T E N Years of Blogging

Hello! 

How are you, my long lost blogging community? We haven't talked in ages! To be honest, it has been almost close to a year since my last post. What?! This little corner of the internet was once my spot to share home projects both big and small, furniture makeovers, recipes, family updates and more. 

September 27 marked TEN YEARS since I first started blogging here at Sohl Design. A whole decade! I'm not sure how that's true. I couldn't let this anniversary pass by without even a mention. As well as a huge THANK YOU to my friends, family, and followers, near and far, who read my words, left kind comments and cheered me on over the years. It meant the world me to know that you cared enough to support me.

It's bittersweet to say that I probably won't be continuing to blog, at least not regularly or any time soon. Taking care of my family is my main priority and I love my role as a wife and mother. I'm also running my design business, Sohl Design, which is fun and challenging and fulfilling as well. I will be maintaining my website www.sohldesign.com so you may visit me there and contact me if you have a project or if you'd just like to say hello, please do!

When I started blogging in 2009, I was working full time at my corporate job as a packaging and graphic designer. Blogs were "the thing" back then, more so than social media, and I used to read, follow and bookmark inspiration before Pinterest was even a thing! Ha! My, how things have changed. I still follow a few favorite blogs, but Instagram and Facebook have changed so much and replaced the platform that blogs once were. I'm amazed that I have published over 600 posts. How is that even possible?! Clearly I had a LOT more free time before becoming a parent!

Working on projects at home on nights and weekends were my creative outlet. I dreamed of one day being a freelance designer, running my own business, with the flexibility of working from home, making my own hours and selecting projects. It's amazing to say that I'm living that dream! When I left my full time job to start a family I also hoped to one day be able to design from home and create a business that would help support my family, and still be able to do what I love. I'll be the first to say that it's no easy task running a business from home, with two rambunctious little boys are running around and knocking on my office door! But, the flexibility and freedom and ability to choose how much or how little I want to work is so wonderful for me right now, because I know my kids won't be little for very long! And I'm getting to see and experience every bit of it, which is such a gift.

Thank you, to those who have read my blog and encouraged me along the way! And thank you, friends and clients, for your trust in me to design your projects and for referring me to others. I work with such wonderful clients and I'm so very thankful for every one of you! It has been a blessing sharing bits and pieces of my life with you, keeping in touch, and meeting many amazing bloggers in this online community. I pray for God's very best for each of you and that we will meet again and keep in touch in other ways! 

Hugs,
Sarah

Endeavor Wealth Advisory Group Logo and Marketing Materials

This year I teamed up with Endeavor Wealth Advisory Group to complete their in-progress logo and deliver a variety of stationary and marketing products to support their new business.

Pieces included: logo (vertical and horizontal formats) and brand color palette, business cards, letterhead, various size envelopes, notepad, banner, brochure, office signs and event invitations.

It's so important to create a complete professional identity package, at every point of communication, to help your business shine. Implementing custom designs, to multiple applications is a favorite part of my job!

Red White and Blue Wedding Stationary

 

When I design wedding invitations, they're usually done months and months in advance (which is wise, of course, when planning a wedding). I love that I get to be part of the "insider" planning stage and work behind the scenes to help set the tone for such a special day. BUT, that means that I have to wait months and months to see how everything comes together at the actual event. I really look forward to seeing photos of the wedding ceremony, the venue and of course the bride and groom! 

I couldn't wait to see Anderson and Collin's wedding pictures and see their dream realized, after having just a small glimpse through their invitations. And I've never even met them in person! My heart skipped a beat when I saw their images, captured by the incredibly talented Michal-Kathryn Photography. I can't thank her enough for recommending me to the happy couple, and for graciously allowing me to share a few of the photos. 

It was so much fun designing an all American wedding themed invitation set. A combination of red, white, and blue, lace, political/ballot style and rustic barn wedding, all rolled into one. My kind of project! 

They also requested campaign buttons to hand out at the reception, which was a really fun piece to design. How cute are these?!

Such a beautiful couple and wedding party! Congratulations Anderson and Collin! It was a pleasure working with you.

Images by: Michal-Kathryn Photography

Goat Isle Soap Branding and Photography

I partnered with Carpenter's Family Farm, located in Brockport, NY, to develop a logo, packaging, marketing materials and product photography for their extensive line of Goat Isle Soap and raw goat's milk products. This has been such a fun brand to work with! I've had the opportunity to visit the farm and see the animals that they care for, as well as use many of their amazing soaps. There are over 30 varieties! And so many beautiful scents and combinations. Visit their website to learn more. They will be at many festivals and shows this year, for those who are local.

This is one of the posters designed for a craft show event. I really enjoy being able to support a brand through multiple marketing platforms. Especially having the opportunity to style and photograph their soaps and products for the website and social media. I love this part! Here are some of the images.

I was able to incorporate the logo onto a few of the images and create headers and larger scale social media graphics. 

Follow Goat Isle Soap on Instagram if you'd like to know about upcoming events, how to order, and see their adorable goats and farm animals. Look for Carpenter's Family Farm on Facebook.

Church Christmas Theme Graphics

It's hard to believe that Christmas was two months ago! One of the last projects I completed in 2017, was Christmas theme graphics for a church in our area. I was thrilled to work with Browncroft Community Church, a community that I'm familiar with, have attended events at, and know many who go there.

The theme "A New Hope" would be featured in both print and various digital formats. This was a little new for me, as I needed to keep in mind that the artwork would be used across a variety of platforms. The pieces included a poster, post card, bulletin cover, Facebook cover, Instagram image, website and auditorium big screen graphics. The main Christmas service, as well as Christmas Eve and a separate festival were showcased.

I enjoyed stretching my Photoshop skills to create the perfect image we were looking for. The team at Browncroft did a beautiful job implementing the graphics across all points of contact, and it was a pleasure working together. You can visit their website and view the message series A New Hope.

Gender-Neutral Farm Animal Baby Shower Invitation

 

I love having the opportunity to design invitations for friends that I have known most of my life. My friend, Alonna and her husband, Pat, recently welcomed their precious baby girl into their family and I could not be happier for them! I've known Alonna and her family since she was in second grade (or longer!). Alonna and Pat are such an adorable couple, and if you know Alonna, you know how much she loves animals. This gender-neutral farm animal theme invitation was so much fun to create, based on their idea. I applaud them for being able to wait 9 months to find out if they were having a girl or a boy. Welcome to the world sweet baby! You are so very loved.

Design and Consulting for ABLE

Earlier this year, I started working with ABLE, a new client and lifestyle company committed to helping people through the benefits of nutritional ketosis. I worked with them to provide design and consulting to help launch their new products and showcase their brand. I was thrilled to work with this startup company that grew from the vision of three friends, one of whom I have known since high school.

I really enjoyed working on a variety of pieces and providing input on various levels, such as:

Refining their new logo
Box kit packaging labels
Welcome kit letter
Ketosis brochure
Coupon card
Facebook ad
Water bottle branding
Supplement packaging concepts
T-shirt consulting
Web design consulting

Graphic design and packaging have been my primary focus for over a decade, but I also have experience with marketing and unique applications. I love working with new clients, especially wonderful ones like the ABLE team. 

We also got to collaborate with another friend of mine and talented photographer, Brette-Ashley, to capture their product photos and head shots. It's so great when I get to work with friends who also run their own business.

To learn more, visit the ABLE website
Product photography by Brette-Ashley Photography

A Classy Wedding Invitation with Custom Illustration

One of my greatest compliments is when a client (and former bride) recommends my work to a bride-to-be. I was thrilled to work with Courtney and her mom to design a very classy wedding invitation and response card. The design included a custom illustration of the venue, done by my extremely talented friend and artist, Reb. It also included a monogram, hand layered gold and navy blue paper (each assembled by me), and printed response card envelopes. 

 

Sometimes it's the simplest designs that have the greatest impact and elegance. I really enjoyed working on this design, especially because the illustration made it so unique and the layered paper gave it such sophistication and shine.

Congratulations Courtney and Kevin! I hope your wedding day was every bit as beautiful and special as you imagined. Best wishes for your new life together as husband and wife! Thank you for allowing me to design your wedding invitations.

Hope Hall Gala Invitation Suite

 

In 2016, I started working with a new client, Hope Hall School. I designed the invitation suite for their yearly fundraising "Toast for Hope" gala. 

The pieces included:

Save the date postcard (2-sided)

Invitation (2-sided) with printed envelope

Response card (2-sided) with printed envelope

Program booklet (10 page, 2-sided) 

The theme was prom night, including a disco ball and silver glitter, also incorporating their corporate color, teal. Such a fun project! 

There was quite a bit of content included on both the invitation and the response card, which is why they were each 2-sided. I really enjoyed organizing all of the information and working to create a unified style. 

The program booklet took some creative formatting and organization as well, because there were a total of 20 pages to design (10 pages front and back), including adds, sponsors, auction items, schedule of events, board members, and more. I enjoyed getting to design a booklet like this and challenging my layout skills.

I'm so pleased with how all the pieces turned out! The client was very happy, too, which is the most important. Hope Hall School was wonderful to work with and I look forward to working with them again.

Jones AC Services Logo

In the fall of 2016, I had the pleasure of re-branding Jones Air Conditioning Services, located in Delray Beach, Florida. Jonathan Jones, is the owner and operator (and he is married to my beautiful cousin). He's also one of the hardest working, nicest guys you'll ever meet. I was thrilled when he asked me to work with him to give his company a makeover and boost his brand identity. 

After designing a new logo and establishing colors, I applied it to corresponding business cards, carbon copy invoice forms and a large magnetic sign for his vehicle.  

This was such a fun project for me because I got to research and strategize the field of air conditioning services, which is one that I have not worked with prior. I enjoy creating artwork for different applications, too. This is my third vehicle related design. Thinking about magnetic signs driving around Florida gives my heart a little flutter.

I also couldn't have asked for a better client - not just because he's family, either. I really like being able to help support a family owned and operated business.