I've been a busy little bee lately. I don't know if it's the Whole 30 energy I've gotten or what, but I finally made ANOTHER change to my blog I've been meaning to make to Blog Clarity… an updated logo!
If you remember, when I first launched my blog, I revealed this logo and header:
I knew it was pretty busy-looking and not perfect, but liked it regardless. However, after a while, my simplistic side just couldn't overlook the busyness. So I simplified it and reintroduced the header like this:
You all gave me lots of feedback as to how much better you liked it. Yay! But one thing's been nagging me since then: the script font.
You guys, I looked high, low, and sideways before I found that script font. And I REALLY loved it when I chose it. It's called Moonface Script. While I still like it for many, many things, it has some technical issues in the ligatures (how the letters connect) and I was never crazy about the capital letters (they looked like a baseball team logo). Note: Sounds like the creator updated the font so maybe the ligature issue is fixed, but I'm in love with my new font so switched anyway!
If you've taken Media Kit Smash or Content Brew, you've probably noticed that at bigger sizes the font does this (notice the i and a):
With all that in the back of my mind, I've been leaning towards something more handbrushed but honestly didn't have time to look around more than just a little.
Luckily, my new font just dropped into my lap.
Down the Font Rabbit Hole
A couple of weeks ago I got my usual Creative Market email and when I opened it up I saw this beauty on sale for just $12!
Before I bought it, I tested Manhattan Darling with all my course names, with my blog name, with blogging words, and even with words from older Pinterest images I'd make using Moonface Script. Lowercase, uppercase I did it all. The verdict?
PERFECT.
And of course, when it comes to fonts, I kept going down the rabbit hole and re-did my main three fonts. I've never loved how Museo Slab looked as my headings and I really like Museo Sans, but it doesn't seem to bold correctly in Chrome. Plus, I figured if I was changing this much, I should use a favorite font I've kinda stalked for a long time: Brandon Grotesque.
It's probably the most streamlined and gorgeous font ever to exist (says me the font nerd). And according to MyFonts.com, it's their most popular font. Since I use TypeKit (free with my monthly subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud), I get the web version free. So I installed that and then got a couple of typefaces for print so I could do various design elements in Photoshop.
I changed my body copy and headers to this font, but I'm still playing with weights and sizes so this still might change a bit!
And finally, I've been using Lulo Clean for quite a while now but decided to integrate it into my blog logo. I got it for a STEAL at $9 (it's now $49).
It's a widely-spaced font so I do adjust the kerning sometimes (the space between letters), but I love this font's flexibility for design. While it mirrors Brandon Grotesque in a lot of ways, I still find they can complement each other when used in the right weights.
The Results
So with all that in mind, I created a new logo:
You might also notice the “Bright Ideas for Brilliant Bloggers” tagline in my header is gone. Why? It just looked too crowded. So I reworded the right side of my header to say “Tips, tutorials, and e-courses for brilliant bloggers.”
Along with the change to my header, I updated the sidebar images with the Welcome and my headshot. So far, so good!
Aaaaand, I've also been making changes to another part of Blog Clarity, which I'll be introducing you too REAL soon.
With a new header and all that jazz, I updated this little graphic so please give it a pin!
Design Takeaways
Thanks for listening to my ramble of the behind-the-scenes process of my design update! I figure that the more you know about the design process, the better you can apply the knowledge to your own designs, whether it's a logo or a pinnable image. So after all that geeky font and design talk, remember this:
- If you don't love something about your site, change it. Don't worry that your readers will think you're flakey. It's YOUR brand and you're stuck with it for the long haul, so you might as well be happy with your choice.
- Before you purchase fonts, play with it A LOT. I know to do this (I even mention it in my book), but even still my first script font choice didn't work out. Use the website's type tester to try out your blog name, relevant words you'd use in design elements or pinnable images, and so on. Also use a uppercase and lowercase so make sure you like individual letters.
- Ask for feedback from a small group. This isn't something you want to post to your Facebook page because you'll get potentially 15 different responses. Show your logo ideas to a small group for feedback. That's how the diamond above my “i” ended up tilted- it was a suggestion from a friend.
Have you tweaked your blog design lately? Been planning to?
This post contains affiliate links in case you want to fall in love with some fonts.
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Hey- I'm Melissa! I'm a mom, side hustler, online course instructor, and brand marketer. I run a 6-figure blog helping online biz owners find their a-ha moments with can-do tips, tutorials, and online courses. I also work at Burt's Bees as the assistant manager of Brand Engagement (yep, it's as cool as it sounds). Jump start your biz productivity with my free worksheet!
I’ve just changed my blog logo and layout today as well! I’m loving the vibrant colors in yours though – makes me happy just looking at it! 🙂 I kept mine plain black & white.
http://www.coquettishmish.com
But it’s so clean and pretty! I think you did an excellent job!
Thanks Melissa! As to you!
Michelle – Your site rocks! It’s a perfect backdrop for the images you use. Quiet background with pops of emotion via the pics. Your artistic talent is evident. Your About page tells a compelling story. Very well done.
Thank you so much Christine, I’m glad you think so highly of the layout and it is much thanks to an amazing template designer who helped build it. 🙂
http://www.coquettishmish.com
You’re always up to something clever! I loved hearing how you went thru the design process. I am not “in love” with my blog header but when I went thru the design process with the person I hired, they kept limiting me to only fonts that were “web safe” so I couldn’t use a lot of the fonts I wanted. What are your thoughts on that b/c I had seen some of these fonts in my travels and was told “no”. 🙁
I’d love to have a redo done sometime soon – the only reason I put it off is that I have to hire out and also b/c I am really not sure what I want to do! 🙂 But I will be thinking about your strategies here as I go.
PS: On my ipad, the “Tips…” part overlays the logo… just FYI
Thanks for the heads-up! I know that but didn’t have a chance to fix it yet.
As for web-safe fonts, a LOT has changed in that regard over the years. So what she’s saying hasn’t been true for a long time. 🙂 Basically it used to be that a site can only render a font if you had it on your computer. So all computers come with the same, basic web fonts (though Macs and PCs do vary a bit). However, now you’ve got things like TypeKit and Google Webfonts which host the font for you so people don’t have to have that font installed to see if correctly on your web page. In addition, you can use ANY font with a little CSS @font-face coding. Font Squirrel lets you create the webfont kits as long as the font you’re uploaded is licensed for web use. http://www.fontsquirrel.com/tools/webfont-generator.
Hope that helps!
It does help a lot – I will keep these thoughts in mind! TY
Love your logo and color choices. Really stands out and communicates that “strong” feeling. Bravo!
Looks amazing Melissa. Thanks for sharing the process. Job well done 🙂
Very nice. I just changed my header as well for something a bit cleaner…I really love it.
Love it! Manhattan Darling has been my recent fav. If you have an interest in fonts, you may love the current DesignCuts deal. It includes Manhattan Darling and Lulo, but it’s still a great deal even if you already have those 2 fonts.
Here’s the link: http://www.designcuts.com/design-cuts-deals/21-best-selling-beautiful-fonts
I LOVE how your logo looks! I have changed mine a few times but I haven’t really found anything that “fit” me just yet.
I recently used Picmonkey to redesign my blog header/logo. I had started out using the same header design that came with the theme I purchased on Etsy when I began. It feels like I own it now instead of borrowing what someone else made.
Love the new logo. I was just changing things around on my blog last week!
I love reading your about your design process. Love the new logo btw! Creative Market is the best for finding design inspiration & whatnot. Thanks for sharing!! I think I may just have to give my blog logo a little redesign.
“If you don’t love something about your site, change it. Don’t worry that your readers will think you’re flakey. It’s YOUR brand and you’re stuck with it for the long haul, so you might as well be happy with your choice.”
Love this advice. I’, working on a new blog design, wanting everything to be *just so* before I launch, but this gives me a little nudge to just get it out there…and continue with all the little changes that I want to make.
Kortney – Like you, I felt like I needed my site to be *just so* before I launched.
I’m a perfectionist, and I tweaked and tweaked. But I wasn’t launching. Eventually, I had to pull the trigger.
It’s a big o’ dose of vulnerability when you create something for all the interwebs to see. But you gotta just do it!
Guy Kawasaki, a Fellow at Apple, wrote in his book The Art of the Start, “The hardest thing about getting started is getting started… Don’t wait to develop the perfect product or service. Good enough is good enough. There will be plenty of time for refinement later. It’s now how great you start, but how great you end up.”
My mantra: Say a prayer. Hit publish.
This are really good tips and information as I am in the process or start a blog. Like so much your blog, why I didn’t found you before? So much information and knowledge in one place. Thanks so much! Keep up the good job.
Janise – I agree! Melissa is a tall drink of water in the Start-Up Dessert! You should get her book. It’s a super handy reference guide.
Thank you so much for sharing the behind the scenes look at your process and decision making. I’ve always LOVED your honesty and transparency.
It’s extremely helpful to hear your stories, which remind us that we aren’t alone (or crazy! ;-), and it’s ok if you don’t love everything about your site…. AND it’s absolutely normal (dare I say acceptable?!) to make changes.
I’m in the process of changing my site. I’m never 100% satisfied with it. What bugs me the most right now is the copy. And the domain name. And, and, and… LOL!
And, oh, how I hear you about the rabbit hole.
I’m a perfectionist who gets stuck in analysis paralysis mode and tweak way too much. Tweakness is my weakness! I need a Perfectionistic Anonymous meeting STAT!
Your book, blog, and training give me the knowledge (and more importantly the courage) to just put it out there. Regardless if it isn’t perfect. And knowing it’s all a work in progress. Heck, life is a work in progress. I need a permanent “UNDER CONSTRUCTION” sign hanging over my head. 😉
Speaking of construction… One of my favorite tools for selecting a color palette is http://www.Paletton.com. Really dumbs down the color wheel for artistically challenged folks like me!