Designers I have worked with personally:
- Joy from Five J's Design – Joy is a whiz at making your blog work. Her knowledge about the back end of blogs is impressive. Her design queue is typically full, but she is usually open to projects that are not full blog designs.
- Sarah from SM Design – Sarah is an old friend and has created a lot of my graphics, including my book cover. She's amazing.
Both Joy and Sarah have a lot of experience outside the "mommy blog" niche.
Designers I have not worked with personally, but have heard very positive things about from other bloggers:
Darcy from Graphically Designing– I know Darcy in real life and she is very talented and has been at this a long time. Update: Darcy is no longer designing.
- Jennifer & Jason Bruce at New Season Design – Jennifer was mentored by Joy (Five J's Design mentioned above).
- Erin from Design by Insight – I really like Erin's designs which are clean and classy.
- Jeni from The Blog Maven - Jeni designs and does Blogger to WordPress transfers.
- Shannon from EightCrazy Designs – She is very creative and comes up with fun designs.
- Genesis Developers – You can't go wrong with any of these designers if you use Genesis.
Designers I don't know anything about other than I really like their portfolios:
- Designer Blogs – There is a group of designers here that produce some really lovely designs.
Other ways to find designers:
- The Blog Designer Network – This is a gigantic list of designers. The level of experience varies, but browsing through some portfolios will give you a good idea of what you'll get.
- Word of Mouth – By far, the best way to find a designer is by word of mouth. Don't forget to ask on Twitter, Facebook or even your own blog for suggestions.
Have you worked with a designer you would recommend (other than yourself)? Leave their name and a link to their site in the comments!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Amy, I'd like to recommend Michelle at Shabby Creations. http://www.shabbycreations.com/
She works on blogger blogs and thesis-themed WordPress blogs. I thought her prices were very reasonable, and she was very good at capturing the essence of our blog. She has some premade designs available on her site which would be great for someone just starting a blog.
Im a designer.
I dont advertise it anymore because I never got any leads, but I can design.
Good post Amy! I still struggle with my blog's overall appearance and functionality. I'm sure most of us have coding questions and would love to consult with a web designer. It's definitely on my wish list when funding permits. I'm familiar with Five J's and EightCrazy Designs and am off to check out the others on your list.
These are all great! But most don't seem to be taking on new projects. Best to get in line, I suppose.
Thanks Amy!
Although there are times when I'm fully booked, Amy will tell you, I'm often able to take on projects and can quickly turn work around! Always worth a try
Probably the best thing to do would be to ask around on Twitter and Facebook. Word of mouth really is the best way to find anything good. Hope it all works out well for ya
I loved Deluxe Designs.http://deluxe-designs.net/ Julie was SO wonderful to work with. I love her design and skills. She listened to our preferences and worked with us so patiently and gave us a design we LOVE. And her services are super affordable.
I have worked with the girls at Designer Blogs and Shannon from Eight Crazy Designs and I adore both teams!
I've also heard good things about Megan from M.A. Designs. Check out her portfolio: http://meganmarnall.com/marketing-solutions/blog-design/
I have a couple of great ones to recommend! (And I 3rd that I almost went with but she was full.)
Mindy from Simply Designs JUST finished my blog makeover and Blogger to WP transfer! I couldn't be happier with her work! You can check out what she did with my site or check out her portfolio here: http://simplydesigns.org/
Jami from Young Wife's Guide is a brand new designer. She designed a graphic for one of my series, and I also worked with her on a recent book I edited–The Heart of Simplicity. I did the editing, and she did the book layout and design (not the cover though…she already had someone to do that) as well as Kindle formatting. She doesn't have a separate design website yet, but here is her blog: http://youngwifesguide.com/design/
I was also very interested in Creative Kristi Designs, but she was booked. I was impressed with her portfolio, had heard great things, AND she is SUPER affordable! http://www.creativekristidesigns.com/
I simply love Mindy from Simply Designs! She is so talented! http://simplydesigns.org
I just wrote a post today…in which I realized the need for a new design..I have tried several (a dozen?) different designers who were no longer taking new clients…thanks for all the leads!
Hi, I am a blog designer and website designer…a newbie. I am having a hard time figuring out how to break into the biz now that my training is behind me…like anything…it will take time. I would be happy to work with anyone – just read out to me.
If looking for a more seasoned designer, I would recommend Elizabeth of TMC Designs/you can also find her through her design blog which is The Mustard Ceiling. She is great and helpful.
ughhhh….my five second chance and I didn't proofread..nervous…Just reach out to me and I would be glad to help.
Hi Amy:
I have worked with Nola Cooper at http://www.NolaCooperDesigns.com for over 5 years now. She is Word Press certified, knows how to get great SEO results and an excellent graphic designer. She designed my logo, created my Word Press theme, installed my forums and even created my business cards. Nola carefully considers my business needs then recommends products and services that enhance my brand. In addition to that she makes my website run efficiently without it being complicated for me to maintain. I could not run my business without Nola. She is like my right arm. I highly recommend Nola Cooper Designs.
I recommend my husband's work at http://safeharborinternet.com.
Hi Amy,
I'm a blog designer. You ladies can visit my design website, Purely Sensible Design, here: http://purelysensibledesign.com/
I'm also featured in The Blog Designer Network.
I am currently using Garvin Designs (http://garvindesigns.com). He is a design student, great work, reasonably priced and works full time as opposed to during naps, which means he's very available (no months-long queue).
I just had my site redesigned by a fabulous new designer who I would highly recommend. She did a fantastic job of bringing my vision to life, and was such a pleasure to work with. You simply must check her out. Here is a link to her site where you can find her contact form http://rainydaymum.co.uk/. And her is a link to my play based website so that you may see the fabulous work she did! http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/
Hey everyone, I know some of you have noted that a lot of the designers I listed above are not taking on new clients. I TOTALLY forgot to include Jennifer from New Season Design and I know she is taking on new clients.
Thanks, Amy! You've got some awesome designers listed here. Thanks for including us.
Reni, Owner & Conceptual Designer over at Bliss & Tell Branding Co is the one I'd go to for any kind of marketing I'd need. Blog and Web page design to business cards and hang tags, Reni does it all. I've loved everyone of the blogs she's done so far and her business cards designs are fabulous. I love the fact that she can do the whole branding package and do it fast, which frees me up to do other things. An investment worth making. And she's so darn cute. Just love the email newsletter I get from her.
http://www.blissandtellbrandingcompany.com/HOME.html
Cheers!
Miss Ellie
hi Amy…and THANK YOU Miss Ellie for the kind words (and mention) about my design work and branding services.
it makes my day to know that people find joy in what i love to do. – truly, reni
I wanted to throw in a personal recommendation. Chris Ford from Creativity Included is one of the most talented designers I know. Not only has she designed a few themes we sell at StudioPress, she's continually impresses me with her custom work for clients. Here's her link — http://www.creativityincluded.com.
Eeek, typo in my previous comment. Should be "she continually impresses me"…
I'm so blessed – my husband does all my graphics for me, and is in fact working on a brand new site re-design for me. I'm so excited! But I can also recommend my friend Mindy at Simply Designs: http://simplydesigns.org/. She's so creative and I love her fresh look!
Amy, thanks so much for including us on the list!
I almost hate to mention my designer, because I selfishly want to keep him available for my future projects.
But I will, because he deserves it.
His name is Greg, and he runs Engine One media.
He's fast, he's affordable, he's friendly, and he totally, "Got," the look I was after.
http://engine1media.com/
I would recommend Heather from Moritz Fine Designs (http://www.moritzfinedesigns.com/index.php). She is a very sweet and talented individual. I love working with her!
Hi Amy, I'm a freelance WordPress designer at http://ModernMuseWebDesign.
I visited this page initially because I love the layout and typography of your blog and sincerely wanted to see who designed your site. It's well done.
If anyone here is interested in a blog design, please take a peak at my portfolio and contact me if you need any help. I'm just now getting my head wrapped around Genesis, but I do have experience designing custom WordPress themes.
Amy, thank you so much for sharing such useful content on your site. It's always a pleasure to come here and learn something new.
Best Wishes ~ KC
For a direct link, my site is here – http://ModernMuseWebDesign.com. Cheers!
PURR Designs is great for food bloggers, as she is a food blogger herself. She has a LONG waiting list though!
I recommend Tiffany Knudtson, a talented artist and designer. Contact info; tiffany,knudtson@facebook.com
Nina Randone's work is utterly beautiful. She is a Swede who works on blogs all over the world. I would call her style "poetic": http://www.ninarandone.com/