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! 🙂
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.)
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.
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?
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)
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!
Two Crafty Ladies 
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