NOVEMBER 22, 2008:
The Holidays are on their way and one way to create a quick splash of Christmas cheer is a Holiday version of your MySpace page. In the last month, I have been working on 4 different Holiday versions of MySpace pages to highlight a Christmas album the artists would like to promote during the winter months (one is not yet complete so I will highlight it during an upcoming blog). In order to allow the MySpace pages to follow the style and feel of the original MySpace page that the artist has been using but have a more Holiday appearance, a change in color, image, and possibly other elements is necessary.

Natalie Grant Holiday MySpace
Curb Records
The original MySpace that I designed for Natalie Grant uses a large grid of squares to allow for different images of Natalie while also featuring colors that match her album "Relentless". To mirror her Holiday album, the colors were given a cooler, lighter make-over with the use of illustrated ornaments near the section titles. The look is crisp and sets the mood for her Christmas melodies.

Wynonna Judd Holiday MySpace
Curb Records
Much like Natalie Grant's MySpace, the Wynonna Judd Holiday MySpace uses the same shape and feel with a different choice of color to highlight her Christmas album. The look of the page is very similar to the original page but has a more winter-like appearance.

Michael English Holiday MySpace
Curb Records
Michael English's MySpace page required a little more work to make the Holiday page look somewhat similar to the original page. Michael's original MySpace has a harsher style and of course that would not work when trying to match the sound of his Holiday Music. The end result is very successful and while keeping sections organized similarly to his original page, the look is very contemporary and successful.

Moral of the story, if you are having a MySpace page designed for yourself or for an artist on your label, consider how minor tweaks could be made later on to adjust the design for different seasons, Holidays, or album releases. The goal is not to confuse the audience with a huge overall look change, but instead apply a smooth transition to allow the fans to still recognize the page and the artist.

 

OCTOBER 16, 2008:
The last month was crazy - but that is always a good thing for business. Besides my usual creative inspiration (aka my family), I have had a friend from Europe staying in my home the month of October. It has been great fun, but also has allowed me a fresh perspective on my designs. So while it has been extremely busy, I feel like I have been able to develop some really amazing designs.

In the last month, two albums with my designs have launched. Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits 3 (which has been getting plenty of press) has done very well in stores. Also, Fernando Ortega's Christmas album launched and I am very proud of that design as well. I am currently working on another new album for one of the music greats and I am very excited about the direction chosen for the artwork, which is sure to offer me a challenge in the next few months.

MySpace has been very busy as well. For those of you who are familiar with MySpace, you may already know about the big change a couple of weeks ago in the addition of the new music player to band pages. Well, that little change caused big problems to musician MySpace pages and those that decipher the code to allow of creativity were very busy for about 5 days. As soon as I would discover a fix for my pages, a new MySpace change would take place that would mess up my fix. I am proud to say that after a week of very late nights, very early mornings, and restless sleep, all MySpace pages that have been designed by Gronewold Design are running perfectly.

I have also launched quite a few MySpace pages recently. Here is a selection and description of the work created:

Tim McGraw MySpace
Curb Records
This MySpace page captures his well-known persona through a timeless, yet powerful design. The page is probably one of my all time favorites.

Simon McBride Myspace
Nugene Records (England)
I was pleased that a company from across the ocean chose to work with me on this amazing guitarist's MySpace page. The new page matches the design of his website while also giving it a unique look.

Plumb MySpace
Curb Records
Now this MySpace is really out there! I spent a day playing with my water color paints - splashing around making a huge mess - but the finished page is really a work of art. The style is very punk with a little bit of feminine mixed in.

Rio Grand MySpace
Curb Records
This country music band needed a new look for their MySpace page to match their professional image. The style is rugged-manly country with a down-home feel.

 

AUGUST 24, 2008:
Today is the launch of the new and improved Gronewold Design website. This has been a very busy few weeks, with the completion of three new MySpace pages.

Tara Oram MySpace
Open Road Recordings
Tara Oram is a country singer hitting Canada and the US by storm. She was a contestant on the Canadian Idol television program and recently has launched her new reality show on CMT Canada. The MySpace page needed to have a soft country feel but also have the fun girl-next-door look that Tara represents. The finalized look and style plays with the beauty and natural sound of her voice while also playing with journal style writing to emphasize her fun side.

Matt Cline MySpace
Boomerang Entertainment
Matt Cline is another up and coming country artist with a bit of a rocker style. Recently opening for Kenny Chesney and LeAnn Rimes, Matt's career is really taking off and he needed a more modern MySpace page that better fit the style of his music. The MySpace page plays with the edgy sound of Matt's voice and incorporates many pictures of his exciting performances.

Hal Ketchum MySpace
Curb Records
Hal Ketchum has a record coming out in September of 2008 so there was a great need to create a new look for his MySpace page. The challenge with this MySpace page was to play with the red and black of his album cover but also keep the design from looking too dark. Instead of playing with a solid background, a canvas pattern was chosen to create a softer effect with ink splatters for the section titles.