The process of designing a logo can be difficult as well as fun. Once I get to talk with a client about the goals and purpose of their company or organization, I can begin to develop a brand concept.

For this particular logo from the Legacy School of Ministry, the client wanted to communicate their slogan, “It’s not what you take, but what you leave behind.” The purpose of Legacy is to educate and train young adults for a life of ministry; a life of serving others and sharing the gospel. Legacy is aimed at confronting a generation deep in consumption and teaching them the value of giving.

Knowing these important values of the Legacy School of Ministry, I knew that their logo needed to meet a couple of requirements:

First, it needed to be something that would visually appeal to a younger audience. I wanted to use fresh colors, fonts and imagery that wouldn’t feel stuffy, too trendy, or outdated to someone graduating high school.

Second, I wanted the logo to represent the concept of this ministry having an effect on people. The final solution, after numerous mock-ups, was a water drop leaving a ripple. After the droplet hits a puddle, the droplet itself is no longer recognizable, but the effect of it’s contact with the puddle is noticed as a ripple that extends outward beyond it’s initial point of impact.

The final result:

While expecting my son’s arrival, I had the rare opportunity to design an entire room from scratch (as well as 9 months worth of time). I scoured the internet for days trying to find design inspiration and one theme kept popping out at me. I fell in LOVE with the idea of a grey nursery accented with bright pops of color. I also loved that this idea could work for either a girl or a boy. AND I was on a mission to make this happen ON THE CHEAP, which meant that I had a lot of DIY projects in my future.

We bought our house just a couple of months before our son’s due date and here’s a picture of what we had to start with:

It’s amazing what paint and well-placed curtains can do to make a room look bigger! Here’s the after:

As I mentioned, my goal was to design this room for as little money as possible so here are some of the ways I saved a little cash:

DIY Mobile: yarn, Styrofoam balls, fishing wire, dowels

Vintage toy found at a flea market, thrift store picture frame spray painted white, my husband’s first guitar hung on the wall.

Inexpensive lamp from Target covered with fabric, cross-stitch frames bought for $2 at a thrift store painted white and vibrant pieces of fabric placed in them, handmade curtains from Ikea fabric (they have GREAT prices!), a free hand-me-down chair, an ottoman picked up from the “as-is” section at Ikea, felt hand-made pennant, and a runner for the dresser also made from Ikea fabric. A side note: I hung the curtains to the side of the window rather than in front of it. By doing this, the window looks wider than it is and makes the room look bigger.

I also incorporated some antique finds like this little ceramic planter that I think is some sort of goat/pig combination and this little horse rocker that I bought from a photographer’s prop sale. *By the way, if you’d like to see some of her AMAZING photography, check it out here.*

And of course, my Parker Dog is a permanent fixture in this room as he loves sleeping in the big chair when he gets a chance.

It’s so fun to watch my son grow and begin enjoying the different aspects of this room. Right now, at 11 weeks old, he stares wide-eyed at the mobile and enjoys walks around the room to look at the different wall hangings. We have to remember that as cute or stylish as we want our child’s room to be, it has to function for them and nurture healthy development. I think this design will do the trick…at least for a little while.

This business card was designed for a dear friend, and church-planter, who was in need of a way to connect with people in a new city.

He wanted something clean, simple and memorable. I chose to make it oh-so-manly with my use of dark grey and a vibrant blue. I also followed the infamous KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Someone holding this card will know exactly how to get in touch with Erik.

By the way, if you want to learn more about his ministry in Pittsburgh and how YOU can be a part, check out his Diary of a Church Planter blog.

So often I am presented with projects that have a ton of text to incorporate. Now considering that I myself don’t enjoy reading TONS of copy in anything but a book, I have to navigate my way to a solution that will create a final piece that both gets the information to the viewer that my client wants and functions in an aesthetically pleasing way.

How do I do this? Well, my solution will vary from project to project, but for this course catalog I did the following:

1. I worked with the client to edit down the content. Once we have weeded unnecessary text out of the draft, we can move on to the design process.

2. Next, I determined how much space I had to work with. I was able to negotiate the client into doing a 4-page brochure which gave me more room than a standard tri-fold would.

3. Then I figured out how to present the text in a visually pleasing way. You can always find me nerding out with the task of organizing information. It’s a simple pleasure I have and look at it as a kind of puzzle. I ask myself: How can I say this visually and simply?

4. Finally I tweak the aesthetics until everything comes together to be pleasing to the eye without overwhelming it. My solution here was to use a single vibrant color against grey-scale images. By doing this, the eye knows exactly where to go.

This project was so fun to work on and I am thankful to say that it helped increase the church’s small-group enrollment to over 200 people. Success!

I recently found some old photographs and contact sheets from the black and white photography class I took in college. It was fun to see the portraits I developed of myself and my future husband.

The best part was finding the images of my mother that I, for some reason, chose not to develop. I absolutely love looking at images of her. She is such a gorgeous woman who has never been caught up in artificial beauty, but always looks radiant in her natural self.

There is something magnificent about her smile and her silliness that I have always longed to emulate. The tiny images shown here are just snapshots of the qualities that have shaped my entire life. Love you mom!