I'm making a new banner, avatar and stickers for my friend Debbie over at Santiam Designs. The new banner is on top. Debbie lives up in mountain country in Oregon, right near 3 Sisters Peaks, near the fork of the Santiam River. Her last name means "lives near water" so I guess she's in the right place! She wanted an image for her shop that reflected the roots of her shop name. So I checked out one of my stock illustration sites to find a good image to represent her work and changed her font to be more readable, yet still rustic. I also lighten up her colors a lot. It still looks earthy, but much lighter. The banner was also missing mention of what she makes. Since all her pieces are very different and very well photographed in the listings, I put in a text description "Adornments from Mountain Country".

Still to come: new avatars as well and a design for a thank you sticker she can send out with her orders and a matching business card design.

Why is this worth more than the $10 you can pay to any number of sellers on etsy for a new banner and avatar?
When I am not sewing, I am a professional graphic artist. I usually charge big bucks for image overhaul... like $500 to start. Why can I charge so much? Well, I have 11 years of experience in problem solving and creating images that tell the story of a brand... not to mention a few local and national design awards. I will not give you a generic pre-made banner. I will not recycle someone's rejected idea to your shop and I will not give you an obvious solution.

I will bring that same 11 years of brand-centered thinking that I would bring to any design project that came across my desk to bear on your shop. I will ask you questions about who you are, what you make and where your name came from. Whatever I make for you will be UNIQUE and suited to your shop alone.

"Trade?"you say, "I thought this was gonna cost me $500!"
If you'd like your shop redesigned, convo me to start a trade. I am a crafter, too and I know most of us don't have corporate budgets. If you have something in your shop I really like, I may be willing to create a new banner& avatar or business card or sticker design on a trade basis as I did for Debbie. I am a huge fan of her work and all the pieces I have from her are either well loved by me or very, very much appreciated by the friends and family who now own them. Her work is gorgeous, well designed and made with quality-first and care. I appreciate other's talents and I am willing to trade like-for-like.

Hard costs that would not be covered by a trade may include printing costs, fonts or stock art.