We have been working with OperationHEATJAC, manufacturer of a unique heated garment for use in the O.R, for some years now. In that time they have extended their product offering to different markets. These changes have meant a slight restructuring of the business, which now operates under the name of HEATJAC with three divisions, OperationHEATJAC, HEATJAC for Motorsports and HEATJAC for Outdoors.
Time for a branding refresh!
We kicked off by tweaking the original company logo whose original design worked equally as well in a shortened version.
The website was also refreshed to better reflect the three division with an updated home page, new navigation and dedicated division shopping pages. The site was also moved to a different domain heatjac.com
I have said it before but I will say it again, web redesign projects are so satisfying. It’s something about breathing new life into the old and worn, giving it shape, presence and function to do battle in today’s business environment.
I have been working with Heartstation, providers of AED cabinets, for some time now and was delighted when they hired me to revamp their website which dated back to 2006! The internet technology available since that time has come a long way.
The redesigned site encompasses a bright,open look and feel with call to actions throughout. It offers a completely responsive experience for the user whether they are visiting from their mobile or a desktop.
Creating an effective brand image for your small business can “up your game” and let you compete with the bigger players in whatever arena you operate.
Are your customers having the same experience however they interact with you, or are they faced with mixed messages a mishmash of graphics and just general confusion?
We have just completed a project for a Chicago based small business, Every Day Feels Great, who came to us looking to create a brand for their wellness business.
The project started with brainstorming a tag line which summed up what they want for their clients. Once the was established we worked it into a very simple text logo.
We then went on to design a business card, a simple one page website and graphics for Facebook.
Consistency is king here. The same color palette, imagery, graphics and voice ensure a flawless branded experience.
Opening a small business is an exciting time but there is nothing like a huge bundle of start up costs to create nervousness. As a result many business owners will try and manage expenditure by keeping things in-house and this often includes them or a family member designing their logo.
While I applaud the effort and entrepreneurship, businesses can run into image problems with a less than professional logo. Aside from a sometimes obvious “home made look” there are various technical issues. Has the logo been designed in a vector format so it can be scaled without loss of detail? Has it been saved in all the file formats you need? There is nothing more irritating than pulling a logo into PowerPoint only to realize that you don’t have it in a format that gives it a transparent background. If you want your logo printed onto t-shirts etc. do you have a format your printer can work with?
The result is that original “free” logo can end up more expensive in the long run as not only does a business owner have to turn to a graphic designer to “get things fixed” but also has the expense of reprinting any business cards, marketing collateral, signage etc.
I have just completed a “please can you fix this” logo project for a Lancaster PA based business, Hands and Heart Therapeutic Bodywork. They were running into issues with their logo in terms of scaling. A complete redesign was off the table as it was originally created by a family member and the client wanted to “tread lightly” and maintain the integrity of the design.
I recreated the hands using much smoother lines and less detail and redesigned the butterfly so it was a lot simpler and more harmonious with the look of the hands.
But this was a little too far removed from the original design for the client who requested the finger detail also be included again, so here is where the re-worked logo ended up.
The entire design was recreated in Adobe Illustrator so it is now completely scalable.
Are you a small business owner whose logo could do with some help? Contact me now, I am Your Creative Partner!
Nothing says a happy customer than one who sends me referrals and this was how I ended up working with Lamira Martin, a referral from a fellow celebrant Ruth Hasser
Lamira was looking to redesign the website for her Celebrant business, Your Ceremony, Your Way . It needed a fresh look and offer her visitors a better experience when accessing the site from a mobile device.
Redesign projects are always so satisfying, here is what the original site looked like.
Lamira was one happy client and here is what she shared on Google reviews
Zoe is an amazing website creator. She listens – From my rambling, she was able to discern a theme, colors, font and images that resonated with my vision for my website. She is patient – After the initial site was created, Zoe was open to any and all changes that I wanted. She is kind – I never felt like the inexperienced techie that I am. She is knowledgeable – Her recommendations, especially re: accepting payment and optimal search avenues were spot-on. I highly recommend ZOE FEAST, website creator EXTRAORDINAIRE!!
Thanks Lamira for such a positive review, you were a pleasure to work with!
You never really know where life is going to take you. When I relocated to Lancaster PA in January 2017 I never in a million years thought, that just a short 20 months later, I would be faced with the massive upheaval of relocating back to the Chicago area. To say I was sad to leave the tranquility and beauty of Lancaster, to the non stop hustle and bustle of the greater Chicago area, is an understatement. I was sad, really sad. But here I am, Indigo Image, the Chicago web and graphic design company is back in town, unpacked and ready for business!
The last few weeks I have been working on a new website for a A-Yo Kitchen, a York PA recipe developer and food photographer. This startup business is the brain child of Alysha Yoder, who has such talent when it comes to preparing, styling and photographing food. I was literally slobbering as each photograph got uploaded to my dropbox.
Alysha wanted a very minimalist look to her web site, where her photographs have the staring role. She had actually picked out a WordPress template before we connected and had dabbled with it on WordPress.com. However as with a lot of templates and the limitations faced when running a website though WordPress.com, she was unable to make it do exactly she wanted to achieve her vision. It needed the magic touch from a professional web designer!
The first thing I did was to get it off WordPress.com and set it up as a self hosted site. If you need multiple plugins and are after a particular functionality it is actually more cost effective to take this route.
Working from Alysha’s sketches,
I brought the site to life. It is actually really useful when a client can provide sketches as it really helps clarify exactly what they are after.
Take a look at it at ayokitchen.com, it will have you slobbering too!
Having an outdated website can harm your business and potentially drive clients away, particularly if they are using a mobile device to visit a site that is not mobile friendly. Why go to all the effort of trying to read tiny text or battling with horizontal scroll bars when maybe your competitors offer a flawless mobile experience. Search engines like Google will always give preference to sites that are mobile friendly over those that are not, so search engines rankings and equity are also affected.
Many small business owners think that making a website mobile friendly requires a complete redesign and are put off by the costs of doing so. However with a careful “under the hood” re-code the look and feel of a site can often remain intact, with the coding giving it the functionality to respond to whatever device is being used to view it.
This is exactly the approach we took to updating the website for a Whytegate Farms, a Chicago based supplier of environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. They were perfectly happy with the look and feel of the site but were looking to make it mobile friendly
Here is the site before
Not mobile friendly – desktop view
Not mobile friendly – Mobile view with horizontal scroll bars
And here is the site after it was re coded so that is responds to what ever device being used to view it.
Mobile Friendly Website- Desktop and Mobile View
Mobile Friendly
Mobile Friendly – Slideout menu
We had to make a few minor design tweaks but overall the look and feel of the site when viewed on a desk top or laptop is the same.
I have been working on a really interesting project over the last few weeks, the branding and marketing of a portable solar generator.
The project involved coming up with a name for their product, developing a brand image and a website.
Product Naming
Understanding the target audience and the unique attributes of the product were key parameters during the research of the name.
Small portable generator
Solar Powered
Water resistant box
Replaceable Batteries
Silent power
Rugged military style box
It was also important that a suitable domain name was available…no easy feat in this day and age where so many domain names are purchased and squat on. Product naming is fascinating and after a considerable groundwork I presented a list of possibilities to the client.
The one they selected was HELIOPACK Solar Generator. Helio originates from the Greek word for the sun – Helios, and pack has connotations of something that is portable and is outdoorsy. I think it fits the product perfectly!
Logo Design
The outdoorsy rugged look was also conveyed with the logo. A strong font was selected for the word HELIOPACK and a “power up” symbol incorporated with in it. The color choices reflect clean energy.
Decal Design
Website
The website was kept simple and bold and there are future plans to add e-commerce. Check it out at HELIOPACKgenerator.com
