Thoughts on Design options to match your goals!
I’m going to take a moment on this lovely spring day to write a little bit about Design options.
When clients come to me with design ideas I work based on those designs. Sometimes they ask for opinions/ideas and suggestions from me. Which leads me to write this post!
When you design a banner, there are some things to keep in mind:
- 1. Longevity (how long would you like to use this banner?!
- 2. What is the tone you want to set for your business/hobby blog?
- 3. Who is your audience? Customers? Downline? Friends and Family?
Longevity
Here are some suggestions. If you want your banner to "last the test of time" keep in mind the following:
It is not a good idea to use a photo of company product because product changes and retires and you will have to change your banner
Trendiness is cool, but the "hottest trend" will look dated in 6 months to a year and you will have to change your banner
Here are some great examples of banners that will "last the test of time":
Andrea Walford with Sunny Stampin’
Jennifer Barrett with Stamp Chic
Elayne Forgie with Scrappin’Chicks
Ellen Daniel with Stamping Expressions
Shelly Godby with Stampin’ Smiles
Joann Weimers with My Favorite Things
Janet White with Stamping at the Whitehouse
Donna Janulewicz with Wild About Stamping
Kelly Conrad with Rose Lake Creations
Janice Rosenthal Rock with Blog Bella Cosa
Andrea Walford with Sunny Stampin’ Store
Angie Kennedy Juda with Chic’N Scratch
Emily Tuttle Steggell with Em’s Creations
The above are some great examples of banners that will have a long shelf life.
Tone
But not everyone wants a banner with a long shelf life. If your customer base is very driven by whatever is "new" and "hot" at the moment, you will need to convey that your customers in your banner design so that your customers are marketed to with the hottest trend.
Here are some excellent examples of banners used by demonstrators with a trendy clientele:
Barb Mullikin with Stampin’ IS my job!
Christine Grygar with Eat Sleep Stamp!
Nicole Wrigley with Paper Icing
Brenda Taylor with Memories by Brenda
Tracie Jacobson with {the scrap happy stamper}
Caroline LeBel with Craftin’ Caro
These banners are all based on a "current trend" that may last a year. Depending on the popularity of the trend, they may need to update their banners more frequently.
Color Change Option
However, If your customers like trends but you are on a budget, another option would be to keep your banner design and change only the colors, which is less expensive than a new design. It is only $10 for a color change and I also offer a yearly Color Change service where you can get 4 color changes (1 per quarter) for only $30 (notice that means one change is free if your buy the subscription!)
Examples:
Banner with Hot in style colors last summer
Same banner with the Hot color combos for holiday season
Another design option that you may want to go with is a "Theme Style" banner. These banner styles are based on something personal about you and your particular favorite things. These banners are really fun to design and make and the client usually has lots of ideas ahead of time and they want a certain image" on them. Here are some examples:
Lisa Flynn with The Stamp Camp Counselor (camping theme)
Kari Mason with 1st Class Creativity (animals are royalty theme, she loves animals!)
Lorita Edwards with Lorita’s World (cute doggie, scrap stuff, coffee mug yum!, all her fav things)
Lyn Heppner with The Stamp Medic (New York State paramedic items combined with scrapping!)
Stacie Crain with Inking Paradise (a beachy theme for a Paradise CA demo!)
Loni Spendlove with Squeeze your Creative Juice (a fruity little creation!)
Alison Monk with Greetings from the Heart (showcasing her love of Christ and homespun creations!)
Dianne Shiozaki with Catchin’ the Stampin’ Wave (a surfer girl banner for a surfer girl stamper!)
Deb Greenwood with Gettin’ Inky (a horse lover’s banner)
Julie Lacey with Stamps & Taxes (Banner for a big city girl who does taxes!)
Robin Feicht with Stamping Country (focusing on her beautiful country home and stamp haven!)
There are so many more… but those are just a few!
Another option is to choose a style (Shabby Chic, Grunge, Cute, Elegant, Funky, the ’50s, Floating) and here are some examples of those:
Debbie Modrowsky with The Paper-azzi Connection (Shabby Chic)
Angie Kennedy Juda with Chic’n Scratch Shack (Shabby Chic)
Mary Ann Reiner with The Joy of Stamping (Shabby Chic)
Amy Allen with Pepperberry Keepsakes (Shabby Chic)
Vicki Parson with Stamped Smiles (Shabby Chic)
Rachel Brumley with Inspirations by Rachel (Edwardian style – Vintage elegant)
Judi Hays with Java Judi (Modern "Inchie" design)
Micki Harper with Artful Xpressions (Grunge)
Gerrie Johnnic with Queen of Grunge (Grunge)
Jaycene Morgan with "Ear"resistable Stampers (’50s vintage)
Becky Pressgrove with Honey B Designs (cute)
Andrea Hayes with the little online card shop (Minimalist)
Kim Warne with Kim’s Design Studio (Minimalist)
And here are a few "Floating" banners – these are banners that have no border:
Laura Evans with My Crazy Stamp Obsession
Andrea Hayes with Andrea’s Stampin’ Moments
Julie Jacobs with Julie’s Creative Therapy
Cheryl Powers with Paper Charms
Christy Tyler with Urban Stamp Girl
Those are just a few ideas…
Audience
While all blog banner should be created with audience in mind, here are some banners catering to a specific audience:
Muireann Quigley with Ecoberry (Catering to those who wish to learn more about Eco-Logical Living)
Maxine Conrad with In Honor of John Sims (For family)
Catherine Harwood with Albuquerque Beta Sigma Phi (Sorority members)
Sharon Caughman with Scrappers, Ink! (for members of her downline)
Emily Bracker with Your Winning Image (for her Image Consulting clients)
So when you need to order a banner for a blog or website, it is best to consider your goals in order to get the banner you want. Keep in mind the three basic questions above to help determine your goal – Longevity, Tone and Audience! If you consider these three areas you will make the most of your budgeted dollars for your blog design.
Hope this offers some design assistance to those ordering banner designs!
