Short Story + New Blog Site

Hello everyone! Yesterday was a doozy. We had a long list of things that needed to get done, and on top of that a doctor's appointment and a trip to Target to get a new rocking chair (the chair is heaven but the drive to Target is over an hour for us). Needless to say we were stretched to full capacity. Then somewhere in the middle of all the craziness that is our life right now I realized that my blog was not working. I thought I would give it some time and it would come back to life. You know... like blogger was down or something? Hours later still nothing. I eventually realized, and a lot too late, that I had let my domain registration expire and would have to pay an exorbitant amount of money to get it back. After getting over the initial anger and frustration of that discovery I was then informed that I actually could not buy it back even if I wanted to because some one else already bought it. Yes, that's right! Someone had "janereactionblog.com" on back order. They were just waiting for me to get so distracted having a baby that I never saw the email notifying me that my registration was up, so they could swoop in and snatch it up. Who would have thought? I'm still trying to figure out how that happened. Well anyway, now if you go to the old blog site you will see some really nice Japanese characters and some flowers? Some one tell me how things like this happen?!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE NEW BLOG!

I decided to do what I wanted to do a few months ago - which is combine my blog and my design site into one. I have been hesitant to do this for many reasons but the main reason is because I didn't really want perspective clients to see so much of my personal life. I especially didn't want anyone to know that I had a baby because I have found that for some people that means you all of the sudden can't work as hard. But, I finally feel pretty confident that when people hire me they really are hiring ME! They want me to design something for them, not just some random girl in the middle of the pacific ocean. My clients often turn into friends and people that I stay in touch with long after the project is over. I have totally embraced the fact that I have a life aside from working and I love that my clients respect that. So if you are still following me on my little blog journey after 4 years thank you!! and you can continue to follow along at www.janereaction.com.

So now you are probably wondering why the picture of a salad? Well, I am doing a little guest post for blogging friend Damaris Palmer over on Kitchen Corners this weekend and I would love if you stopped by over there and checked it out.

Nostalgia Photography Branding

Last month I had the amazing opportunity to work with Elli of Nostalgia Photography on her new logo and branding for her photography business. It was truly an honor. She is having a brand launch party Dec. 18th which you can check out here! SO excited for you Elli!

Solo Corp Logo + A peek into my design process

So I decided mid-summer I would officially take my maternity leave starting November 2. I thought planning this out in advance would be best so that I wasn't tempted to work right up until my due date just in case baby came early. Well, baby didn't come early and a quickie project presented itself to me this last week and I just had to take it! Time moves so slow when waiting for a little one to arrive and I needed a project to distract me from thinking about how many more minutes might have to pass before I can hold my little boy in my arms. I can't think of any other situation on earth that can make a grown woman look at her calendar 10 million times a day only to think that if she just looks at it one more time something might have changed. Bla bla bla, enough about babies, right? Anyway, back to the point - I took on a quick logo project which I am going to share with you now and explain a little bit about my design process.

This client contacted me about designing a logo for her and her husband's construction company. After talking things over on the phone I usually ask clients to make an inspiration board or pin things on Pinterest to give me an idea of what they are looking for. I was genuinely nervous to see what some one would pin for a construction company logo - I thought it might be stiff and boring. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a peek at her board and saw the above images (sorry there are no photo credits - I just literally dragged them off of her pin board). I could have kissed her! She also mentioned that her and her husband really like the idea of an "S" for Solo Corp made into the shape of a house to symbolize construction.

I presented her with two concepts based on her verbal direction and visual inspiration. Of course there was more than what is shown above - this is just a sneak peek. She ended up liking a combination of the two. It has been my experience that everyone does this, and I usually encourage it. I know that I am not going to nail exactly what they are looking for in one concept so I usually let clients know it is ok to tell me what they like and what they don't like. Together we can eliminate what is wrong and fill in what is missing. After going over the concepts together this is what we came up with: I am actually super excited about how it turned out - I really didn't think I would love creating a logo for a construction company but I really did. Now, I just need to take my own advice from my last "Two Cent Tuesday" and take it to the next level "just because I want to". Can you imagine what fun things could be created from this design? Business cards, letterheads, t-shirts for the crew... etc?! I will definitely have to share some of my projects that I have been working on "just because I want to" at a later time. But for now ladies and gentlemen I am off to enjoy a baby shower!! YAAAAY!

Type A Press: Brand Refresh and Web Design

I recently had the opportunity to work with Chelsey Nichol of Type A Press located in McMinnville Oregon. Chelsey owns and runs a letterpress print shop in historical down town McMinnville. She loves all things nautical and wanted to incorporate and anchor and a ship into her branding. Chelsey chose the color scheme and left the rest up to me. I loved all of the history behind her little shop so I tried to keep her branding looking simple and classic while giving it a modern spin.

For the website and blog I first came up with something more typical and simple - large rotating photos with a white background. Chelsey really wanted to incorporate more of the graphic elements of her brand so we went back to the drawing board and came up with something more lighthearted and playful. I really like the way it turned out. I also really like that Chelsey will be printing my personal business cards SOON!! Yay! Can't wait to hold them in my hands. To connect with Type A on Facebook click here. To link to the blog click here.

Kitchen Corners

The lovely Damaris Palmer from Kitchen Corners recently revamped her food/design/lifestyle blog. I loved designing this logo for her. Food and design? What could be better? My two favorite things in the whole world. She had the talented Ana from Live and Enliven design her blog and the amazing underwater cooking session was shot by none other than Mark Lee.

Chief and Crown Material

I designed some Chief and Crown(ish) material to make baby something out of. You can upload any design and have it made into all sorts of different kinds of materials here. The problem is I am having a hard time deciding exactly what I want to use it for. Does anyone out there have any good ideas? Or links to a great tutorial? I would love any ideas.

Je Promets

I have been meaning to blog about this for sometime and just haven't gotten around to it. I'm proud to say that the website I was putting together for some lovely sisters has been up and running for a few months now. Kendra and Krista contacted me with the idea of starting a wedding blog that focuses on modern style and high fashion. They had a really good idea of the direction they wanted to go in, so it was a dream to put this together for them. Along with customizing their wordpress blog, I also created their brand identity and collateral. Check out their site here to get some wedding inspiration.

Also, check out some of the other new projects I have up in my design portfolio. Ever since I got into my second trimester I feel like I have more energy than I know what to do with! It has been great. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Kinfolk Launches on Friday

The Kinfolk Magazine will be launching on Friday, if you aren't already excited... get excited! Very Excited.

Kinfolk Magazine

I have been dying to blog about this for some time. I am excited to announce that the magazine project some friends and I have been working on for the past few months is going to launch soon! Kinfolk Magazine is just our creative way of encouraging people to spend more time together with friends and family sharing intimate meals and celebrating all of the little things that make life great. Kinfolk is scheduled to debut July 15th. Check out the blog to see some of my inspiration boards (like the father's day board above) in the mean time.

Lately

My friends Nate and Katie have this quote hanging on their fridge. I love it. I had to sketch this to hang in our house. I think about it a lot. I think about this quote any time I hear people speaking badly of others. I think about it when I hear myself speaking badly of others. I think about it when my feelings get hurt by gossip that somehow found it's way back to me. I think about it even more when a friend gets their feelings hurt by gossip or even direct (misinformed) accusations. I think about it when I am in a group of people and I want to seem interesting or cool. I think it is a good quote to keep up in your old noggin.

***So many people asked! We just had to put this in our shop. This quote will be available in 5 x 7 and in two different colors. Come and get 'em!

Wedding Announcement

Working on my sister-in-law's wedding invitations. I am so excited about how they are turning out. Hopefully we will have some paper and envelopes picked out in the next couple of days and then they will be sent to the printers! I am so excited about this wedding because it means we get to go home, eat yummy food, spend time with family and celebrate!

I also had the opportunity this week to help out Richie Norton with one of his latest projects: Resumés are Dead. If you are looking for a great motivational and informative guide to getting (or making up) your dream job be sure to read this!

Wedding Invitation: Dani Richards

Had fun putting together some wedding invitations for Dani and Michael a few weeks ago. These are not the exact ones that they chose but I had a lot of fun hand painting the flowers for this set so I had to share. Congratulations you two! Best wishes to you!

Breathe

As many of you know I am now working with photographer Natalie Norton. While I don't want this blog to turn into the Natalie Norton show I do believe I will occasionally be sharing some of the things we are working on together. Two reasons: 1. to share more of my design work on this blog and 2. because I am excited about the things we are creating. I am really excited to be attending the Breathe workshop in Las Vegas this February. It is providing a lot of design opportunities within Natalie's photography business not to mention the workshop itself is going to be a great experience! It was originally a workshop for women with strong family values that wanted to thrive in their photography careers, however, it is applicable to all women who are striving to maintain balance between marriage/family and their small businesses (read graphic designers). To learn more about this great opportunity for women entrepreneurs click here.

And yes, all of the illustrations on Natalie's blog lately are my handy work. I am loving this new job!

Exciting News!

I got the job! Whoo whoo!! After several months of holding out for the perfect job (for me) I finally found it. I have been looking for something close to home, an outlet for my creativity and graphic design skills, and something that inspires and challenges me. I found all three, and it just so happens that I will now be working for one of my favorite photographers! I will be doing a lot of different things but I am really excited to apply my graphic design degree and get more business savvy. Can't wait to get started!

Etsy Success Kit

Etsy shop - Pretty Swell, Design - Jane Reaction, Photography - Natalie Norton

Professional Photo Editing

I am now offering photo editing to my list of services. If you are a photographer in need of a photo editor or you just have a great photograph that needs a few touch ups please let me know. I would be happy to make them perfect for you! Here are a few examples of some retouched photos. The left side is the original photograph and the right is after editing.

Do you have any photos you need edited? Contact me for more information.

Business Cards

Professionally printed and designed business cards starting at $70.00. Contact me for more information. Leave a comment with a link to where you have blogged, tweeted, or posted this offer and receive $15 off. Offer ends Dec. 10th.

Food For My Family Business Cards

Just finished up a fun project working with this talented lady. Shaina Olmanson is a great photographer and writer. One of her main projects Food For My Family, focuses on cooking with your children and for your family. Enjoy her beautiful photography and expertise advice from the kitchen!

The Announcement

Designing wedding announcements is a blast, until you have to design your own... and then it is terrifying. I put way too much pressure on myself and then finally I just had to go with one idea. I was inspired by all of the flowers that Grandma Wilde (Conor's grandma) had embroidered on to all of our napkins. And of course Conor LOVES feathers so we had to tie that in some how. I think they turned out alright.

Invitations

I am throwing Conor a birthday party while we are in California next week. We are going to play in the pool, eat good food and play games. Can't wait!