Wednesday, December 19, 2012

And We're Live!

This time last year I started talking about rebranding the blog. Over the past couple of weeks, a design that spoke to me finally materialized. Thank you for your patience while I worked out the details.
 
Curious as to which masthead and which collage template I chose for the blog's new design? If you're following in an RSS feeder, please head over to the blog to take a look.
 

 
For our last homework assignment for Blogging Your Way Bootcamp, Holly gave us two options. The first option: redesign our blog if it wasn't focused and didn't support our vision. The second option: introduce a regular feature or series in the month of November. I immediately chose the second option.
 
It wasn't until the second course -- and the third course -- from Braid Creative that I realized the design of my blog wasn't quite there. I wanted a look that was fun and fresh. A look that was bold. How better to get attention than switch out a muted pastel color scheme? I also decided to be more literal with the blog's name, introducing elements from the Game of Life.
 

 
Before the launch, I gathered feedback from readers and participated in a blog audit. Common feedback was that the graphics were too small. With the new collage templates, I reduced the amount of space the branding occupied. With the Tuesday Shoesday and Thursday Purseday posts, my husband felt strongly that I should showcase a look on a paperdoll rather than featuring dismembered bodies. (He has a point, check out Keds and Glamour. They're more than a little creepy aren't they?)
 
After reevaluating the design and reducing the color palette, components that I thought were final, such as my social media icons, needed to be reworked as well.
 


 

 


What do you think of the new look?
 
The new look is finally live. Is the rebranding complete? Is anything ever truly finished? But, in all seriousness, now the hard work begins. A little at a time, I'll be going through the archives and converting old posts to the new look.
 
Ciao Bella!
Eden
 
Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.