If you’re reading this, WELCOME to the new and improved Morgan Julia Designs website! This project has been in the works for several months now and it’s been so hard for me to keep this secret because I am absolutely THRILLED with our re-brand and cannot wait to walk you through the updates.
As I started working with our team on the brand refresh, I realized we were probably a little overdue for a fresh new look around here! I feel like I just started MJD yesterday so it’s kind of crazy to acknowledge that the logo I mocked-up in my apartment in Annapolis in 2019 probably no longer reflects our customers and target audience. I’ve grown up with this company, so it’s time the brand got a mature new look to match!
New Logo:
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It was important to me that our new brand felt very authentic - I wanted this refresh to feel like a continuation of the brand we’ve created over the past 6 years. With that goal in mind, I started to look to our collection of designs for inspiration. The new MJD logo might look familiar, because it’s an updated version of the hand-painted icon you’ll find on the bottom right hand corner of all our canvases. Designed to look like needlepoint mesh, I love the way this two-toned logo ties in the blues, the nautical themes, and gives a nod to our canvases. It captures the crisp, classic look I hope you’ve all come to know and love around here!
New Banner:
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You can find our new banner featured front and center on our new website! A blend of nautical and needlepoint, I love the way the burgee flag is flying from a flagpole that is subtly shaped like a needle. The MJD on the burgee is a replica of the SKU painted in the bottom left corner of each canvas.
New Font:
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I didn’t expect to have such strong opinions on fonts, but was surprised to learn what a big impact this seemingly small detail had on the entire look of the new site. As we were mocking up different options, I found myself appreciating the subtleties each font option offered such as spacing between each letter, how the font looked capitalized, and how it appeared side by side with the products. We landed on a clean and modern version of our current font - I love serif fonts so much!
New Color Scheme:
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I had so much fun playing with our color schemes and learned a ton about how different accents and pops of colors can be sprinkled throughout a brand to provide a new feel and a little personality. Kind of like selecting fibers for your next project! Of course, navy and light blue will stay front and center but we wanted to add some depth and be very intentional with the tone each shade was setting. We added pink as a highlight after realizing it’s a common color in a lot of our favorite MJD canvases! My favorite element of our new color scheme is the seersucker inspired stripe, a nostalgic nod to the kit bag we’ve included in all orders since the inception of MJD. You’ll see this pattern used as an accent throughout the site!
New Illustrations:
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As you’re exploring the new site, you’ll see some hand-drawn illustrations sprinkled throughout our various landing pages. I wanted to capture the essence of our brand in a fun and playful way which is how we landed on these motifs. Creating our list of icons was so much fun because it forced me to really sit down and reflect on how the brand has evolved! You’ll see nods to coastal, country, cocktails, and Florida - a little something for everyone!
New Features:
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Along with the new look, there are some great new features on our site! One that I am most excited about is our new Stitch Level guide - each MJD canvas is categorized on a scale of 1-3 to help you pick the perfect next project! Learn more about how we built our Stitch Guide Criteria in this blog post.
I hope you have so much fun perusing our new site and that you find a few new pieces for your stash while you’re here! Thank you for celebrating this exciting milestone with me as we approach 6 years of MJD!
XO,
Morgan
