Developing Your Design Aesthetic with Bumble Bizz
If you’ve been hanging with me for a minute you know I’ve been focused on upping my entrepreneur game with the help of various professionals on the business networking app Bumble Bizz. We are halfway through 2018 and so far I’ve gotten my finances in order and become an S-Corp. Now it’s all about cleaning up my digital presence. Until this month I had two websites: my blog where I shared what I think is new and interesting and my dance site where I shared my resume, headshots and latest on camera projects. Not only did both scream amateur hour, I've realized my life of dance and fitness no longer feel like they're worlds apart. Whether I’m on set working on a TV show or in my home shooting fun content to share with you, it’s all a part of my story. For this reason, I decided to put all things Meagan Kong in one place.
Step one of cleaning up my digital act and launching a united site, create a logo! Per usual, I headed over to my Bumble app and swiped over to Bumble Bizz mode to find a graphic designer and web developer in the Los Angeles area. I was so happy to have matched with Oto Art and Design who creates logos, graphics and web pages for businesses, bands and bloggers. Oto coached me through the process of articulating what I like and why so we could zero in on the graphics, colors and format that would best represent me.
Whether you are preparing for your first meeting with a designer or DIY-ing a site for the first time, here are some questions from Oto Art and Design to guide you to your dream digital space.
design prep
DEFINE YOUR GOALS
What is the purpose of your site?
- What type of people are you trying to reach? Who is your audience?
- How would you like someone to feel while browsing your site?
- What makes you unique?
I told Oto that I want anyone visiting my site to understand that I'm an expert because I know movement in front and behind the camera. I want them to be energized, but not overwhelmed. I want to share enough so you understand what I’m about, but not so much that you don’t want to reach out to learn more. I love a blog, but I don’t want my site to feel like a blog. As a person, dancer and athlete I am strong but feminine, bold but not too serious.
AESTHETICS
- What images inspire you?
- What fonts and color palettes do you like?
- What existing logos do you like?
- What other websites do you like?
Oto explained, “Pinterest is a great resource for finding inspiration in design, other websites, images, etc. It's easy to use and to have all of your images in one place.” Below are some screen shots of the Pinterest page I made for Oto per the questions above.
As you can see from my references below, I love 90s sport team logos and anything Olympics. Oto observed that lines and interlocking patterns were a big commonality for many of the images I pinned. While the 90s logo colors are all primary and flat feeling, the color references I liked were generally 70s bold but muted and warm tones.
Color References
Graphics References
CONTENT
- Organize as much as you can before with your designer
- Put your images, bio, resume, menus, portfolios, headshots and links all in once place
- Once you and your designer know what needs to be included, you can easily map out the general format of the site and each individual page
Time is money and you don’t want the designer to be waiting on you. I created word documents and folders that contain photos and links of all my press over the years, my best photo work and my best brand work. I simplified my dance resume, wrote a bio and a message from me. The prep is half the work and don't forget that no website can happen until you decide exactly what's going on it.
Like in life and on Bumble, it's about making the first move. Whether you're looking for a designer or looking for some tips to DIY web design for the first time, experts are out there and ready to help. I am so proud of my new logo and this fresh space to share all things me. I encourage you to level up and expand your professional network just like I did with Bumble Bizz.
Learn more about Bumble Bizz
Connect with Oto Art and Design
This story was paid for by Bumble Bizz but the views are all my own :)