Michael Helwig Interiors celebrates 1 year on September 5, 2017. It’s been a busy year. I’ve learned so many new things about web design and SEO in the last 12 months that my nerd side is just bursting at the seams to try it all. So in honor of turning 1, I’m launching my monthly newsletter, Home Decorating Simplified! The first issue will be hot off the presses on September 5, 2017! And by “presses” I mean digital… There are no presses here... Anywho, If you’re receiving this email through my friends at Mailchimp, then you’re gonna be one of the first to take a gander at it. If you’re reading this through one of my social media links, then you’ll have to sign up here to get on my list and you definitely want to do that cause there’s value galore in them there issues! Okay, enough about the pitch. How’s about a sneak peak? 
 

The Evolution Of MH Interiors
 

This first issue is going to feature a little behind the scenes look at the evolution of my brand. My core message point has not changed. My site is about e-design and how I can help folks far and wide realize their dreams of creating a home that they love. The thing that has changed is my overall website look. I’m in a colorful and creative industry and my brand needs to reflect that. 
 

My logo was my first stop. I wanted to keep my overlapping M & H but I also wanted to add in the “I” for “Interiors” but where it was going to go was a definite quandary. I had it going vertically through the center of both the M and the H along the way but that made things look like a jumbled mess to me and I didn’t want that to be the first impression of my site. Besides, my core message is about making this entire process of home decorating simplified and a busy logo with lots of vertical lines did not say simple. I finally decided to flip the “I” horizontal and, shabam! There it was, my “I” was fully represented and still simple as a extension of the middle line of my “H”. Ahh typography, you made my day! 
 

Next came the copy. I was still happy with my font choice, which again is clean and simple – no serif. The change came when I decided to resize the text on my logo. Since the “I” was now an equal partner in the equation, it was only natural to make all the lettering the same size in my text. Last I brought the letters of the text in closer together to stream line the entire look – clean and simple. 
 

The Brand Style Guide

The next step in transforming how stuff looks was to revisit my brand style guide. If you’re not familiar with what that is it’s essentially a visual file that outlines all the different elements that go into the creation of a brand identity: the fonts used in its copy, the colors in its promotional materials, logos and other core components. 
 

I approached this from the same perspective as when I design a room for a client. I put together a mood board outlining the overall feel I wanted the brand to have. I still wanted luxury to be the underlining theme (see my old brand mood board) but, this time I decided to focus a bit more on the whimsical, functional and natural side of luxury. 

During this past year I have refined my own aesthetic and reconnected with my hands on creativity through diy projects. I’ve found endless inspiration online and through my extensive network of designer friends and mentors. All of this has influenced the way I see luxury and how I now present that aesthetic vision to my clients. 
 

This is a short post this week as I’m working feverishly working to get Home Decorating Simplified done and delivered to you on September 5, 2017 which is this Tuesday, yikes!  As with all my content, my aim is to inspire you to create a home you’ll love and you have my word that the content I’ll be showing you will get you fired up to roll up your sleeves and tackle that decorating project you’ve been dreaming about! 

So if you haven’t subscribed yet, what are you waiting for? Inspiration is a foot! Click the freebie button to subscribe in my signature below and you’ll be in the know with the latest home decorating trends, simple ticks and tips to make your home amazing, creative and easy diy’s, and SO MUCH MORE! 

Until Next time my amazing creative friends, stay fabulous! 
 

Michael is Principal designer and blogger at Michael Helwig Interiors in beautiful Buffalo, New York. Since 2011, he’s a space planning expert, offering online interior e-design services for folks living in small homes, or for those with awkward and tricky layouts. He’s a frequent expert contributor to many National media publications and news outlets on topics related to decorating, interior design, diy projects, and more. Michael happily shares his experience to help folks avoid expensive mistakes and decorating disappointments. You can follow him on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @interiorsmh.