Design Diaries: February 2024
Welcome back to your monthly fix of Design Diaries, where you can binge the weekly updates like a full Netflix Series being dropped all at once!
Each week I will be capturing and uploading a week in the life of a brand and website designer living a nomadic lifestyle.
Follow along to see my day-to-day and the current projects I'm working on.
Episode 8
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Episode 8, let’s go!
This week has been jam packed of design fun, we finalised the Veranda brand, brand guidelines, colours, logos and fonts are completed and now I’ve started working on the Veranda website, I’ve got some exciting ideas to play around with.
We had another website project start this week, so I’ve been working on the brand strategy for brain cancer nonprofit StacheStrong, and I’ve starting to play around with designs and wireframes for that. Stay tuned for more info.
I’ve also been working on a search bar for DMB Chemists, they have so many services now so we’re trying to make it easier for the user to get to where they need to go.
On Friday and Satuday I saw two of my heroes in the flesh, first going to a design conference in Vancouver with Chris Do from The Futur, learning all about brand strategy, and then going to a drag brunch with one of my favourite queens Kendall Gender, it’s giving variety.
We ended the week with a walk around Stanley park, and this time next week we’ll be in Calgary!
Episode 9
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This week was our last week in Vancouver!
Before packing our suitcases, and coming down with the flu, we managed to get some more wire-framing done for StacheStrong, I’ve made good progress this week, the wireframes and designs aren’t fully there just yet, but they are definitely on the way.
This is one of those sites that has lots of different types of visitors with completely different motives, so there is lots of thinking to do around layout and user experience with this one.
On Wednesday we had our last waffle Wednesday at our co working space, thanks Monique for making us all waffles!
I also have been designing the Veranda website too, starting to finalise the designs on these ahead of presenting them to the client next week, we just need to finalise how we’re going to categorise all the lovely books to make it easy for people to search and find what they’re looking for.
To end the week I saw City and Colour which was emotional, many tears were shed, and then we hopped on a short but stunning plane over to Calgary (sersiouly look at these mountains), where it’s supposed to feel like -18 degrees this week.
See you next week!
Episode 10
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Welcome back to episode 10 of a week in the life of a designer on the road.
This week we were getting settled in cold Calgary, where it’s been as low as feels like -18 this week.
Luckily our co-working spot is lovely and warm!
This week we’ve finalised the designs for Veranda Books, I’m really happy with the way the designs have turned out, we were going for a more sophisticated, editorial style website instead of just focusing on e-comm and throwing a load of books at people. I think the designs we have tell a story and will engage and entice the users to perhaps pick up a book by an author they don’t know.
I am going to hand these over to Will to begin building this week.
I’ve also been finishing up the designs for American brain cancer non-profit StacheStrong, focusing on the donate page, to make sure that we’re making it really clear of all the ways that people can help, whether it be donating money, time or volunteering.
We spent Valentine’s Day in a brewery playing other couples at Super Smash Bros.
And we ended the week at a wolf dog sanctuary in Yamnuska, where we got to feed the wolf-dogs and get up close and personal.
Episode 11
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A week in the life of a designer on the road, let’s go!
This week I handed Veranda over to Will - just awaiting a few things from the client and he’s requested a few additional bits for me which I’ll get to next week.
We also continued our work with brain cancer nonprofit StacheStrong - finishing up the designs, and gathering last bits of info before we move onto build next week. The client presented the designs to the board this week and they loved it so happy days.
We’re also working with another brain cancer nonprofit, Glioblastoma Research Organization to get them prepped for brain cancer awareness month in May, we’ve made some cool t-shirts and designed some invites for a padel event in New York City to help raise funds.
I’ve also started the website research phase for a new project The Nonprofit Marketing Co. This is the most important part of the project, it allows me to research and develop some cool and different ideas that we can implement on the site.
To end the week we went to the hockey, we saw Calgary Flames beat the Boston Bruins in sudden death, it was a great game.
Will ran a half marathon called the hypothermic half which lived up to it’s name and I spent the weekend in 2 different tattoo studios getting some new flash pieces from two awesome tattoo artists!
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