The Week In Pictures: 8.11.12

Wowza, what a week! Thanks so much for all your thoughtful and congratulatory comments on my five year anniversary post! I wasn’t exactly sure how things would go down with the relaunch because during this whole redesign process, I didn’t tell a single soul except for two people: my close friend (and developer) Star and Joey.

I’d been wanting to redesign my blog for two full years but I just never seemed to have a chunk of time to put my vision into Photoshop and sit with it to see how it felt outside of my head. Over that time, I did make notes of what I liked, gathered research and screen shots and when it was time, I did the full layout in a few hours during one sitting. I just really wanted it done. It was time to stop making excuses to myself and get it out there.

I had two reasons for not announcing the revamp before it went live: I didn’t want to let anyone down if it took forever (which it did). And also, I didn’t want to be swayed by outside feedback. It can be hard to keep a big personal project to yourself but I’ve learned that first and foremost, you have to be happy with the design and not get too wrapped up in what other people think.

Someone recently asked me what my favorite part of the design process is. I really enjoy the beginning of a new project when the possibilities still seem endless and feeling the wave of inspiration that comes with gathering visual research. Over the weekend I pulled away from the internet to flip through one of my favorite design books, Letterhead and Logo Design 11 (which I’ve mentioned a lot on here before because it’s full of super good branding examples, many of which I’ve never spotted online).

There are many days when I revert to the simplicity of black jeans and a t-shirt but to dress things up, I throw on a colorful scarf. I found this version by Cooperative on the sale rack at Urban Outfitters for less than $10.00 but I can’t seem to find it on their site. It’s a super lightweight weave, perfect for the summer.

We took Rocky on a long walk through the rose gardens and neighborhoods near the zoo over the weekend and I loved the way this regal statue was displayed in the window. It’s like he’s saying, “Hello, world!”

New notebooks are the best. These ones from Urban Outfitters are pretty roomy and ruled and there are a bunch of great colors. I’m nearly a third of the way through the first one already! List making and note taking is good for the soul. And with that, I’m off. My mom is in town visiting and I’m very much looking forward to some family time. Have a rad weekend!