Business

Client Work: EllenMcGowanArt.com

For the past few months, I've been fortunate to work with the incredibly talented and charming Ellen McGowan.

Ellen is a 91-year-old sculptor who is more energetic than most 31-year-olds, and I had the honor of spending the first few months of my pregnancy planning and designing her new website. She was actually the second person after our family that I told about the baby, and she has since become its fairy godmother -- a title that suits her very well considering that she is a petite lady with rosy cheeks and the most wonderful sparkle in her eyes.

If it isn't obvious, Ellen is one special lady. She creates beautiful sculptures and uses a computer on a daily basis. She deserved a website where she could showcase big, beautiful images of her work and share news about upcoming exhibits. I also I knew she was fully capable of adding and changing content after the site was completed -- something she couldn't do with her old site. 

We spent several hours selecting her favorite photographs that we would feature on the new site, and then I scanned and edited each image. Next we created a simple sitemap and designed the site layout. I then put together a user's guide for Ellen and taught her how to make basic updates to her site. She enjoyed every minute of her tutorial and has already made several changes. We plan to review everything again in a few weeks once she finishes a big sculpture, but she is a natural!

It has been an absolute joy to work with this lady during this special time in my life. Please check out her site and browse through her work. She is a true inspiration!

EllenMcGowanArt.com

 

The Latest from Broties

We're in the process of wrapping up a job creating some logo stickers for Broties. I can't wait to share them! In the meantime, I wanted to share these latest photos from Aubrey. 

She has been stamping the logo I designed on some gray bags that match her Gerald & Joan-designed business cards. Didn't the stamp turn out great?!?! I'm so proud of this logo!

brotiesstamp

I also wanted to share this photo from her Facebook page. This girl is so talented! It has been such an honor to work with her.

By the way, Christmas is just around the corner, and it's not too early to do a little handmade holiday shopping in her Etsy shop. She makes Broties for men and little boys, so you could easily find something for every guy on your list!

broties2

BroTies branding

BroTies business cards.

BroTies business cards.

brotiesbusinesscards

So proud of these!

Gerald & Joan logo for BroTies. Image taken by Aubrey Hord for BroTies.

Gerald & Joan logo for BroTies. Image taken by Aubrey Hord for BroTies.

Gerald & Joan logo and kraft paper bands for BroTies. Image taken by Aubrey Hord for BroTies.

Gerald & Joan logo and kraft paper bands for BroTies. Image taken by Aubrey Hord for BroTies.

Gerald & Joan logo for BroTies. Image taken by Aubrey Hord for BroTies.

Gerald & Joan logo for BroTies. Image taken by Aubrey Hord for BroTies.

For the past few months, I've been working with the very talented Aubrey Hord of BroTies to create a handcrafted vintage look and feel for the BroTies brand. You can see my original post about the logos here.

The end results make me so incredibly proud.

The rustic logo incorporates vintage-inspired handwritten fonts and arrows. Black and white business cards seemed boring and unoriginal, so a custom vintage chalkboard design served as the background for her business cards. To continue with the vintage vibe, kraft paper bands were used to create her custom packaging. As you can see, Aubrey has also placed the logo on her kraft show booth and vintage mannequin to continue the rustic-vintage vibe.

It was so fun to work with this super talented Tennessee-based business. Please be sure to check out her handcrafted bow ties. They are so lovely!

I also need to give one last shout-out to Jessica Hord for first connecting me with her talented sister-in-law. In October 2012, this job put me on the fast-track to self-employment and living my Gerald & Joan Preservation and Design dream. Aubrey's vintage mannequin featuring my design (shown above) brings the entire experience full-circle. I can't even begin to describe how happy this project has made me. It's my vintage-inspired design dream realized. I will always be grateful to Jessica and Aubrey. You guys are the best!