Teresa's Blog

Peaceful Moments

2010-11-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

On the Katy Trail
I recently went on a camping trip with some friends. We camped by the Missouri River at Katfish Katy's and biked a small section of the Katy Trail. It was a beautiful fall morning the air was thick with a hazy mist and the sun was just rising. I wanted to share with you a few pictures I took of my time on the trail.

I love photography and whenever I can I try to capture beautiful moments that I feel don't need any explanation. I hope you enjoy them.

Asking favors from designers

2010-07-06T11:54:00.000-05:00

Need Help with a design?
There are times when people ask me for design favors. Sometimes I am able to help and other times I am not. I believe in good karma, so if it is for a good cause and I have the time, I'll accept. Don't get me wrong I am running a business so giving away my work is not a good idea. When I do, I consider it giving back to the community.

There are some people that like to take advantage of a creative persons good will. This link is a good example of that. Enjoy! I know I got a good couple of laughs out of this.

Click here –> Lost Cat

March Client Highlight

2010-03-15T15:10:00.007-05:00

YMCA of Greater Kansas City

We all know the YMCA, but do you really know all of the benefits they provide? Not only are they convenient with 19 locations city wide, they also make 'working out' fun. They offer a wide variety of programs and classes for all ages. They are continuously upgrading their equipment which includes exercise machines with personal miniature televisions on each one. It is affordable or financial assistance is offered to those who need it. And with a membership you can even get discounts for certain local events.

When the YMCA came to me last fall to design their "My Y" campaign I knew I had to make the people of the 'Y' stand out. Everyone's experience at the YMCA can be personalized to their own specific needs and I knew it was important to represent that in these designs. I decided to do a series of posters focusing on different people you may find at the 'Y'. Visually I portrayed their own personal experience with the 'Y'. In the end the posters were strong graphics that represented the unity and personalization of the YMCA.

Inside Scoop

2010-02-17T15:59:00.011-06:00

Why Bella Designs?
Since I've started freelancing, I've always had clients ask me, "Why did you pick 'Bella Designs' as your business name?" So here's the inside scoop. It actually took me a few months to come up with the name. At first I thought I wanted to be edgy and call myself "Red Hot Designs". (My nickname at the office was 'Red Hot' because of my hair color before I started freelancing.) After trying to design my logo with that name, I could not get that logo to "feel" like me and my style no matter how hard I tried. I was really trying to put a square peg in a round hole. It just didn't fit. So then I scrapped the idea and started designing without a name in mind. I had an eureka moment. The name Bella Designs came to me right away. Bella is an Italian word and it means beautiful. And I strive to create beautiful designs for my clients.

I've been lucky enough to visit Italy twice and I have fallen in love with the country and their people. I often wonder if it is my Italian heritage that is pulling me back "home". I am inspired every time I come back from there. How could you not be inspired with the place? They have tons of art museums from some of the most amazing artists. Italians make sure everything they create is designed down to the detail. Something simple as a metal gate can be magnificent. You can literally find inspiration from everything. Italians strive to make everything beautiful. Something I strive for too.

February Client Highlight

2010-02-15T16:53:00.004-06:00

Overland Park Convention Center

Have you seen the lighted tower at the Overland Park Convention Center at night? It is gorgeous. The LED lights make the whole tower glow with a variety of colors. This very cool feature hasn't been around long. It was recently installed last year.

When OPCC came to Bella Designs to redo their sales brochure, it was a no-brainer to include a shot of the lighted tower. We ended up photographing the tower in the wee morning hours to get the perfect shot. We had to shoot three separate images to get the cloud texture, the lighted sculpture in the foreground, and the lighted logo on the front of the building. We photo manipulated all of the elements to create this beautiful cover shot.

If you think the cover looks good, call us today to take a look at the rest of the brochure or to see more samples of our work.