There’s nothing quite like a custom website filled with personal details, intentional copy, and thoughtful design to elevate your online brand. And I couldn’t be more thrilled to share the beautiful bespoke Showit 5 website I designed for my sweet friend Laylee Emadi earlier this spring! I had to honor of working one-on-one with Laylee years ago through mentoring before she took her incredible photography business full-time, and it’s been an unbelievable joy to watch her business flourish over the years. From seniors to couples to education for photographers, this talented, tenacious woman is making huge waves in the creative community. So when she reached out about creating a brand new website that reflected her heart, her experience, and gave her room to grow, I about jumped out of my seat for joy!

Like so many creatives I know, Laylee had been living with a website that no longer felt like an accurate reflection of her level of experience. When she reached out about working together to design her new custom website, she shared a beautiful vision for a new online home for her brand that was filled with custom details and personalized elements that truly felt like her! If you’ve ever met Laylee in person, she just radiates warmth, laughter, and kindness. So I immediately focused on crafting a website that spoke to those values, as well.

In her own words, Laylee shared, “I felt like my brand and my [old] online home did not match at all–like my ‘caliber’ was not being represented by my website at all!” Of course, we had to fix that ASAP!

Now, Laylee feels totally different about her brand’s online home and the presence it brings: “[After working with Bonnie,] I FEEL SO AWESOME. Honestly, I feel like my entire brand and business has gone up so many levels that I need to raise my prices just to keep up with my website’s awesomeness… I love everything about the site, but over all what I love most is how well it represents BOTH me and my clients.”

Laylee had her logo and coordinating branding all ready to go after working with the talented Sarah of Sarah Ann Design, and it was so fun to be able to weave in Sarah’s beautiful work into this custom site concept!  Laylee’s brand palette consists of some gorgeous shades of soft blue, grey, and pops of pink, so I wanted to tie in those hues through strategic ways on each page of the site.

Since Laylee serves quite a few different ideal clients through her photography for seniors and couples, as well as her education offerings, I knew we needed to build out a site that allows potential clients to quickly and easily find what they’re looking for. So I tucked in all sorts of options through the site for people to find everything from services to investment to portfolio work, and more! In the end, Laylee’s website visitors should never have to spend time wondering who she is or what she offers ever again. ????

During our very first strategy call together, Laylee made it clear that she was dreaming of a website that told her story and reflected all sorts of personalized details that truly felt like her. So of course I needed to find ways to tie in more personality every chance I got! Sarah made that easy through custom illustrations we added to Laylee’s About page, as well as custom calligraphy that held a special meaning. I asked Laylee to reach out to her closest industry friends to find out what they loved most about her, and we then took their words and turned them into Sarah’s beautiful lettering that we added to the site! From custom interactive quizzes to playful icons (the ones I added in to represent Laylee’s cats are my favorite!), this site is absolutely packed with thoughtful details at every turn.

Along with this new site launch, Laylee focused on introducing new services to serve her audience well, especially the fellow photographers and business owners within her community. With that in mind, I knew we needed to create plenty of organic opportunities on the site for Laylee to build her email list, as well as spaces for her to highlight the unique ways she works with fellow business owners through one-on-one mentoring or workshops! As a result, I built out a robust Education page that allows a potential client to find all the info they could possibly need. On top of that, it strategically guides the visitor through sections that are designed to position Laylee as the expert she is!

After her site launched, Laylee shared that she ended up booking a mentoring client at her new, higher pricing which is affirmation that we accomplished our mission. ???????? Laylee shared, “[If you’re thinking of investing in Bonnie’s services,] …the return on investment is so immediate and so clear that there is no reason to hold back!”

If you’re a photographer in the Dallas-area who is looking to grow your business, Laylee is absolutely the mentor you’re looking for. Be sure to check out her gorgeous new Showit site here. Rumor even has it that she’ll be here in Waco in a few months for her Next Level Retreat for photographers! With such an incredible client-turned-friend close by, I may just have to crash a few of their sessions. ????

Are you longing to build a gorgeous, elevated visual brand that woos your ideal client, tells your story well, and positively impacts your bottom line? Then we should chat, friend! 

I’m currently accepting custom branding clients for Fall 2018 and it would be a joy to walk alongside you on your branding journey. Head here to get in touch and schedule a free consult to see if we’re a match made in heaven.