Never Satisfied July 17, 2008

So…yeah…I know I had decided on a banner.  But I hadn’t even really launched my shop yet and I wasn’t completely happy with it.  So, last night, I started from scratch.  I think I’m almost there.  One more night’s work and I’ll be satisfied with it, me thinks.  But, then again, I’ve thought that before.  I suppose we’re never fully satisfied with things we produce, are we?  There’s always something we want to look better…

Meanwhile, have you all seen this list of the 100 new classic books (1983-2008)?   It’s pretty interesting.  There are things on there that I knew would be (i.e. Kite Runner, The Road), and then there were ones I was rather shocked by (i.e. DaVinci Code, Bridget Jones’ Diary).  I was sad a few of my favorites didn’t make the list.  I think Time Traveler’s Wife and Water for Elephants are definitely some of my favorite books of recent times.  What would be on your list?  Here are the top 20 from the EW.com list to get the ideas flowing:

1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars’ Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)

I’m going to try to make my way thru the books on the list that I haven’t read yet.  I read Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (#30) last weekend.  It was good…not top of my list though.  Now I’m on On Beauty (#19), which will be followed by Blindness (#12) once Hubby is done with it.  I’m kind of scared to read that one, but the movie is coming out soon and it has Julianne Moore AND Mark Ruffalo….so I’m definitely going to want to see that…and you have to read the books first, right?

Alright, on that note, I leave you with a sneak peak of things to come in terms of my branding.  Night, night!

Ollie & Junebug: Moo Card Designs! April 16, 2008

So I spent last night working on some Ollie & Junebug business cards.  I want to be able to use them for regular purposes but also as thank you’s and hello’s on my packages.  Here is what I have so far in terms of designs (click to see larger version):

        

Are they too simple?  I’ll add product shots or something in the future probably, but I was thinking it might be a good idea to focus on branding to start.  What do you think?

The Ollie & Junebug Shop Takes Over April 12, 2008

Well, the husband is off to the Emerald Isle for a while so I’ve taken over the house with all things Ollie & Junbug.  My goal is to get 12 pillows done by the time he gets back.  A lot, I know, but I might as well go for it while I can!  I’m also trying a new art project to tie in with the pillows, so we’ll see how that goes.  Oh, I saw Amy Butler card sets at Michael’s today!  I was like…”I have that fabric and that one”…very cool!  I wonder if she has more than just that or if she’s going to soon.

Anyway, I grabbed some lovely orange and grey packaging items…along with a few random things for my pillows.  Hopefully this will be a very productive week for the shop!

ollie & junebug banner: i think i’m closer… March 9, 2008

Thank you for all your advice, thankyouenjoy!  You said the version you ended up on for your banner made you happy when you looked at it…and I definitely felt happier when I looked at the grey, white, and orange color scheme, so I went back to that.  I added texture to the grey background via a pic of cardstock as you suggested.  I also used the white flower and incorporated it into the left little logo part.  I think I’m getting a lot closer.  So, below please find round THREE! 🙂

ollie, junebug, and the ever evolving banner March 8, 2008

Okay, so I’m working on my banner yet again today.  I wish I was bit more capable when it comes to photoshop (ugh).  I did find a photo that I took in New Orleans to add to the background for some texture.  I tried a new color, too.

I really want to get a condensed “o&j” incorporated into it, that I can pull and put on small tags and such, but I’m not sure that this simple version in a square is appealing enough.  Thoughts?  (Once again, click on the banner to view it full-sized.)

Etsy Survey Results March 7, 2008

So, in the Storque they have the results of the latest Etsy survey.  Here are some snippets, but you should definitely check out the full article here.

Keep blogging:  Lots of buyers find out about Etsy through blogs.  To be exact, 26% find out about Etsy on blogs and 17% find out about the handmade products they buy on blogs.  The good news is 51% of the sellers who responded to the survey participate in blogging.

Use Etsy Mini: Almost all people who use Etsy mini (40% of total sellers) find it a valuable tool for promoting their shops.  So if you haven’t already, add an Etsy mini to your blog. 

Consider using category showcases:  Buyers found Category Showcases an important feature and frequently use category pages, the second most likely way to search for items on Etsy.

Showcase the uniqueness of your items:  Buyers shop on Etsy primarily to find unique items, because they value handmade goods and they want to support independent artists.  Buyers, and 80% of all respondents, are also willing to pay more for high quality, well crafted items. 

Ollie & Junebug Banner: Take One

Below is where I am currently with my banner.  I was trying to keep a neutral color (or two) involved in the color scheme because my products will be all different colors.  Then I wanted something brighter to pop against that.  I’m sure I’ll do fifty more versions, but I thought I’d share where I was so far!  I used the font that Satin Taffy and Stoopidgerl picked out from the Font Time post.  It’s cut off a bit on the right (just a grey area), so click on the banner to see the banner in all its glory.

I think there needs to be more of a texture to the background.  It’s just toooooo grey, right?  Thoughts?

Choosing Colors March 4, 2008

Since I was thinking about fonts and colors, I did some digging around in Etsy to see what kind of advice they give.  I found this great article that gives ideas about how to use color to enhance your shop.  Here’s a snippet for your reading pleasure:

Creating a Mood with Color

 Colors can be carefully combined to create a mood within your shop to complement the type of items you are selling.

• If you are selling delicate, feminine items, you may want to use a soft color palette such as white, yellow and pink.

• If you are looking to make a bold statement, you can use a warm color palette like yellow, red and orange. These colors have been shown to raise a person’s heart rate and create excitement.

• A shop selling vintage items, or items with a vintage feel may want to use a color scheme that was popular within the era the items are from or inspired by. For example, if you want your shop to have a 1970’s feel, you might want to use avocado green, brown and mustard yellow.

• Using a cool color palette can complement a shop filled with eco-friendly products very nicely since the cool colors like blue, green and grey are most commonly found in nature.

• If your shop items incorporate a broad range of colors, you can use neutral backgrounds like black and white, silver and grey or tan and gold in order to unify your items. Neutral colors will help draw the focus to your product and make the vibrant color palette within your items stand out.

• Another trick is to create a shop centered around one single background color. This is a great way to brand your shop and create consistency. Take a look at how kinchi.etsy.com’s shop uses bright green in the background of every photo. This gives the shop a fun vibrant feeling which perfectly complements the children’s clothing sold in the shop. (more)

ollie & junebug: font time!

I’m trying to narrow down what fonts I might want to use for my logos/banners, etc., as well as a good color scheme to work off…that I could incorporate into packaging, etc.  I think I know my favorites on this list, but I’ll wait to share until after I get some unbiased opinions from you!