Fiktshun’s Been Made Over… Again

Fiktshun009

Last summer Fiktshun got a facelift. Thanks to many, many amazing designs created by Rachel of Parajunkee Design, my blog got some much needed custom touches. From post graphics, to sidebar titles to a new logo and header, to badges and raters and more, each of these small details made a world of difference.

My blog wasn’t custom. But having that header, which kept with the theme, the modified fonts for post titles and those custom sidebar titles, made me feel as if I had a brand new blog. I was completely and totally ecstatic.

Well… for about five minutes. Because as soon as my ginormous laundry list of items was complete and Rachel and I concluded our business, I thought of ten million more things I wanted. So, I added myself back on the wait list.

Though my main reason for jumping back on the list was for something else entirely – I wanted a completely custom companion blog designed – I definitely planned on getting just a few more badges and avatars designed for Fiktshun.

And as the wait continued to grow, so did my list of items. So that by the time my name was next on the list, I think I had three pages worth of design items I wanted, not only for Fiktshun, but for all my blogs.

And as I knew the wait list was long, because Rachel is so amazingly talented, I decided to think ahead. Why plan for the next year when you can get design items through 2015? Heck, I probably won’t even be blogging in 2015, but I remain hopeful.

At some point during the design process I did just throw it out there that if she had the inclination and wanted to completely redo the design for Fiktshun I was all for it. While she was much smarter than I and thought better than to tinker with all the code that could have really messed with my 700+ posts, she did give me a new header, new background and a new blockquote and favicon.

I, of course, suggested why design one header when she could design six. And this way, I can change the header simply and easily to fit my mood, or match it with the top post of the day. Of course now that we’re done, I wish I’d asked for fifteen….

Anyway, after all ninety or so design elements I requested, Rachel finally was able to refocus on why I was on the list in the first place – my companion blog. When I first got added to the list, I intended it to be a Blogger blog design. But as the months passed, I was thinking of going with a WordPress design. Especially since this is to be a companion to Fiktshun.

And while I first wanted it to be one of those blog designs that looked very similar to the one I have on My Reading Pile, only darker, after I discovered Claudia and Phatpuppy Art, I changed my mind. I saw this image and fell madly in love with it. I thought it was the perfect inspiration image for my blog’s design.

Forget cutesy dark, I wanted to go dark-dark.

In fact, I reached out to the artist, but sadly it was already commissioned for a book cover but I kept stalking her pieces in hopes that by the time my blog was ready to be designed, I could find a piece that wasn’t taken.

But as my name came up rather suddenly, I didn’t even have time to check in with the artist. And before I even knew Rachel had begun working on my new blog, she sent me the header, almost exactly as it appears in the image below. I was freaking blown away. Without even asking me what I wanted, she knew. SHE KNEW! And it was better than I ever imagined it could be.

I had a total of two tweaks to the header – changing the star in the first R to a bat, and centering “Fiktshun” above “After Dark.” That was it. It was exactly what I wanted. I’ve said this before, but it’s like she knows exactly what I want, even when I don’t. And she made it such a perfect match to Fiktshun that while it is darker, and definitely edgier, they still make perfect sense together. And it’s not just because of the consistent header.

Seeing this blog after Rachel quickly posted the style sheet, before even working out all the kinks, I was in love. It was what made me want to completely revamp Fiktshun. Compared to Fiktshun After Dark, Fiktshun looked so boring.

As I loved the writing so much on the side panels on that blog, I had to have her add writing to fill the lonely side panels on Fiktshun since a complete overhaul wasn’t in my blog’s best interest. Just seeing how much effort and time it took to adjust the posts that needed an update after I got the new blockquote was more than enough proof that a complete overhaul would not have been smart.

But I loved the more complex header on FAD and so Rachel designed a few new headers for Fiktshun. And I just couldn’t have the project end without reaching out to Claudia at Phatpuppyart to see if there were any available images that I might have Rachel incorporate into my new header. I got lucky. And so, one of my new headers includes the image from her “She Waits” piece.

I would have loved to get more than one, but I was running out of time and didn’t want to be too greedy. But I am seriously thinking of trying to get back on the wait list for a few new header designs and to approach Claudia about her other creations that I thought would be amazing at the tip top of my blog.

I absolutely love how everything turned out. I hope visitors to the blog do too! My blogs may not be traditionally pretty, but to me I think they are unbelievably beautiful. And somewhat different from the other blogs I visit.

As much as I love getting new designs, I have to say that I think that finally I do feel completely designed out. (At least for now.) While working with Rachel is always super duper easy, I am overwhelmed by all the little items I purchased that still need to be uploaded and incorporated into my blog posts, my blog’s sidebar and on my Twitter page.

I really, really wish I had a better system of organizing my design purchases and I hope I don’t lose any of them!

But what do you think?

Design win or design fail?

Pretty or pretty ugly?

I see the resemblance or they look nothing alike?

If you haven’t checked out Parajunkee Design, be sure to head over there to see some of Rachel’s ahhhh-mazing designs and maybe even add yourself to the wait list.

And if you haven’t spent any time stalking Claudia on the Phatpuppy Art website, well then, what are you waiting for?

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 at 2:49 am and is filed under Extras. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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