I have a special wantlist for you guys today! Normally, we all drool over noteworthy products, but this time – I’ve partnered up with Beso, a very cool + tailored online shopping experience, to bring you guys a kickin’ giveaway. They have offered one of my lucky readers $150 towards their collection. To enter, follow the details below and I will pick one winner at random on April 17th.

ONE Head on over to beso.com, sign up, and create your own collection. You can see my collection right here to get some ideas!! It’ll take a few minutes, but is totally worth it.

TWO Once you have created your own little collection ( of whatever you want ) – make sure you comment below this post with a link to your collection so we can all see your picks! Also note that you must submit a working email so I can get ahold of you.

THREE Make sure to follow Beso on facebook, twitter, & pinterest. That’s it!

I’m excited to share with you guys a website design of mine that just launched yesterday for Feather & Twine photography. Now, I actually didn’t design their branding this time around, so it was interesting to jump in on the process at a new point in time for me. Kelsey and Talon were so great to work with and I’m so happy we found a happy simple + slightly feminine medium. The balance is so nice between the two. The talendted developer behind the scenes is Tom Wilz, one of my go to guys!

You can see some screen shots I took of the website below or visit it live right here. I’ve been trying to REALLY get out of my box in terms of web design and I think their about page is a perfect example of that. Being that I have a background in coding, I have a harder time letting loose within a page layout, but time has proven to slowly but surely pull me out of that box. Cheers to a new website, guys!

One of my past clients, Jessica Marx, recently contacted me to make a print that she wanted to gift her husband. The first thing he ever wrote to her was this quote — “to think of you is to smile,” which I thought was adorable and agreed to the project. We both thought something simple would be best and because the original note was handwritten, I did the same.

The great news is that Jessica decided to print a bunch of extras and is selling them in her shop. This is my second collaboration on a print this year and I’ve loved every second of it. Hopefully I can do more of that in the coming months + you can still purchase my “Make it Happen” print right here. With that said, the above print comes in two color palettes. Black background / white text. Or White background / black text. There may be more options in the future, but for now, we’re keeping it simple! You can find more details and purchase this little guy right here. I have it above my work wall and love how it adds to my collection. Enjoy!

I’ve had a few people ask me what my typography process is like when it comes to working on projects. I’ve shared a few free* goodies in the past, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Great typeface pairing is a learned skill, but I’ll go over some tips + tricks to help you get started out!

KNOW YOUR AESTHETIC Most of the time, font usage shouldn’t be based on what you think “looks cool” on a whim. The best thing you can do before starting any project ( even if it’s just for a blog post collage ) is to think about your aesthetic. Are you trying to be simplistic + modern?? Try something in the sans serif family. Or maybe you need a little bit of funk thrown in … keep your eye pealed for some unique typefaces. They’re out there! Serif fonts, on the otherhand, are perfect for many things including classic and vintage design. Always keep your key aesthetic in mind when trying to visually represent your project. Make sure your final choices feel right.

READ MORE

I was paging through some of my favorite dribbble favorites and noticed a recent trend : teals, yellows, and neutrals. I’m also really enjoying the different techniques designers use to make something look very “modern vintage.” I know a few ways, but would love to learn more. Perhaps an afternoon spent with google + illustrator is in order. Which is your favorite one up there?? Gotta say, I’m favoring that cute little wiener dog up top, I mean, c’mon. How could you not?