Nina needed a simple site that could serve as the hub for her freelance writing and translating business. She wanted a straight forward, minimalist design that still retained a classic, sophisticated feel.

Client: Nina Chordas, freelance writer and translator, Ph.D in English Literature, and mother of yours truly.

Project Description: Produce a clean, responsive website for Nina’s (my Mom’s) freelance writing and translating business. Outline content strategy, setup domain email, and produce a logo.

The Inside Scoop

Nina needed a simple site that could serve as the hub for her freelance writing and translating business. She wanted a straight forward, minimalist design that still retained a classic, sophisticated feel.

Nothing says “classic writer” like a big ol’ photo of a typewriter, so I used that as my starting point on the front page and just sort of took things from there (kinda like building the house around the fireplace, I guess, but if it works don’t knock it!).

I took the colors for the site from the photo of the typewriter (orange and cream from the keys, and blue from the highlight on the frame), and resorted to my all-time favorite font, Baskerville (which you’re reading right now), for the body and menu text due to the classic, timeless, and sophisticated expression of its design.

But for the headers, logo, and footer—what else but American Typewriter would suffice?

Logo

For the logo, as with the main image, I used a little Photoshop magic on a royalty-free illustration that I thought perfectly conveyed a classic writerly feel.

The result is an elegant, uncluttered design perfect for showcasing the writing services of an accomplished professional.

My Favorite Part

I especially like how the large image of the typewriter keys becomes a slim border at the top of the other pages, thereby maintaining a consistent feel without encumbering the content of the site.

See the results:
ninachordas.com