Illustration by Inslee
It was high time for Lemon Stripes to grow up, and I’m excited to be sharing the results of a complete site redesign today. With the help of Victoria (designer) and Lisa (developer), the new and improved Lemon Stripes is alive and kickin’! It feels like a cleaner, more pulled-together, perfectly subtle version of my blog.
But seriously, you guys. How pretty is it????
The process:
I always knew my girl Victoria was talented but I didn’t realize how hyper organized and easy to work with she would be. Every step, every email, and every communication had clear action items and due dates so I never felt overwhelmed or worried that something wouldn’t get done.
We started with the easiest and most fun task of all, creating a Pinterest board with images that would inspire the new site. She then took those images, added to them, used words that I sent to her to describe what I wanted, and created the mood board below.
So. Impressed. It captured everything I wanted as far as the look and feel of the site would go.
From there we started playing with the color palette which ended up being harder than I had imagined. There are so many blues and pinks out there and to choose 5 colors that I loved and that worked well together was seemingly impossible! Victoria started by pulling colors from the images I pinned and we edited back and forth a few times from there We ended up with what you see on the site today, but it’s fun to look at them all together below too.
Simultaneously, we worked on the logo which I absolutely love. I adore the lemon branches that have a South-of-France look but make you think twice about what they are exactly. I love how she took that element and used it in other places on the site in new ways (Hint: Look above each blog post title).
Some exciting new features:
Slider: You probably noticed at the top of the site there is a slider with an image and a “read the post” button. That slider will always feature 3 posts and I’ll rotate them through based on what I think you’ll enjoy most each week!
Shop: On the top right of the site, you’ll see a tab that says SHOP. Click there every once in a while to see what is on my current wish list as well as recent purchases.
Category Pages: I’ve painstakingly categorized my posts into fashion, decor, travel, recipes, and wellness. You can more easily browse posts by categories on each of these pages. I’m still working to categorize all of my posts so bare with me for a few more days on this one.
Post Engagement: Under each blog post, there is a blue box with all kinds of fun options. You can comment on the post, share it on your social media channels, or view other posts in that category. Pretty cool!
About: Want to know a little more about me? Visit my pretty new about page with a custom illustration (above) drawn by my friend Inslee!
Currently Popular: On the right side bar, you can see what three blog posts are getting the most views on any particular day. My “pack the perfect carry-on” post has been on the popular list for almost 2 years now.
Once we landed on the final designs and features, Victoria handed off the baton to Lisa, equally as talented and organized. They’re the web design dream team! Lisa coded the entire new design into my site in one night with zero mistakes. She must have magical powers.
A big thanks to Victoria, Lisa, and my husband who have all worked, reworked, and supported this process. I could not be happier with how Lemon Stripes looks today!
Love the new look! Congrats 🙂
Congratulations, Julia!! The site is perfect and is a complete reflection of Lemon Stripes! I love the lemon branch logo- it’s so subtle yet so on point 🙂 Hope you and Victoria are celebrating with some champs via Skype!
Such a fresh, web-friendly redesign! Congrats!
I love the new design!!
Paola
http://www.lechicchedipaola.it/
Julia the site looks amazing – LOVE it! xx
Congratulations! The new site looks great!
xo, Laura
http://brightandbeautifulblog.com
This looks absolutely fantastic – congratulations! Loving the color scheme too.
xx Lexi @glitterinclexi | Glitter, Inc.
It looks so insanely good – it’s so different from what you had before and everything seems like such a true reflection of you. Congrats, Julia! 🙂
26 and Not Counting
BEAUTIFUL new site, Julia! Love what you fabulous ladies have pulled together! I am beyond impressed, and so happy for you!
Congrats on the new look, Julia! It’s beautiful.
Love it Julia!
Glitter and Grey
Congrats Julia! It’s always refreshing to change it up! (:
http://www.accordingtokiki.net
Love the new site Julia!!! I love how it all came together!!
Kristyn
Primp and Proper
Congrats on the redesign! Love the colors – Looks beautiful!
Congrats on the redesign, it looks great!… I’m slowly but surely redesigning my site a little bit at a time. It definitely takes more work than I thought!
http://chelseascollection.com
Congratulations on the new design! It looks fabulous and so you!
http://theavantguardian.com
Love it! Beautiful new design.
<3
katsfashionfix.blogspot.com
Congrats! It’s so beautiful, and so happy for you!
It turned out beautifully! So happy for you!
The new design looks amazing! <3
Congrats on the new site, loved working with you!
Yayyyy congrats!!! Love the design, it feels very fresh 🙂
Such a pretty new site!! Love all of the blue tones and soft pinks! Congrats!
allienotsally.blogspot.com
I just found your blog, and really fell in love with the design and color scheme! It’s beautiful. It’s nice to hear how you did it! Thank you for this 🙂 I’ll be reading!
http://www.hundredblog.com