Blog Redesign - 2nd Rising

It's so easy to look at something and say, this or that should be different. However, it's not always easy to bring your ideas to life.

A lot of folks have a try -try -until you get it right approach--and frankly I do at times too-- but more often I try a methodical and creative approach.

What's that mean exactly? As a designer, I love the chance to get my hands on a variety of projects, even ones I know little about. The joy, for me,  in a redesign is in:

•  the research of an industry, 
• selecting colors that compliment my subject
• creating typographic styles that speak without images
• and bringing this all together in an elegant finished product.

That being said, I seriously jumped in blind in working on this site. Fortunately Chekejai trusts me to deliver the goods in the end.  Here are some pics to illustrate this process.

Note the starting point. Step two saw me use all the Blogger tools at my disposal in an attempt to create something that they don't offer. The bokeh pattern is lovely, but not for this project.

Then I took a day off and worked on my mounting to-do list on my desktop before revisiting 2nd Rising. After I got some work done I went back through the older blog posts. I read the mission and vision and let them sink in. Who is the audience, who contributes to this blog, who will follow this author--even if 2nd Rising switches platforms--I found the answers hidden in plain site. 

Here, I'm getting closer, but not at the finish line yet.

2nd Rising offers a  forum for African American artists to collaborate and share; to learn and experience their various forms of art.

Eureka! A bit of illustrator magic, and some more careful thought brought me to the final stage. I'm happy with the way the page looks, and I think my final tweak will be to sit down with a Hex Color guide and get the Post Background the perfect shade and Bob's your uncle  (as they say).