When I first decided to re-open my web design business, I told my best friend, Shaheen because, well, we talk at least once a day. Pretty soon, she asked, “wait, can you do my site?!” so naturally, she became my very first client! Which worked out great, I had laid out my design process and asked if it was okay to test it out on her so I could work out the kinks.
As with any plan, there were a few kinks and lessons learned along the way which will only make the experience better for future clients, so thank you for bearing with my Shaheen as I got a few things sorted!
If you guys are new here, Shaheen is a fashion and lifestyle blogger. When we lives in Chicago together (she’s now in Kentucky) we shot all of our pictures and worked together as often as we could—miss those days!
I was excited to help her re-design her site with an updated, chic and clean design that accurately represents her and her style.
Custom Website Design for Lows to Luxe
Blog Design Strategy
We wanted to create a homepage that was easy to navigate, featured her latest posts and also some unique featured like her current favorites, and highlight some posts where she styles a piece multiple ways. We also pulled in some fun Q&A content!
Blog Design
In terms of colors, Shaheen’s style is classic and features a lot of neutrals. I also love that a neutral color palette lets her imagery stand out. Naturally, we settled on a very neutral color palette. It has blacks, whites and taupes, plus a little pop of deep rose for links to stand out.
One of my favorite elements in this design was the menu that pops out from the side. It allows the user access to other essential pages. But since they’re not clicked as often and not her main focus, we were able to hide them away instead of cluttering up the main navigation menu.
I also love the “current favorites” section on her homepage. It’s super easy for her to swap these out—always good to make the client’s life easier for updates.
I loved working with my bestie to bring this to life. I am so excited to see how her business grows!
BTW, how to create beautiful Instagram reels, and recently launched: Layne Torsch Interiors.
