Andrew Kelsall | Graphic Designer | Logo, Poster and Large-Format Print Design

Firstly, I would like to thank you, both ‘readers’ and RSS Subscribers, who are following this article series. It’s been a while since my last installment due to a heavy design-workload.

In my last installment, I wrote of how I learned to code CSS. This part is about how I chose a Wordpress theme to customize. When I initially decided to use Wordpress, I had three options regarding the design of the blog, as follows:

Design my own theme/template

Although there are plenty of tutorials out there on how to do this, I determined that it would take too much of my very precious time to learn about designing my own theme. Although I had the ability to code CSS, designing for a PHP-based blog would command new skills that would take time to both learn and master.

Use a pre-designed theme/template

Obviously, this option would take the least amount of time to implement, however, as a designer I needed to stand out from the crowd and stamp my own flair regarding my online presence. The way that my site is presented online is the bridge between potential clients and myself, not to mention my readers also. So for me, using a pre-designed theme, either free or “premium” (paid-for) simply wasn’t a viable option.

Customize as pre-designed theme

Well, as you guessed, this is the option I chose because it gave me the best of both worlds. I was able to design my own graphics for my blog, but using the code structure of a theme that had already been designed and tested.

If like myself, you are already a Wordpress user, you will have probably seen the vast array of templates out there, both free and Premium. What I was looking for was a theme that I could strip down to the bone, as it were. I searched the net for a while looking for a theme with a great structure, not design. To elaborate, I wanted a theme that just had a basic code-structure that I could leverage to create a unique appearance out of.

The screen-shot (at the top of this post) is the theme that I chose to use — GridFocus by Derek Punsalan of 5ThirtyOne.com. Now, I had seen this template used many times before on various blogs, customized by site owners and designers. I noticed how well it could be be adjusted to any particular blog, with the only main aspect giving-away that it was GridFocus was the main navigation bar. It would be fair to assume that the majority of non-designers and non-bloggers would even notice this theme being used on various sites.

So, after downloading the theme, I set to work on customizing the images and even overall layout. This shall be covered in more detail in Part #5, be sure to subscribe to my feed so you don’t miss it.

If you have any questions or comments on this article, please type your message below…

I was tasked by Gavin Evans, a driving instructor based in Hemsworth and Elmsall, West Yorkshire (UK) to design a logo and marketing designs for his Instructor Training Business named Gavin Evans Driver Training (or G.E.D.T). Basically, Gavin takes pupils and teachers them to drive and even does advanced motorway training courses.

After discussing his requirements, we settled on a logo design based upon a shield motif with the initials G.E.D.T incorporated into it. The image above shows this design in its print-formation (I’ll get to that next).

I initially suggested a shield-based design to Gavin, as shields represent strength, authority and stability — all positive aspects of what a Driving Instructor could possibly convey to any potential pupil.

The great thing about this logo is the varied configurations that it can possess. The image above displays an alignment that is more fitting for limited horizontal space (such as when on the bonnet of the car).

I used the logo design to design an advertisement (above) which featured in the Thompson Local (advertising directory) to both sustain and promote his growing business. As can be seen, the logo configuration I used here also coined the tag-line A Flair for Success.

This tag-line was used on all marketing and promotional material for Gavin’s Driver Training Business. The car print displayed above shows some of the general layout and colour-scheme of one of the two cars he has used to instruct pupils in. The sides of the car display his web-site address and other information.

The flyer design (postcard) shown above was printed onto 350gsm gloss-card and distributed throughout local areas around Hemsworth and Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

I also designed some business cards for Gavin printed onto the same type of card. The photo above shows one of the glossy cards, with the flyer (pamphlet) design in the background.

I also branded a web site design for Gavin, which is a place where potential pupils can contact him. The site displays his pricing structure as well as photos and other relevant information. Visit Gavin Evans Driver Training to take a look.

Recently, Gavin asked me to design some marketing material for the franchise side of his business. I suggested to him that it would be a great idea to segregate the two sides of the business with a different colour-scheme, with orange/grey being the most attractive and meaningful. As orange is associated with optimism, it ended up being chosen simply because it worked well and looked great.

Again, I designed a flyer for Gavin which is to be printed soon. This design is currently being used for various online publications on the internet.

If you run a Driver Training Business and would like me to work with you on a logo design, marketing, promotion and car print (livery print design), please contact me for details.

What do you think about these designs? I’d like to hear your opinions…

Original Image: Shane Pope

Hello there potential freelance/contractor. I’m still in the process of starting my new online venture, AndrewKelsall.com, and already I’ve got a couple of print jobs lined-up. However, somewhere down the pipeline I’m going to need talented Slicers/Coders to call upon.

I’m capable of coding CSS myself, but it’s not my specialty. If I work on a print job for a client, and they request web-work, I would design their site for them, but would look to great contact to slice it for me for an arranged fee.

I would never want to turn work away because I haven’t got enough contacts, so here’s a chance to add your details.

Please copy and paste the information below in the Comment Box and add the information you want.

For example,

Specialty: CSS, XHTML & PHP. Can code for Wordpress and Drupal themes. I can code to web standards, including XHTML Strict [...]

Skills:

Specialty:

URL’s of Previous Work:

Price per hour:

Average Price to slice 1 PSD File:

I know that the last question, ‘Average Price to slice 1 PSD File’ is subjective and depends on the file, so leave this one blank if you want, but provide some more info on your pricing structure, etc.

If there is any other information you would like to add, please do!