I’m so excited to share with you all a behind-the-scenes look at my latest design project for Charlie of Charlie Jaymes blog! I just loved getting to know her, she was so sweet and easy to work with. Make sure you stick around until the end of this post to read the Q & A Charlie and I put together!
I can’t even tell you how much fun I had redesigning her blog. The hand-lettering and muted colors easily make this one of my favorites so far!
1 // INSPIRATION BOARD
Creating inspiration boards are actually one of my favorite parts of design projects! Charlie did an amazing job of compiling a Pinterest board that was inspirational and showed what she was looking for in the aesthetic of her blog. She described her style as “clean and minimalist with pops of color” so I tried to incorporate those things into the design of her website.
Her Pinterest board inspired me in so many ways, especially in creating a beautiful color palette and hand-lettered logo.
Charlie and I brainstormed a number of logos, but ultimately we decided that this beautiful hand-lettering best fit her blog.
3 // DESIGN ELEMENTS
Another one of my favorite parts is designing the brand elements. They’re just the little things that make a blog or website look pulled together. I especially love the category buttons, they’re such a pretty + functional way to order your categories!
4 // WEBSITE
Finally, it was all pulled together in her brand-new blog.
Audrey: Why did you start blogging?
Charlie: In 2010, I started blogging because I was going on my first missions trip to China. I thought it was “the thing to do” for people who went on missions trips, and I wanted to be in on the fun. I think I posted like 2 times during that trip. After I came back, I moved from Nashville to South Carolina and that was such a huge and hard transition for me, being in the middle of high school. So I started to blog under the name “A New Season” as a way to document the new season in my life. Since then, I’ve gone on two more trips to China (and actually wrote while I was there), changed my blog name, and blogged on a more consistent basis on a wider variety of topics.
A: What is the most amazing place you’ve ever traveled to?
C: This is such a hard one for me. I was talking to some friends the other day, and I keep realizing that every time I visit a new place, it becomes my new favorite. I think I’d have to pick China though. I have always been fascinated by their culture, even as a child. And in China, everything is just so different. But Europe definitely comes in a close second.
A: What’s the best part about having a blog?
C: I know the go-to answer for this is the community. And that rings so true for me too. I love meeting new people and becoming friends with them, starting on the basis that we both have blogs. I “met” Audrey by literally emailing her one day. And now, not only is she one of my favorite blogs to read, but I consider her one of my blog friends, which I would have otherwise not known.
A: What was your favorite part of your blog redesign process?
C: The best part of a new redesign is actually seeing everything come together. I remember the first time Audrey sent me my mood board and my blog header. I think I actually responded to her with a bunch of “hand-raised” emojis. Cause that’s literally how I felt the whole time. It’s the best feeling when what is in your head is now on the screen and it’s everything you’ve imagined and more.
A: What are your dreams for your blog?
C: I want my blog to become a place for community and engagement. I want it to be a place where people feel like they’re sitting with me over a cup of coffee. As I said before, I love the community that a blog provides, and I want my blog to be a place for that community to happen.
A: What is the best piece of advice you could give someone who wants to start a blog?
C: There are so many things I could say! One of the biggest things that I lacked when I started out was a vision for my blog. I just wrote whenever I felt like it. This can be so great and raw, but I really needed a vision and a place to go with my blog. I’m the type of person who needs to have it out in my head before I can do anything practical with it. So I would say, get a vision for what you want your online space to be.
