I love my job. I can barely contain my excitement for this project: instead of a regular brochure this home deserved a full Look Book to showcase all of the amazingness that it contains.
Look Book: Mercer Island Masterpiece
Revamped: SoundTeamRealty
Jesse Paulson, Fletch Newland and Shannon Reynante are the real estate agents that make up Sound Team Realty; this team has been an incredible pleasure to work with. I love how much my agents love their clients, and the stories about this teams’ customer service are unparalleled.
This project started with a couple of hilarious meetings and some amazing writing. We took the capabilities that their previous site had and upgraded it. Then finished off with brilliant design, SEO management and IDX integration. The final product is an awesome website that actually does what they want it to do: engaging their sellers and connecting to their buyers. And with IDX they have instant updates to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, making their website a tool that they can use anywhere.
California Dreaming: San Vincente Masterpiece
19550 San Vincente Drive | Redding, California
This spectacular home has a presence. You'll feel the pride of ownership when you step through its dual glass doors and experience the level of detail designed to create beauty, tranquility and harmony. Nestled in the quiet rolling hills of Northern California, the San Vicente Masterpiece is ideally located on the 10th hole of the exclusive Tierra Oaks Golf Club and provides an incredible golf lifestyle.
For this project we created a custom brochure, branding and a custom website. This luxurious property totally deserves all the love that it’s given. Stacy Baxter, the listing agent, wanted to create an ambiance about the property before potential buyers even set foot inside.
Designed for entertaining, the bright, open kitchen features custom cherry cabinetry throughout, an oversized dining island that seats four, granite countertops and backsplash, a walk-in pantry, stainless steel Kitchen Aid appliances and an ice maker. The built-in desk, custom wine bar, under-cabinet lighting and custom pendant lights finish off this stunning but cozy gathering spot. There are SO many unique details, it’s amazing.
TBT: Kadenwood | Whistler, B.C.
There’s a magic to a good advertisement. It should catch you, stop you mid-flip and make you want to crawl through the pages of the magazine, slip into cozy pajamas and a hot toddie and become one with the ad. Today’s throwback goes all the way back to 2014 and my days working with Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty.
The Collection Magazine, Ad for Kadenwood | Whistler, B.C., 2014
And of course there’s my favorite part: I got to spend so much time browsing through this snow-covered PRETTY HOUSES!
Checkmate: Revamping Northwest Chess
Summer is working on winding down, we've officially passed the Labor Day holiday, and white is no longer posh to wear in public. This summer has taken a turn away from real estate (only a smidge) and it's freed me up to play with a couple of not-for-profits that need a love and hug and kiss and good design.
The board from Northwest Chess reached out to me with a doozie of a project, complete with years of data, and a website that needed a major upgrade.
As per usual, we started with logo design; their old logo needed a refresh, something cleaner with a more modern bent. Chess tends to attract older folks, and their goal was to include the current and upcoming generations.
Previous Logo
I dove into their old website and worked to gather as much data as I could; the new website needed to have all of the bells and whistles without losing all the work put into the previous website. We wanted all the games available as well so that anyone could pop in and research their opponents. And we added a blog to keep everyone up to date.
I'm beyond pleased with the results of my hard work and all the work the NW Chess team put into it as well.
#InThisTogether: BarryLongHomes.com
In the midst of this pandemic, with so many of us quarantining right now, one of my favorite brokers is stepping up with a way for his friends and co-workers to connect. He’s started the hashtag #InThisTogether and has been posting tricks to staying positive, ways to stay connected and even fun links to wander through. I have gotten lost this week puttering through Project Happiness, wandering through 12 Museums that you can view from your couch and walking along Mars.
We created a fun, easy to access page on his website and it’s getting regular updates, fun exclusives and just an all-around nice way to get lost on the internet.
Branding, Brochures and More: The Herbfarm
Project: The Herbfarm
For most of the year, The Herbfarm’s own kitchen gardens and nearby farm supply the restaurant with an ever-changing harvest. Small growers, foragers, The Herbfarm— where nature suggests the weekly menu and producers bring wild mushrooms, heritage fruits, handmade cheeses, and rare treasures such as wasabi root and artisanal caviars. Each day’s menu is finalized only hours before the meal to best represent the flavors of land and sea. Week in and week out, The Herbfarm showcases new culinary discoveries. Whatever the occasion, The Herbfarm will weave guests into the fabric of an enchanted evening they’ll cherish and long remember.
With each visit to The Herbfarm, guests delight in unique menus showcasing the exceptional foods and wines of the Pacific Northwest. Each 9-course dinner served with 5 or 6 matched wines, draws its inspiration from the rhythms of the seasons. An optional pre-dinner wine cellar open house followed by an outdoor hosted introduction to The Herbfarm and garden tour occurs before service each evening.
Enter the Designer:
For this project, Kelly Gaddis and Ananda Gellock needed a multi-page magazine that showcased the property, the hotel, the farm and the restaurant. We used the myriad of incredible photos of the property to create a lookbook that highlighted both the feel of the space and also the list of items that came with the property - from stoves to plants and back again.
We also created separate brochure pages for the property, offering detailed information that potential buyers could review. We designed a custom map of the locale that highlighted the best places to visit in Woodinville Wine Country.
If you find that you’re stuck at home - whether by choice or circumstance - now is the time to update your marketing materials, get in front of any collateral projects that are outstanding, create a custom brand and even a stunning website.
What projects have you been putting off?
Throw Back Thursday | 270 Degrees of Spectacular
Finailized Vertical Brochure, Custom Website Design and Custom Email Campaign
Throw Back Thursday
The owners of this property loved all things outdoors, especially on the water, and they created a home that was meant to work with those ideals. The top floors act as an extensive luxury home where they can enjoy every moment and catch every sunset. The bottom floor acts as their “summer home” so they are never more than a few steps from the water. This property, to date, is one of my favorites!
Many real estate brokers are feeling a bit of a slow down with the current health issues we’re dealing with, though I do have several that are just rocking it right now, leaning into a potential buyer’s market. If you find that you’re stuck at home - whether by choice or circumstance - now is the time to update your marketing materials, get in front of any collateral projects that are outstanding, create a custom brand and even a stunning website.
What projects have you been putting off?
Throwback Thursdays | Look Book: 300 Days of Sun
Look Book: 300 Days of Sun
Multi-Broker Project
300 Days of Sun was a printed Look Book showcasing a collection of Destination Homes, highlighting their unique properties, like Wine Country, Equestrian, Mountain Views, etc. This booklet was brought together by multiple brokers and used as both an advertising piece, and a unique addition to listing presentations for each of them.
My Amazing Clients: Holiday Lighting
Custom Ad Design, Summer 2019
As the holiday season starts to ramp up, the list of “must-do’s” gets longer and longer. And if you’re a real estate agent, trying to squeeze a few more sales out of the year, the list can seem overwhelming. My team works with some of the coolest companies, and the most amazing people and I wanted to take this opportunity to showcase one of my clients this year who may just be able to help tick a few items off of your to-do list.
So here goes: check out Trimlight!
Imagine your buyers pulling up to the most brightly lit house on the block, simply sparkling with holiday lighting. Imagine them seeing their holiday parties next year. Imagine the breath catching in their throat as they envision their holiday season, with family and friends and their new house covered in stunning lighting…magical, right?
Check them out here:
Autumn Blues | A Chat with Chad Zinda of Metropolist
Autumn Blues got you down? Here’s what to do:
Layout for Sales Success Postcard, Autumn 2019
Chad Zinda is one of the owners of Metroplist Group in the Seattle area, and he was kind enough to chat with me about what his real estate brokers lean towards during what the rest of real estate considers “downtime.” “The last 90 days of the year we take as a personal challenge - and it works.” With nearly $6.5 million in sales since October 1st, he’s not wrong! His team is rocking this last quarter.
I asked Chad if I could share our conversation and what he would suggest for design work during this downtime. “Remind your potential clients that buyers are looking during the holiday season. So many people would love to be in their new home before the holidays. Take advantage of it!” says Chad.
Ready to show off your sales this year?
NEW TO MARKET | Westwind at Woodmont Beach
Finailized Email Campaign | Westwind at Woodmont Beach. Des Moines Washington
Summertime and the livin’ is easy…and getting easier!
Had a last minute client who needed a website build and an email campaign to showcase her new listing! Waterfront is my personal favorite because the sunsets are just stunning! The Westwind at Woodmont Beach is curated to take in every single sunset.
Stunning vistas, gorgeous finishes and sand between your toes anytime you want. This was a last minute listing and we rushed to get it on the market, but we made it with grace and a sense of style. Big shout out to Lori DeVore, the real estate broker and listing agent, who put all the pieces together for me and gave me the space to design something gorgeous!
UNIQUE PROPERTIES | Farmhouse Gardens, Mount Vernon
Finished Brochure for Farmhouse Gardens in Mount Vernon, Washington | Sold at $1,550,000
This property is easily one of my favorites, mostly because I have a gardeners’ heart and you can find me in my garden more often than not and this property totally tugs on my heartstrings.
As with so many things, it all starts with a picture.
To begin, my client sent me a myriad of pictures to review and choose from. I settled in with pen-and-ink (just kidding, I type - what year is it?) to write about this stunning property, leading clients down the garden path and into their new home. I took the stunning photography and created beautiful writing, styled a logomark and created a unique look and feel for the property.
Inside, the brochure tells the story of the home in words and photos and then invites the potential buyer to imagine themselves in the home. Farmhouse Gardens was an absolute treat to be involved with.
“As a graphic designer, it’s my job to make your property look good; to find the story, the heartbeat of the property and then to showcase that heart to potential buyers.”
Custom Email Campaign
The Ampersand Logomark | Why "&" Matters
Why the Ampersand?
Photo courtesy of Max Anderson
According to Wikipedia (and why would the internet lie to a person?)
"The ampersand can be traced back to the 1st century A.D. and the Old Roman cursive, in which the letters E and T occasionally were written together to form a ligature. During the following development of the Latin script that led up to the Carolingian minuscule (9th century) the use of ligatures in general diminished. The et-ligature, however, continued to be used and gradually became more stylized and less revealing of its origin..."
...yeah, this is kind of where I stopped reading. Sorry, but I was tired. Essentially what it says is that the ampersand was created because of the inability to take the time to write out the E and the T as their own letters, so they were smooshed together and no one ever thought to change it back. So, laziness, in its own way, created an exceptionally beautiful graphic that I am madly in love with.
I also chose it as my logo mark because in the real estate industry there's always one more thing we can do to rock someone's entire world...so we start with branding. AND then we build a website featuring the home, with interior and exterior highlights...AND then we create a marketing campaign through emails, blogs and event....& it goes on. So many wonderfully creative ways to get heard in a media heavy world. AND we've only just begun.
Special Release | For Homes on the Market 40+ Days
Property Branding | Tied with a Bow
Life happens. Listings lag. Clients fall out and change their minds. Finances can get in the way of a clients' big dreams. Luckily, your listing can always get a fresh start.
Believe it or not we might - might - be easing into a buyers market during the busy season in real estate. According to Redfin, Seattle's overall housing inventory has doubled since May 2018. Meanwhile, home values have dropped by 4.5% since last year, according to Zillow, and they're projecting the fall to continue into the next year. This is creating a slow moving perfect storm for home buyers who’ve been considering a move.
All this means that real estate brokers are seeing more days on the market, and a slower home selling season. A quick review of the NWMLS shows more than a hundred homes in the area that have been on the market for more than a month.
Enter the Designer.
Special Release | 7.9.19
For Homes on the Market 40+ Days
So, here’s our special Sunshine Plan for homes that have been on the market for more than the 40+ days since spring began, homes that are ready for a little bit of love and a fresh perspective, all wrapped up…
…& tied with a bow.
My Hobby, My Job, My Passion
“Generally, by the time you are Real most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes don’t see as well and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all because once you are Real you can’t be ugly except to people who don’t understand.”
“So, you like houses?” my friends ask me.
Well, that’s just the beginning. I mean, YES, I love houses. I love to design for houses. But mostly, love all the steps that go in to creating a brand for a home. I love the staging, the home auditing (Home Auditing is when the stager/designer walks through the home and removes the extraneous “stuff”). I love when a broker can see beyond the life that’s been lived in a home, and strives to create the story that the next owner will bring.
Basically, I love restoring old and broken things. I love finding the “diamond in the rough” and bringing it to life. Capturing the aged, the unlovely, the challenging property, then showcasing it in such a way that it finds a new home. It feels kind of like taking the Velvateen Rabbit and showcasing that the love it was given for so many years is actually a benefit. New doesn’t always mean better.
My Hobby: Finished Bookshelf, complete with wheels on the bottom for easy access.
My hobby - when I have free time - is restoring furniture. Well, more like re-imagining furniture. This is an old radio from the 1930’s that was completely trashed. I purchased it at a thrift store for $25. I cleaned it up, added some shelves, wheels, color and style and resold it on Craig’s List. I know I’ll never be able to make a living doing this, but it brings me so much joy!
FLYERS: Design for Seattle Condo, Matt Martel, RE/MAX Northwest
There is just something magical about finding the beauty within a space or an object, and the look of surprise when others see what you see. This is one of many, many reasons why I choose to do the kind of work that I do. And it’s one of the things that helps me help my brokers be the best that they can be.
