Second round… (see round 1)
I started with this new idea:
v2.0
The new speech bubble text reads: “I whip web sites into submission, but I’m nice to everyone else.”
I moved the Featured Work down and tried adding little comics. I liked this a little bit better; having the Featured Work on top made the design feel too top-heavy since the logo is so huge. I also moved the speech bubble to the top of the header and reduced the amount of text inside.
It seemed a bit busy to me, so I tried pumping in more white space in the main content area and bumping the header bar a few sizes larger:
v2.1
With circles… (this could work if I decided to go with a different color)
v2.1b
I like the basic idea of this one better than v1.0, so I think it’s just a matter of tweaking the colors and balance to work for me. I’m also not committed to the Photoshopped circle/leaf clusters.
At this rate, maybe I’ll have a new web site design by the end of next month. 
Update 7/7: Follow the design process… The story continues with Web site design v2.1 colors
6 Comments
I like what you said in the bubble – it’s so sweet but so demanding at the same time – yes!!!
but also not wild about the little circles (just in case you were wondering) 
Now I’ll be quiet and go answer some emails or something
I like the leaves better than the circles – and, are you sure you want to use the word “whip” in your tagline? For verbal people who get pictures in their heads with words that might be a bit too harsh. Maybe “bully”? (That makes me think of Scut Farkus, lol!)
I love the bubble too. Definitely communicates personality. Personally, I’m a word person that loves “whip.”
What would happen if you softened the bottom edge of your header so it looked like the bubbles (or the leave, but I prefer the bubbles) were being “blown” from the header?
I like v2.1 a lot. Just a little bit of whimsy, but with lots of impact. The tagline is very cool, if slightly discomfiting – I don’t know why I find it so, but I like it anyway!
Everyone – Thanks for your feedback! For the record, I thought the leaves worked better for me, too, because they provide a larger area of color.
Doodah – Thanks for being sensitive to word choice! That part will be easy to change so I’ll continue to mull it over.
I like the leaves, too.