I’ve said it before that blog header design is a lot like designing signs, without the fabrication issues, which is why I like it so much. The common drawback of both is creating the image from perception.

You see, when a client says they like such and such, I, as a designer, can’t really know what they actually like about it, without some trial and error. I usually get a good feel for that after all those years of making signs, but not all the time.

This weeks blog header design drawing winner, Bob Potter of Threadless Media had the privilege of being on the receiving end of my not getting what he was looking for. And to be honest, he provided me with more information than anyone I’ve done work for in the past, so much so that I think I got overwhelmed with information.

Anyway, back to the narrative, here is his current site.

A pretty simple design, but he wanted to change the feel of this site to be more fun and he cited my design I did for Yumville.com as the feeling he wanted to convey. He was also wanting to use blue instead of green.

You have to admit, that’s quite a switch right?

I was utterly without ideas and started messing around with typefaces and trying to come up with an illustration of Bob that I could use. I decided to use a photograph he sent me playing with posterizing.

At first, I really liked the posterized version of him, but Bob asked me if I could do anything about the dark lines. And after that, I couldn’t see anything but the dark lines. Especially the one under his nose.

My first sketch, trying to capture the feeling of Yumville, was a little bit overwhelming to Bob. He used the word "Gusto."

It definitely is a shock to the system when you compare it to the original. I didn’t know what Rock the Web meant, but I figured I’d add it to fill space.

I used some grunge stripes I found on DeviantArt.com from  WebtreatsEtc http://bit.ly/wgNJH  You’re gonna want to make room on your hard drive for some of the stuff you can find for free. Patterns, textures, brushes, layered PSD’s, icons. Check it out.

I decided to tone it down some and try out another pattern. After talking it over with Bob, I decided to use his real image. And we settled on this as the final design.

I’m not sure how much I like this header, but I was able to overcome my initial block and come up with something Bob likes.

What do you think of this for a free header? Be sure and sign up for the weekly drawing.

Roy