Screen shots are essential to any mobile app web design and we filled an entire section with them, selecting the ones that highlight the key functions of the application.

We ended the long home page with a sign-up form so users could stay up-to-date on the latest NestPix developments and expansions.

In addition to the rich home page, we included an about page, a second form for user feedback, the user agreement and terms of service. Social icons are available to connect users with NestPix from every page and we were sure to include the latest tweets on all internal pages.

NestPix is allowing users to take a peek behind the curtain of the mobile app world by blogging about the app and it’s growth.

Be sure to follow along and if you haven’t already, download the app!

It Started with a Tweet

For me, Made in Baltimore started with my responding to a tweet of someone asking for a stamp design. In what started as a grassroots effort to cross promote and enjoy the goods and services being created in Baltimore, last fall I joined Figure53 founder Chris Ashworth and a group of other enthusiastic Baltimoreans in exploring what branding might look like if everything made in Baltimore was stamped just so. The result of this exploration was later used on coins and stickers by the greater Baltimore tech community. The goal of the effort is not to serve only the tech community but any maker, coder, baker, hacker, service provider that was based in Baltimore.

The effort has continued to pick up steam and while I’ve taken a less-involved role, I’m proud to participate in the cross-pollination that is Made with ♥ in Baltimore. Like me, Chris and his team often serve clients outside of Baltimore but also are active in the local small business scene. What better way to show a little pride in the place we both call headquarters.

In the second round of creative development, we used the client’s feedback and introduced color to the selected looks. We pushed their expectations by presenting colors complimentary to their desired red, as well as textures and quite different lettering (one being custom & hand-drawn and the other being an old classic slab-serif typeface). We were getting very close.

In the final round, we landed on the logo you see today. Knowing that the logo was going to be for a mobile application, we were mindful to create something that would minimize beautifully when necessary.

Design-focused

Clients all come to Wellmade for my design sensibilities. They see something I’ve done and trust me to take them on a design journey as we rebuild their brand or website. They have a budget for design (and development, if needed) and are committed to the design process. They know that branding and design are business priorities that deserve time and professional attention. Design is essential to their strategic plan, whether they’re kicking-off, pivoting or re-branding.

Small-ish

A lot of my clients are small companies or small teams within larger companies. I prefer to work directly with decision-makers whenever possible as small groups allow for quicker collaborative environments. I’ve worked with multiple one-man businesses and love the camaraderie that always seems to develop. I’ve worked with the tech community and non-profits, usually with the members who are seeking to make the world a better place.

Wholesome

That might sound a little cheesy but I work with good people. And good people find me. I don’t work with people or companies I don’t believe in, who are creating products I don’t support or who do harm through their goods and/or services. Good people make good clients. They give direct answers, return emails and phone calls and pay on time.

I research every new lead before connecting with them. My estimating process is time-consuming and I do it for free. So, I want to make sure that I’m investing my time in potential clients that are a good fit for me, my skills and the community of Wellmade clients I’m building. If you’re in the market for a designer, I’d love to meet you.

Kate was looking for a simple website that has room to grow so her site was built on WordPress where she will easily be able to add more pages as her business grows. She also will be able to continue to share resources through her blog and gain new clients through the contact form. When it came to the web design, she wanted to portray her offline personality: approachable, friendly and above all, helpful. The color palette had already been established in her branding. We took her brand a step further by adding texture and a professional headshot.

Visit Powered Pursuits to learn more about the services and training available.

There’s no need for me to rewrite the book, here is a great resource to learn more about responsive web design: A List Apart.

What This Means for Business

If you’re planning a redesign (or initial build) of your business website, you will no longer need to plan for a “mobile version” of the site in addition to the original site build. If desired, this is something that will be included in the process from the beginning. Where as once not having a website was the biggest concern of small businesses, now not having a mobile-friendly site will take top priority as more and more users are browsing the web from their mobile devices and tables.

You don’t need me to convince you that visitor stats are changing, you analytics will tell you the same thing.

In the coming months, you will see that sites from blogs to e-commerce can be responsive – and should be. I encourage you to visit this site from different devices to see how the layout changes, the images change size and the font is always a friendly readable size. If you’re interested in a responsive website for your business, I look forward to hearing from you.

With changes within the organization just taking place, gb.tc contacted Wellmade to create a printed marketing piece that would help membership understand gb.tc’s place in the community. We explored illustrations, minimal design and ultimately photography for this leave behind element.
As the team is spending time outside of the office and in the offices of their membership, each team member will be supplied a post card to leave behind or mail to their hosts.
We used photographs taken by each team member to emphasis the personal points of view of the team that makes up the new gb.tc.

Each team member’s photo is then dotted with the new logo for gb.tc with a placement that suggests “gb.tc is here, right in the middle of the mix.”

Through working on the marketing piece, it became evident that the dot was the most important element to the gb.tc rebranding. This mark was designed with that in mind. Not only does the holding device playfully emphasize the dot that has come to be the center of their new name, it also provides the wordmark in the middle with breathing room. Yes, the dot is huge and ironic but the black and white, and balance of the mark give it a subtle soberness that materializes gb.tc’s dedication to the tech community.

If you’re in the Baltimore area, keep your eyes open for the mark on stickers we printed for tech and design events. Also, learn more about gb.tc here.