Behind the Background

About a year ago I discovered Cassie Smyrl, a digital goddess who is conquering Adobe Creative Suite, makes some bling on Etsy, and dabbles in photography. Not only talented but also well rounded, she has collaborated with other artists (and writers) for multimedia pieces like eCards and wallpapers.

You can find her artistry all over the web, just look for the ultra cute gekko. Or come visit AIM. Check the background, title, and logo. All Cassie Cassie Cassie. Working with Adobe Photoshop, Cassie created the background using at least three different brush elements to best accentuate the absolutely gorgeous render she positioned atop the deep red layer. Then she ar- ranged all the elements in a manner that left the focal point visible behind posts. It took some tinkering on my part to edit the html coding so the blogger gadgets didn't get in the way of so much awesome and it was worth it. (You should totally like/pin this if you love it as much a I do.)


Next is the missing Wonder of the World: that dual font face typography displayed in the title. I gave Cassie the title and description, told her when I needed it, and a day later she linked me this. It's so pretty I didn't know what to call it. I normally just stare at it with my mouth open. If my reaction is over the top, it's because I'm a writer. As important as the message of a word is the presentation of said word. Anyone working with or reading print or digital publications understands the significance of the typography. Or titillating textual elements that help retain and gain an audience. There's a certain science behind typography Cassie uses as you'll notice if you browse her work (and you should). Any time Cassie works with words, she likes to use multiple font faces. Her method is to find a font that fits the mood of an image, then the polar opposite of that font, and finally fiddle with various sizes for both font faces. When she finds the right size, she arranges the text in a manner where neither font face can overpower the other; they are both equally valuable to the artist and viewer.

To further wow and dazzle me, the 'aim' has a barely there color gradient. From top to bottom it's white and gradually becomes a stainless steel silvery color at the bottom. It's very subtle, but the moment you see it, you get a sense of sophistication, the color gradient is the sophistication. For fun, I asked Cassie to show me the title where the aim is all white and all gray. Take my word for it the first looked boring and the second looked odd. The second line of text is pink. It adds a bit of flare to the title design I think. It's not white or grayscale but goes really well with the smattering of pink used in the background image.

The logo (image that appears on the facebook, pinterest, and other social media pages) is the background and title with cute little pillars on the side. The way she positioned the text is what really gives it personality. It maintains the femininity and also adds a splash of femme fatale. That's a highly desirable skill I think - the ability to organize visual features to establish branding but also have an eye to use those various components in others ways so the company's presence can be felt. 

I'm shamelessly in love with the final outcome but the real epic on this awesome cake is that Cassie loves what she does so much and has so many clients she can afford to be flexible with her pricing. (Flexible isn't the same as free but if you use her services, the only thing you end up paying for is the quantity. Quality is a given for all of her products.)

You can find her on DeviantArt, where she has samples of her work. Feel free to drop her a line, make a request, or express your fandom. Or check out the Artist page and click the banner that says GekkoPixie for up to date links to reach Cassie.