The hardest part about wife branding... is getting them to stand still... because that branding iron is hot?

Mmm, that was just idiotic.   As you've likely guessed, the branding I'm talking about doesn't involve a branding iron and a heat source,  it's the marketing type of branding.   My wife, Laura, wanted to update her web presence so she contacted the Soule Designs nerve center and the process was underway.

Initially we were going to just use a WordPress theme, but to me the available WordPress themes are a little like buying an oil painting at the starving artist sale at the Holiday Inn.   Sure you'll get a piece of art, but it's not going to be what you really want or match your aesthetic style.

Here was her previous website which was nice but had gotten a bit outdated as web design trends seem to swing every year or two:
Laura's old site from 2010
Laura had a few pieces of her original art she wanted to somehow incorporate into the site.  These pieces are pictured below:

Shell star and red flower demand web presence!
Our goal was to use these pieces of art, simplify her marketing message, and to add a bit more of a visual splash.   We were also focused on keeping the type large and easily readable and making the navigation easy from any browser (computer, tablet, phone, etc.).   Finally, she wanted to move away from the cool color palette and go with something a bit warmer.

Based on all those criteria I came up with the below design:
That's great, but when is $5 margarita night??
Unfortunately, it looked a bit too much like an advertisement for a TexMex restaurant.   So it was back to the drawing board.   After a few other concepts, that I've since tossed or can't find, the following was created:
The flower is barely visible in the footer, opting to focus on the star shell motif throughout the site
If it looks similar to http://www.souledesigns.com it's because we were shooting for that same style layout and footer.   We are both very pleased with this new look and hopefully it will stay fresh for the next year or two.  To browse the site you can check it out at http://www.laurasoule.com .

Now that her site is out I can go back to filling in my spare time with ZBrush and finally finishing up that Cthulhu sculpture I stared in October!