We love custom clients who come to us with a clear vision of what they want. Rebecca Perez, from Love Your Day Designs, is one such client and we are excited to have her share with you a little more about herself and how we were able to help turn her blog vision into reality.

I started the blog Love Your Day in October of 2012 & officially debuted my website Love Your Day Designs (which is actually a blog platform) in April 2013.

www.loveyourdaydesignsblog.com | www.loveyourdaydesigns.com

I had just started an event design business, Love Your Day Designs, & wanted to be able to share the pictures of my projects & inspirations behind the designs.  I also love to teach & motivate people so I needed a place to post helpful tools & ideas for brides & party hosts, as well as uplifting content for all my readers.

A separate website was started as a formal place to display my business information, services, product pictures, etc. It was very important to me that my design business have a well designed site!

Looking at the statistics under “views by country” surprises me every time. It’s really cool to see a list of all the different places around the world that have looked at my websites. That’s the beauty of having a presence online, you can be seen across the globe!

Tell us about the design makeover process? How did you choose the colors, fonts and ideas that inspire your personal brand?

I originally hired Designer Blogs to do ALL my business branding – logo, Facebook cover & profile picture, Twitter background, Etsy banner & avatar (shop not open yet), watermark, & the blog’s header title.  Working with Monica was such a wonderful experience that I decided to come back & purchase a full website design.  Her advice to use a WordPress blog platform that looked & functioned like a regular website was a brilliant recommendation, & I couldn’t be happier with the outcome!

My color search began on one of my favorite websites, The Perfect Palette. Here is the palette I chose that started my design journey…

When ordering a logo design from Designer Blogs, usually the process goes like this: they come up with 3 different designs from which you choose & then go from there. However, I knew exactly what I wanted before the process began so I sent Monica sketches & practically wrote a novel explaining my ideas.  I will admit, I was that girl – the total control freak   But I think it’s important to love your branding 100% when you are a business owner because it is what represents you!  Monica was the perfect designer-client pairing, we worked very well together.

Here are a few of my original draft ideas & how the final branding & website turned out thanks to Monica’s awesomeness…

Flower: I knew I wanted the logo shape to be circular & so this flower was born!

Logo:I got a little carried away with the loopiness of the “L” at first And once Monica showed me that pretty lower case font, I was in love & never looked back.

Fb Cover & Pic: My favorite part of the final is the faint gray petals Monica added!

Website: Since I had already been through the branding process, the website was smooth sailing & came together beautifully. As you can see, Monica went above & beyond my expectations!

Google! I did a lot of research trying to find a talented design company that also wouldn’t completely empty my bank account. When I came across Designer Blogs, I knew immediately that I would get amazing results.

I’d like to thank Designer Blogs for absolutely everything, as my entire business identity is a reflection of their incredibly gifted design team! Also, here are the explanations behind two of my main blog categories. I hope that you will check it out & enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing & sharing

The Little Things: Love your day is referring to loving every detail, feeling & aspect of your special celebration, whether it’s your wedding day, birthday, baby shower, etc.  But it doesn’t have to end with these occasional events. It is my personal philosophy to love EVERY day by paying attention to & celebrating “the little things” in life. So here is a glimpse into my every day, & all those little things that inspire me to do what I love.

Love Your Monday: Mondays are infamous for being the least loved day of the week so it is my goal to help start the week off with happy inspiration & motivation. Let’s break the bad rap that Monday has been given…here’s to loving our Mondays!

Thanks so much Rebecca! It was a pleasure working with you!

Be sure to follow Rebecca below:

BLOG: www.loveyourdaydesignsblog.com

WEBSITE: www.loveyourdaydesigns.com

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/loveyourdaydesigns

TWITTER: www.twitter.com/loveyourartist

PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/loveyourday

INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/loveyourday

LOVER.LY: www.lover.ly/loveyourdaydesigns

EMAIL: rebecca@loveyourdaydesigns.com

The post Featured Client: Love Your Day Designs appeared first on Blog Design, Custom Blog Design, Pre-made Blog Design - Designer Blogs.

1) Find a photograph or image that interests you.

This does not have to be an image you’re actually planning on using on your blog, but it should be an image you find visually pleasing or, if you’re designing for a client, that somehow adheres to any brand colors or to their imagery guidelines. Keep in mind the way it makes you feel, as the colors in this image can subconsciously inform tone and mood wherever they’re placed.

Once you have an image, pull one or two of the dominant colors from this image and place them together on your blog. If you like what you see, add other colors into the mix as accent colors. These can be used sparingly in areas where you want emphasis. Continue to mix the colors around until you find a combination that’s visually pleasing.

Two tools to use for this strategy
1. If you’ve already got a reference image that is on your computer, there is an online resource called Pictaculous, which allows you to upload a photo to find a palette that works best with the uploaded image, then obtain the generated color palette through RGB and HEX values, Adobe swatch files, email and more. This will provide a great start if you already have imagery chosen for your blog.

2. If you don’t have the image but want to focus on a certain color, try the Shutterstock Color Spectrum. By using a simple slider, you can pick and choose stock photography to sync with any color scheme you might have in mind. You can also use keywords to help search for the perfect imagery for your concept. One of the nicest things about using a tool like this is that it takes you more directly through what will be the consumer’s experience of any imagery you choose, helping you to better target your audience and choose web-safe colors.

2) Use an online color palette generator.

If you need a little more guidance right off the bat, use an online color palette generator and let the math do the work for you! These sites can be helpful when you need to see a visual representation of your color palette and quickly translate the color values you see for online use.

Two resources for this strategy
1. Kuler, one of the original color palette resources run by Adobe. Users can create custom color palettes that are downloadable and rated by others in the community. If you have an Adobe ID, or sign up for one (it’s free), you can then download these swatches for use with any Adobe product.

2. ColourLovers, a huge color inspiration site that allows you to find colors, patterns and palettes based upon channels, trends, and more. Through their “Colors” link, you can instantly see the HEX and RGB values for the colors you like, or select the color and create a palette or pick stock photography that leverages the same color.

Remember not to focus on only your “favorite” colors, but rather to use them as a starting place from which to expand. You might begin, for instance with [blue] add a neutral color or two, then try non-typical colors to help give a well-rounded variety of values.

3) Look at blogs or websites that address the same subject matter as yours.

Finding a sampling of websites that have similar topics can reveal a common thread in the colors used to represent them.

For example, if we were to create a blog on cooking, we might take a look at Food Network, Epicurious, or AllRecipes. While they are uniquely different in design, we can see that there is a dominance of red, green, and orange – three colors that could (theoretically) be borrowed from an image of food:

Knowing that these colors are inspired by food and have also been successful when used on other recipe sites can help validate and determine a good starting point for your color scheme.

4) Draw from the basic principles of color theory.

If you’ve taken an art class, chances are you’ve seen a color wheel.
 

While this may look complicated, a color wheel helps us understand which colors work together. As a refresher, the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) can be mixed together to create the secondary colors (violet, orange, and green). Complementary colors are any three colors that sit side-by-side on the color wheel, while contrasting colors are ones opposite each other (i.e. red and green).

To choose a color scheme for your blog, start with color values that complement each other, and add a color that contrasts to see what happens. You may be surprised what comes out of experimentation!

Take-Away

Finding the perfect color scheme for your blog can seem like an intimidating prospect at first, but with these four methods, it’s really not so hard. In fact, the process of searching for your color can inspire even the written tone and voice for your blog, as well as your content. So dig in, have fun, and make those colors pop!

The post 4 Tips for Finding the Perfect Color Scheme for Your Blog appeared first on Blog Design, Custom Blog Design, Pre-made Blog Design - Designer Blogs.

So without further ado, let’s introduce you to Kami…

How long have you been blogging?
I’m definitely newer to the blogging world.  I’ve only been officially blogging for a few months.

What made you decide to start a blog?
I’m passionate and opinionated about health and have been educating myself on the topic for years.  I have a realistic, everyone-can-do-this viewpoint on health, and I’ve learned lots through trial and error.

What has been the biggest unexpected perk or bonus of your site and being online?
The greatest perk has been the overwhelming support and excitement about the content on my site.  I’m pumped to continue sharing recipes, tips, and healthy substitutes!

Tell us about the design makeover process? How did you choose the colors, fonts and ideas that inspire your personal brand?
I couldn’t be more pleased with my design process.  I wanted a bright, happy, and inviting site that was user friendly.  My designer, Erin, did an amazing job involving me in the process.  She was quick to respond to my requests and changes colors, font, and format until my site was exactly how I wanted it. Thank you, Designer Blogs!

How did you find / hear about Designer Blogs?
Through the owner, Erin.

Anything else you want people to know about you or your blog?
If you want to be motivated, reminded, encouraged, or gently (sometimes not so gently) pushed in the direction of healthy living, read my blog.

Thanks so much Kami! It was a pleasure working with you!
Be sure to visit Kami over at No Diets allowed and follow her at the social media pages below!

The post Featured Client: No Diets Allowed appeared first on Blog Design, Custom Blog Design, Pre-made Blog Design - Designer Blogs.

Chrissy Teesdale!

Do you want to win a free Blogger template or WordPress Template?

To enter, simply add Designer Blogs to one of your Google+ circles and/or like us on Facebook (see sidebar) and you’ll be automatically entered to win!

Good Luck!

The post March’s Exclusive Giveaway Winner appeared first on Blog Design, Custom Blog Design, Pre-made Blog Design - Designer Blogs.

This printable is available as an 8×10 or as a 12×12, so the possibilities are endless! Have fun with it and if you decide to download it and use it somewhere, I would love if you would share a photo of how you used it on our Facebook page.

Also, if you’re not already, be sure to follow us on Google + to be entered in to our monthly drawing for a free $15 Blogger or $25 WordPress Template. The drawing is at the beginning of every month, so be sure and follow, QUICK!

The post Itsy Bitsy Spider | FREE Printable appeared first on Blog Design, Custom Blog Design, Pre-made Blog Design - Designer Blogs.

One of the best and easiest ways to begin monitoring and tracking your site, is by setting up a Google Analytics account. Below we’ve provided a super helpful interactive guide to Google Analytics. It’s chalk full of articles, videos and other resources to help you get the most out of this pretty extensive program.

We encourage you to take some time and check it out!

Click image to open interactive version (via Simply Business).

We have a few tutorials on our site to help you with Google Analytics as well:

Reinstalling Google Analytics

Installing Google Analytics

Hope you’re having a great day! Toodles!

The post Understanding Google Analytics appeared first on Blog Design, Custom Blog Design, Pre-made Blog Design - Designer Blogs.

WordPress templates are finally here–wahoo!

We have had many, many requests for WordPress templates so we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to make it happen for you and are excited to announce that WordPress Templates are now available in our new WordPress Template shop for only $25!

Our WordPress templates are great because not only do you get a fabulous looking design, but you can install it to your site within minutes of purchasing. Instant gratification!  Plus you can always visit our add-on shop after you’ve installed your design to purchase items that will further customize your design.

Here’s a look at some of our new template designs for WordPress:

These are only a few of many new designs, plus we will be continually adding more, so keep checking in on our $25 WordPress Template Shop often to see what’s new!

Please note: these designs are for self-hosted WordPress.org sites only and will not work if installed to WordPress.com sites.

The post Introducing: WordPress Templates! appeared first on Blog Design, Custom Blog Design, Pre-made Blog Design - Designer Blogs.

The post How to Add to Your Blog Roll List appeared first on Blog Design, Custom Blog Design, Pre-made Blog Design - Designer Blogs.

Allison Miller!

Do you want to win a free Blogger template?

To enter, simply add Designer Blogs to one of your Google+ circles and/or like us on Facebook (see sidebar) and you’ll be automatically entered to win!

Good Luck!

The post February’s Exclusive Giveaway Winner appeared first on Blog Design, Custom Blog Design, Pre-made Blog Design - Designer Blogs.

Janica Rogers!

Do you want to win a free Blogger template?

To enter, simply add Designer Blogs to one of your Google+ circles and/or like us on Facebook (see sidebar) and you’ll be automatically entered to win!

Good Luck!

The post January’s Exclusive Giveaway Winner appeared first on Blog Design, Custom Blog Design, Pre-made Blog Design - Designer Blogs.