for a website re-design as an established publishing company located in Helena, Montana. They’ve been a leading publisher in the area for over ten years, but their website was starting to show their age. I re-designed over 100 of their webpages in a clean, user-friendly format. I was able to give them the presence that they needed on the web.
In addition to an updated website, I worked closely with one of their staff members to integrate Twitter, Facebook and WordPress into their marketing efforts. Follow them on Twitter or visit their Facebook fan page. You can read their latest blog post here.

Riverbend Publishing's updated website

Riverbend’s books have earned national acclaim and won national awards. And now, their publisher tells me their updated website is getting a lot of attention.

Riverbend Publishing's outdated website

Blogger Design: Header & Navigation

http://www.jennysquire.blogspot.com

J.K. Squire's logo and color palette 

Logo & Website for New Law Firm

I recently had the opportunity to design both a logo and a website for Boyar & Kuntz, PLLC, a new law firm in Helena, Montana. They are a firm that offers services in estate planning, probate, business planning, and tax-exempt organizations.

In order to develop their new business, they first needed to brand their firm with a simple, clean text logo. The image on the left shows the final design I created. This logo is now available to Boyar & Kuntz for use in any and all formats, such as signs, business cards, letterheads and so forth.

After creating Boyar & Kuntz’s brand, we went on to design their new website. They wanted their site to promote brand awareness and to act as an online brochure. They wanted it to be simple yet “professional while retaining a casual feel.” They also wanted their site to “inspire confidence while making the firm seem approachable.” They preferred earth tones, browns and blues.

I provided three different design concepts for Boyar & Kuntz to choose from. They quickly decided which concept they liked best and from there we developed the final website which is now live for you to see! Below is a screenshot of the site.

Book Cover Design

Modern design juxtaposed with historic content

The Only Good Bear by Jeanette Prodgers is hot off the press! I just received my copy in the mail, and let the truth be told, my own cover is drawing me in. I can’t wait to start reading!

A little about the design process

The publisher provided me with the bear artwork that you see on both the front and back covers. It was illustrated by Peter Grosshauser. Immediately when I saw the bear I fell in love with him and knew I could make this a great cover. (Thanks, Peter!) First, I found an amazing font to work with. (I get excited when I’m approved to work with a funky font!) Then I tried several variations of the design before we decided on the final cover–with the title on top of the bear artwork. In addition, I chose to integrate the border around the bear onto the back cover as well. To do this, I dragged the bear artwork into Adobe Photoshop and re-created a border large enough to fit around the entire back cover. To see both the front and back covers, visit www.sarahegrant.com/design.html

Get your copy of The Only Good Bear

The Only Good Bear is available on Riverbend Publishing‘s website, Amazon.com, and in stores throughout the Northwest.