Twitter Layout

The main thing you have to keep in mind when designing for Twitter is…your designable space if VARIABLE. This means that, depending on the viewer’s screen size…different folks will see a different amount of space.

For example…my screen resolution is 1440 x 900, and here is my Twitter background screenshot:

I am viewing about 250 pixels in the left column. My viewable height is about 850 pixels.

Twitter Background Design

OK…so now that we know that a general rule of thumb is a column to the left under 250-200 pixels is our universal viewing space…what do we do with that?

Good question! We design around that…and have fun, be serious, or get our message across.

Check out Savvy Sassy Moms:

Andrea wanted a more business approach to her Twitter background. I kept her logo in the design, and utilized the under 200 pixels wide to say all that she wanted to say, using color and font changes to keep it interesting.

Simple. Green. Organic. Happy…had some great elements from the blog design that I wanted to play up in a different way for Twitter:

Since her fantastic text was so fun, I wanted to keep the text big…I also wanted to keep the vintage bird sitting on the text. Working with that, I choose to stack the text to preserve the larger elements. Remember, you don’t have to run the text down the side, or keep it in a line…always think about staking (Keep this in mind for Facebook designs as well.)

Implement Twitter Background

OK, you’ve got your design…What do you do with it?

Luckily, that one’s easy peasy;)

• First, click the drop down all the way to the right where your profile name is, when it drops down, click settings.
• Then, click design.
• You have two options for design: change background image, and change design colors. I recommend using both to round out your design. You want your color settings to match your fantastic new background.
• Always remember: your background image must be smaller than 800k, decide whether or not you will be tiling your image and click accordingly, and hit save after you make your modifications.

Twitter backgrounds are a quick way to up your game in the social media landscape as long as it’s done well. Understand that since links aren’t clickable, you don’t have to give the laundry list of everywhere you can be found. Have fun, give a flavor of who you are, and remember, it’s not permanent…once you know how to do this…you’ll want to change it up from time to time!

simple. green. organic. happy. blog.

She wanted the blog design to have a field guide vibe to it…and I LOVED that idea!

Matching Twitter Page

The matching Twitter page…

Front of business card

Not to pat myself on the back…but I LOVE how the front of her business cards turned out! I’m hoping Robin is going to Blogher…I am grabbing one of these;)

Reluctant Renovator

This logo was just SO fun to design, as was the blog! Kim is renovating her house, and is blogging the process. (Holy I would never take on that project Batman!) I worked references to home fix up around the blog real estate. I’m just loving the character sitting on the house text for the logo…fun, fun, fun!

TiffanyRomero.com

Tiffany came to me, artwork in hand, and wanted me to build out tiffanyromero.com. I loved the concept of this. It’s basically an online reference to all the fabulous things Tiffany does. I have my own name url, and have every intention of doing the same thing for myself…when I get a moment to work on my own design projects. You know what they say about the cobbler’s children;)

Anyway…do you own your names url? I’d suggest you grab it up if you can. You never know when you want to build out your own online reference;)

Karma (continued...)

Jen had a pretty good idea of the elements she wanted for her Blogger blog, but didn’t really know how it would transfer into a whole look. Luckily, that’s my job;) Check this one out…don’t you love the Om symbol background I created?:)

The Fordeville Diaries

Kim wanted more bells and whistles than her WordPress.com site was giving her. I transferred her to her very own self hosted blog, and came up with a sassy new look as well!

Gleek Retreat

Gleek Retreat was the first blogging conference I spoke at. It was fun to design there site for this year’s go round! If you’re in the Midwest…come to the conference…I’m speaking;)

Savvy Sassy Moms

Andrea is taking over the world…and I was SUPER excited when she contacted me to do her re-branding/design! She wanted to take her look to the next level and really grow it up. After having taken on a writing staff for her blog, she needed a magazine style blog to best showcase that.

The Normandy Heights

This was a bit of an unusual process. I first designed this on WordPress.com for April. She came back a few months later, and wanted the design transferred to self hosted. It’s a cute blog design with pops of color…fresh and fun!

The Perlman Update

I love Jill! I’ve been reading her blog since the beginning of my blogging. After meeting her at Blogher, I was SO excited to hear from her regarding a new blog look. Her family has lived all over the world, and I’m sure they have more exciting travels ahead of them. I wanted to bring that sense into her blog look. Notice the social bookmarking icons I fashioned as passport stamps…so cute! It’s all in the details;)

Clueless but Hopeful Mama

I really love when a design can stand on it’s own as a logo. This blog design illustrates that nicely. Her header would look great on business cards, or in any other medium she wanted to transfer it to…Check it out!

2 moms media

I really love doing business websites on WordPress. Many folks don’t know how versatile WordPress is…Sara is the best, be sure to check her out!

Life and Times of a Saucy B

Check out the fun, sassy design I came up with for The Life & Times of Saucy B!

Marly Simone

Marley wanted a slick feel for her stylist blog. I’m spacing on the name of the Bravo stylist that has her own show:/ She wanted to be on Blogger, but have something with that flavor…

Changing Spaces Design Blog

I really love creating characters for clients. This one was especially fun…is it cocky to say I am really impressed with how awesome the chair I illustrated looks…nah;)