Simply Amusing Designs

I had been following the blog crumbs of Michelle Kemper Brownlow on her personal blog, My Semblance of Sanity,(an amazingly talented artist who has a passion for cancer kids) for the last few months and when she shouted for design help on her up-and-coming blog, I was only too happy to raise my hand and ask if I could be the one to do it. If you’ve never visited her personal blog – I urge you to do so. She is so talented and real (she’s a writer as well as an illustrator, so it stands to reason) and I was just so attracted to the project because it’s such a fantastic cause.

Without further ado, I introduce you to “It’s 4 The Kids“, a site for Pediatric Cancer and Awareness. It was such an honor to work with her – and I think I made a fabulous new friend – it makes me kind of sad that the project is over…but that’s how it goes!

Click on over there and check out the cause. Meet the kids – once you do, you’ll probably never be the same again.

I’ve already explained what branding is, now let’s discuss the different ways Simply Amusing Designs can help you brand your blog, shall we?

The first step is to define WHAT it is that stands out about you and describes your blog the best. This is where a logo of some sort helps. For instance, on my personal blog, I drew a blue bird that represents both my outlook and writing style as well as helping to bring a unique look that screams “me” – and I even carried it over to this design blog because it already had “recognition” value. When someone sees that blue bird, my goal is that they think of “Karen from Simply A Musing Blog“. Several terrific examples of “branding” on other blogs that you are probably already familiar with are found on my friend Megan’s blog “Fried Okra” (How can you see a piece of okra and not think of her?) and Melanie’s product review blog “Chili Tried” (hello? her nickname is Chili and everytime I see the groucho glasses in the Dollar Tree, I think of her). THAT is branding at its best. Recognition.

So how are we going to get you there, now that you’ve got your own blog? In addition to a quality blog design, there are several ways you can do it:

Blog business cards are one of the easiest ways to promote your blog because you can include them in all of your mailings (cards, giveaways, etc) and hand them out to your friends and family. You can include up to 5 lines of information on your blogger card (even combine it with a mom card and include your children’s names) and I will custom design it to match your existing template or one of your choice…all for only $30! The best part of the whole process (if you ask me) is that I send the .jpg image to you so that you have control over how many you want to print, how often and whether you want to do it yourself or have it professionally done.

Blog Buttons are another great way to brand and promote your blog. You can use your blog button in your email messages, (and link it where else but directly to your blog!?) on message boards, and to swap links with other bloggers for cross promoting. For an investment of only $20, you can advertise anywhere you like with a button. What are you waiting for?!

Blog Banners can be created to advertise your blog on other websites and webrings such as Blog Explosion. They are generally made to look like ads and are linked back to your blog. The key to an effective Blog Banner is capturing the attention of the reader so they want to actually click on that banner to see your blog – so a fun tagline that describes what you’re all about is always a great way to accomplish that.

Finally, I’d like to introduce another way you can promote your blog. Through a Cafe Press store — you can see mine here. One important note about that – although Cafe Press is free, you may not sell copyrighted images in your store without an extended license. So that is something you need to consider before embarking on that project. On the other hand, it can be really fun to give out coffee mugs, t-shirts and such as giveaways on your blog based the design I create for you. If this is something that interests you, email me for a quote on getting you set up with that.

If you haven’t already subscribed to this blog, you really need to! Just click on the “subscribe” button on the right side over there to add it to your feed reader so you don’t miss any of those updates!

The past week has seen me working on three separate designs, none of which I can unveil as of yet because the content is not there or not ready, or as in the case of Vita Familiae, there’s bugs to work out.

I’ve learned this week that not all templates are built the same. Of course, anyone who installs and edits css templates knows that, but I really had my hiney kicked this week and had to call in the pro – my client’s husband. Nothing makes you feel more inadequate as an “expert” not to be able to “fix” something so that it’s perfect for the client. I had never “installed” a header that was not hosted on Wordpress and learned quite a bit this week via trial and error. So if you’re a Wordpress user and you want a new header? Be assured I’m going to have a look at your template first to make sure it’s coded properly.

Lora and Andrew have been beyond FABULOUS to work with – and I was really excited about how it all came together.

Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to Lora and Andrew from Vita Familiae:

Networking at its finest!

Tell your friends and acquaintances about your blog with a set of our custom blog cards, designed directly from your header or blog template to assist in the branding of your blog. Include them in notes and mailings or just hand them out. It’s one of the easiest and most affordable ways to promote that blog you are working so hard on!

Below are a few of the cards I have done for clients that are made to match their blogs, to give you an idea of the versatility and styles I offer (some names and email addresses blurred to protect privacy):

How it Works:

Custom Blog Cards are designed based on your existing header and template, or if you wish, I can create a whole new look for you from the ground up. I create all blog and business cards within Adobe Photoshop and a .jpg is generated and delivered via email.

You have the choice of  printing your cards yourself or you may choose from a variety of online services where you can upload your image and have them print your cards and mail them to you!  Ask me about my affiliates discount – I’m usually able to get 250 cards for a very nominal fee and I’ll be happy to share the information with you.

Price: $45
Get started now and get a brand for your blog by clicking on the “Inquiry” tab located in the top bar!