Chasing Dreams 2015

ocean / stationery / clothes / bench / succulents

Surprised (about the new look)? I feel a bit surprised, myself. ;) I have found that the best time for me to work on personal projects is on a whim; coming to terms with the fact that if I waited until my commissioned projects were done, or when my to-do list was cleared out, I would never have the time to work on my own projects. So, on a whim, it is.

Over the Holy Week break I started building my brand board and re-skinning the site, but the desire to re-brand has been building up since the start of the year. I’ve been growing a lot as a designer, and as you may have noticed, have become more comfortable owning up to the title. What you’re seeing now on the pages of this site is a reflection of that growth and a refining of my design aesthetics. From feminine and frilly to classic minimalist, you’ll notice that the evolution of my design style and preferences is quite evident in the way this site has evolved.

I thought it was worth mentioning that as far as my personal branding is concern, my gold phase is over. (I still love making other people’s brand sparkle with gold though, it’s a beautiful accent color!) You’ll remember how prominent gold was in my past two redesigns, but lately I find myself preferring basic and neutral colors. I guess this is also starting to show in the clothes I like picking out for myself. Navy blue, black, grey, white, beige, brown (the recycled color kind of brown). I also like blush, mint, and desaturated shades of green.

Sometime five years ago I waxed poetic about my love for the color blue (go ahead, read it!) and thought that all these years, blue has remained a constant favorite. I mean, I wouldn’t choose it to be our wedding motif if it didn’t hold some sentimental value, yeah?

I get a bit obsessive about typography. Ok, a lot! I like it clean and modern and minimalist. I like white spaces and minimal flourishes, too. I like patterns and design elements that are geometric and flat. I apply (minimal) textures and patterns only when it helps bring out the personality and the story of the brand. I like a design that brings the attention to the content of the site—both text and photographs—and not on the embellishments that surround it. I like a design that highlights you and your message. 

When you avail of my design services, I hope you come to me for these things. :) 

Aside from these, I re-branded Chasing Dreams with the intention of attracting the right clients, which I realized, after one year of offering my design services, is very important in putting together a creative business.

Becoming a Designer

I’ve been offering my design services for over a year now, albeit to a limited number of clients. As a freelance designer, I learned quite a handful of things about this job.

I learned that my design work is only as good as my clients’ vision for their brands. I’m merely translating ideas and dreams, and the best designs I’ve created are for those who have really nailed down their message and their vision for their brands.

I learned that my most satisfied clients are the ones who have the same design aesthetics as mine. These are the people who come to me because they’ve seen my work and feel that my style and my vision resonate with their own. And these are the people who trust in my ability to help make their dreams happen. On my end, these are the clients I enjoy working with and am proud to place on my portfolio because they reflect my design style well.

I learned that design is more than just a mesh of colors and typography and patterns. Designing a blog or a brand is about telling a story, and sometimes, a happy accident. It’s partly a technical process, but mostly it’s an adventure. A journey, as Toni would say. You have all of these inspiration and ideas to guide you, but sometimes you don’t really know what’s going to come out of it until the finish product is staring right back at you.

In that note, if you plan to hire a designer, pick one whose style fits your taste. (That’s the general rule!) And choose someone you want to go through a journey with. I have a handful of people who have chosen me to design their blogs, or logos, or wedding invitations, and I couldn’t be more blessed and honored for the opportunity. :)

There’s still so much to learn, and I’m excited to (quietly) relaunch this site! There’s another big LAUNCH coming up, but I’ll reserve that for another post. I hope you like this new look.

Here’s to chasing dreams this 2015.