A Newer New Logo

I recently debuted a new logo, and while I liked it, I didn't love it...

I spent some time thinking about what it needed... here's the list of what I wanted to change...
  - Less "stuff"
  - More Color
  - Custom Font

Here was where the logo stood:

And here's the updated version:

I'm testing out this new logo (very similar to the last) to see if it sticks...

Thoughts??

Blog Redesign

Notice anything different about my little blog???

I totally had another post planned for today, but last night, I had the urge to completely re-design my blog logo.  Our house is a complete mess right now, so I should have been cleaning things up, but I had an itch... and I just had to scratch it!!

In case you've already forgotten, here was the old logo:

Nothing WRONG with it... but it had been the same for almost two years, and while I still like the color palate, it had been bugging me for a while...

So to the drawing board I went...

I wanted to create something slimmer, so the content wasn't pushed SO far down the page, and it just seemed so impersonal.  I love a good trellis pattern - you KNOW I do - but it was time for a change.

This was the first concept I came up with...

I like how it's cleaner, and more simple, and that not only does it feature two of the projects that I've done that I'm MOST proud of, but it also shows one of the most gorgeous photo's I've ever snapped on my iPhone... kind of impressive, no??

Take II - my second attempt to tweak the logo:

I love me some black and white stripes - remember my failed attempt at a black and white stiped entry way??  Hey, a girl's gotta keep an open mind!

Anyways, I do like how the stripes add a little graphic punch, but I wanted to try it out without the framed border...

Cup Half Full Logo take III:

Clean... I liked it... but with the stripe centered like that, the logo felt unbalanced...

Take IV:

Narrowing the stripes to underscore the title and sub-text felt better to me - still fun and graphic, but a little more clean and balanced...

But some of my favorite blogs have very minimal headers... I tried to simplify:

Take V:

No stripes - just the script and my photos...

... But was this TOO plain??

Perhaps it needs texture??  Also, is it odd to just have photos grouped on the right hand side??

Take VI:

I liked the texture of the linen background, and I went back to the stripe again because I felt it did a good job of dividing the logo from the rest of the blog... but was it getting too busy?

The final version was a cleaner background, and a different font (yep, throwing yet another element in to change...)

Oye!

At this point, I decided to call it a night.  I was (and still am) very confused, and it was getting late, so I kept the final version and decided to sleep on it...  I'm still not sure what I think.  Do I love it?  Do I hate it?

Clearly, I need other opinions... which one is the right one??  Favorites???  Do you hate them all?  BE HONEST!!  Should I go back to the drawing board??

Help!!

Blog Redesign: New Blog Header

So, I've been logging some serious hours re-designing my blog header.  While I loved the greek key's, I realized that it was so similar to several other blogs that I had seen, and as frustrating as it was to head back to the drawing board... it was a must.

Take a look at the finalized iterations that have gone live on the blog - oh how they have evolved!

Aside from fully overhauling the header, I also went to work on the fonts, colors, and blog backgrounds.  I still loved the burnt coral I had before for the links and titles so that stayed.  I've also been harboring an unhealthy obsession for navy, so I've decided to keep those bold accents within the right hand navigation menu.  Outside of that, everything changed from the font, to the font sizes, to the template, to the shading, to the width... oye vey!  I picked a dark grey/blue color for the gutters (is that the word for it?) because it reminded me of dusk.  An easy decision, but I needed to find a complimentary color for the header that didn't clash with all the other colors.  A Grey header felt drab and too matchy-matchy, and burnt umber was overkill... WAY too much orange.  After many MANY versions, I settled on the lovely aqua trellis pattern with a muted navy stripe.

I am happy with it for now.  I think the aqua compliments the coral (aqua and coral... after so much talk about it, I couldn't resist), and it brightens up the whole page.  A little fading here, a little shadow there, and a little reflection to give it some personality...  Give it another few weeks, and I'm sure that I will have tweaked it some more.  As in life, nothing is ever "perfect" or "finished"... it's always a work in progress!