Since I recently launched my new website, I have received countless compliments stating how fabulous it is. The reason it turned out so well is because I hired Jenny Medford, founder of Websy Daisy, to create the site. Jenny is simply a marvel! Having worked through several site designs in the past I knew there was a lot of work involved. Jenny made the entire process painless and fun. She is professional, knowledgeable, creative, talented, super nice and incredibly affordable. I LOVE my new website! Every time I visit my site, it makes me smile. It is me to a T! 🙂
If you are contemplating creating a website, do yourself a favor and contact Jenny!
I cannot recommend her highly enough! Here is a little more information about Jenny and all that she does.
Meet the Stupendous Jenny Medford!
Jenny Medford founded Websy Daisy way back in 2004, when she saw that there was a real need for custom web design for small businesses and small budgets. She has been working as a web designer and graphic designer for more than 15 years, and has created hundreds of web sites for entrepreneurs, authors, small businesses, artists, designers, and business professionals.
Can you share a little about your background?
I grew up in Texas and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. With a French major, because why not? I proceeded to work a series of not-at-all-French jobs, finally working at a tiny company where I was in charge of marketing and design and editing, all of which I was learning as I went. When they needed a website, I was the closest they had to a web designer, so it became my job. This was around 1997, when websites were still pretty new. I bought a few books (no Google yet!) and dug in to make it happen. And I’ve just kept learning and learning as much as I can all the time ever since. In 2004, I put up my Websy Daisy shingle to do web design as a side gig. It turned out there were lots and lots of people who needed smaller, non-corporate-style websites, so it took off very quickly. In 2008 I started doing it full time!
www.betsyuhrig.com Website by Websy Daisy
In looking at your portfolio, you have many author and illustrator clients. Why do you think that is?
They are my favorite. They allow me to create websites with fun, personality, and color! Plus, authors and illustrators generally just tend to be awesome people to work with, which makes the projects a pleasure to do and makes me want to go the extra mile to make them happy! There are a lot of web designers these days (not so when I started!) but not very many that do the kind of very custom, client-specific design I do. Authors and illustrators have very unique jobs, and they deserve very unique websites, which is what I love to offer.
www.soontornvat.com Website by Websy Daisy
What suggestions or advice do you have for a business or individual preparing to develop a website?
For a business, especially a new business, be very clear in your own head about what you plan to offer and who your customer is starting out, and what you might like to offer and who you would like your customer to be a few years down the line. I have had several businesses over the years who really didn’t have a concrete idea yet what services they were providing, which makes it a challenge to create an effective website promoting those services. For authors and illustrators, it’s all about highlighting the work! Who is your work for, what will they be looking for, why will they be on your website? Try to stay focused on those things and not distract with a lot of other information.
www.elizabethkuelbs.com Website by Websy Daisy
What are some of the common mistakes you see when folks create their own sites?
Trying to save money by using a DIY website builder —they are never as easy to use as their marketing would have you believe, and almost impossible to use to achieve any sort of a specific look. The result is often messy, bland, and generic looking, can’t change and grow with you, and may not be Google friendly. Another common issue is not thinking about how the site will look on a tiny phone, or a big phone, or a tablet, or any of the many sizes up to a full desktop. I spend a LOT of time testing my sites at every conceivable size to make sure they still look great and are easy to use.
www.billkonigsberg.com Website by Websy Daisy
How would you describe your favorite/perfect client? That is, what do you wish every client does/understands/thinks about when working on a project?
I love almost all of them. 😉 Since the majority of my work is for creative people that want a creative design, it’s extra fun when someone has something for me to kick off the design with —even one really great image to work from. Or an idea that I can explore. Given carte blanche, it’s challenging to zero in on what will really resonate with my client and make them fall in love with their website. If I have something to leap off from, then I can enjoy making it happen and getting all the details just right. I want my clients to know that their website is about them and their work, and no one knows them better than they do, so take some time to think about what would make you really happy to see, and share that with me! And if you don’t have any ideas at all … that’s ok too. We will get there together.
www.kaholt.com Website by Websy Daisy
What can you share with us about your creative process? That is, how does the web creation process work?
I ask all of my clients to compile all of their content and all of their ideas before the date I am scheduled to start work — I find that having them go through that process in advance often makes them change their mind about what exactly they want the site to say and how it should look. I dig through all of that content, and any ideas they share, and all emails we have exchanged, and ask lots of questions. Then I get to work mocking up a design for the home page, including searching for the perfect fonts, colors, and images and then figuring out the best way to bring it all together. Sometimes the client loves that first design; sometimes they like it but want to see some things done differently; occasionally they don’t like it at all and I start over with a better idea of the direction to take. All of these results are ok! It’s a process to get me to a design that the client loves. Once the home page design has been revised or redone to one the client loves, then I will mock-up one or two more pages. Once those are approved, I build the site! Then the client has the opportunity to look it all over and ask for edits, so they are 100% happy before I make it live.
www.edwardcareyauthor.com Website by Websy Daisy
How can readers connect with you?
Website: https://websydaisy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/websydaisydesign/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WebsyDaisy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/websydaisy/
