Alice Priestley is a web designer / front-end developer with a background in book illustration and a serious love of puzzles. Combining original graphics with crafty code, Alice conjures delightful web interactions and a memorable user experience for her one-of-a-kind websites and custom themes. You can check out more of her work at alicepriestley.com.
Some Thoughts from the Designer
When Melissa approached me with her vision for a completely new design for the Empress of Dirt, I knew I was in for some serious fun!
Her exciting wish list included traditional ink-and-watercolour-style illustrations, a sprinkling of quirky animations, and an engaging daisy-crowned pioneer Empress to welcome visitors to the site.
Needless to say, I was in! And what followed was a lively and creative collaboration as we fleshed out the concept and filled in the details.
Just for fun, here are some bits and pieces from the design process…
A portion of my annotated mock-up:
Inspiration for the Empress — Melissa with her mother and grandmother:
Melissa: – Animation ideas:
- Empress writing a letter with parchment paper, pen and ink – to promote the newsletter
- Empress pushing a wheelbarrow filled with garden art projects
- Empress wearing a boa which is actually a squash vine… has little squashes or pumpkins dangling down
- Empress smiling at camera with crown of greenery, bee comes along… flowers sprout from the greens
Alice: – Love all these ideas! This is going to be so much fun!
We tracked progress with cards on a Trello board… âžœ
(There were lots of them!)
When we were all set, the Empress stepped out for a moment, while behind the scenes we quickly transitioned to the new theme:
And now here she is — the Empress of Dirt in her brand new look. Be sure to read Melissa’s fascinating account of the history of the blog and her vision for its transformation. I hope you enjoy the site!
~Alice
