As a professional graphic designer with over 20 years of experience, I know how much value family photos hold. They tell the stories of our loved ones and capture irreplaceable memories. But over time, these photos can fade, become damaged, or lose their original vitality.

If you have old family photos that you want to preserve or enhance, look no further than my latest service: AI-assisted photo enhancement. With this service, I can take your original photos, digitize them, and apply a combination of traditional Photoshop techniques and cutting-edge AI tools to enhance and transform them beyond their original quality.

What is AI-Assisted Enhancement?

AI-assisted enhancement is the process of using artificial intelligence to improve the quality of digital images. This technology can analyze images, detect flaws such as scratches or fading, and attempt to repair them. Combining AI-assisted tools with traditional photo retouching techniques allows us to breathe new life into old family photos.

Benefits of AI-Assisted Enhancement for Family Photos

There are many benefits to using AI-assisted retouching for your family photos. Firstly, it can restore your old, damaged photos to their former glory, preserving them for future generations. Secondly, it can enhance the details and colours in the images, making them look better than ever. Finally, it can even bring new life to old photos by animating them, creating a live photo effect that breathes new life into the image.

My AI-Assisted Enhancement Service

At DesignChief, we're excited to offer AI-assisted enhancement as a service for our clients. Our process can include digitizing your original photos (or you can supply high quality scans), retouching them using a combination of traditional Photoshop techniques and AI tools, and then supplying the finished images in a new higher resolution format.

Our service is designed to be convenient and hassle-free. We handle everything from start to finish, ensuring your family photos are treated with the utmost care and respect. So you can rest assured that your cherished memories are in good hands.

The Importance of High-Quality Originals

While AI-assisted retouching can significantly enhance the look of old family photos, it's important to remember that the quality of the original image plays a big role in the final result. In other words, the better the quality of the original photo, the better the outcome of the retouching process.

If your original photo is too blurry, lacking in detail, poorly lit, or severely damaged, I may struggle to achieve the desired results. Therefore, handling your old family photos with care is essential, and you should consider having them professionally scanned or digitized before submitting them for enhancement. By starting with high-quality originals, you can unlock the full potential of AI-assisted enhancement and bring your cherished family memories back to life in stunning detail.

Unlocking Your Family's Memories

Don't let your family photos fade away. With our AI-assisted enhancement service, we can unlock the past and bring new life to your cherished memories. Contact DesignChief today to learn how we can help you preserve your family history.

Here is an outline of what I’ll be talking about:

What is Webflow?

Webflow provides a visual canvas that respects the designer’s creation of best practice HTML and CSS. As a result, it’s the most flexible website builder I have seen. 

Webflow allows for custom design, which is what DesignChief is all about. Of course, Webflow has Templates to get you started, but its real benefit is how it allows designers to produce unique brand experiences. 

It features a visual design canvas, a sophisticated Content Management System (CMS) and an easy-to-use UI which is progressing all the time. Webflow respects the complexity of website design in a way the other website builders simply do not.

Webflow uses Collections to handle database elements like blog posts, categories etc, and you can configure a Collection to contain any combination of content fields you require. Webflow’s ability to design using the Collection content is as good as it gets.

Most common website requirements can be achieved entirely through the Webflow platform without the need for endless plugins and updates. And when it comes to time to go live, Webflow can handle the domain setup and publishing. 

A CMS that clients love to use!

I have designed and hand-coded websites for many years, starting before the standard approach of using a content management system (CMS). Now, most websites have content management built-in, allowing clients to edit and manage their sites, adding updates and new content without the need to involve the developer. 

The trouble was that most sites that are created using a CMS are never actually updated by the client, that’s my experience anyway! Sometimes the tools were just too complex, or there was a steep learning curve or the fear of breaking the site. Either way, clients just did not use the system as intended and mostly had to go back to the developer for any updates.

This has all been changed with Webflow. Clients love to use the Webflow CMS. In contrast to non-webflow sites, I see clients using Webflow far more regularly and to better effect. And, in most cases clients can get a handle on the editing process in Webflow with help form the Webflow docs and tutorials.

Flexible and efficient workflow

As with any craft, there can be a lot of tools used in the process. Website design is no different, in fact the tools and technologies change at such a rapid pace it can be hard to define your workflow in a meaningful way.

I like the flexibility of Webflow. It can be the traditional end-phase of your website design, purely used for developing a finished static design, or it can be used to demo ideas, create high fidelity responsive mockups or as part of the planning process for the CMS content.

From a responsive design perspective, Webflow is a desktop-first tool, which means the default size is desktop and you can add device specific styles on top of the default. Webflow comes with some pre-defined breakpoints, and you can add your own if necessary. This is one of the few areas where Webflow may be improved, as many designers would prefer the option to design mobile-first.

Webflow integrations and marketing

You can add most of the functionality you need for your website without adding any custom integrations to Webflow. Blogs, eCommerce and Memberships can all be created out of the box and there is fantastic support for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Webflow has direct integrations with many useful third-party tools that make up the current website ecosystem. For anything not available as standard, you have complete control with custom code, which you can implement at either a site-wide level or for specific pages. So you can get as custom as you like if you need to.

Final word

Webflow has changed the way custom websites are built and redefined what a professional website builder platform should be. I feel that it is the closest alternative to hand-coded development but offers so much more. For the visual designer it changes what can be achieved in a no-code environment and for clients they finally have a CMS that they can love.

Here are the topics I will be going through:

What makes a good website?

Creating a website is more accessible today than ever before, the growth of website builders and template-driven platforms has given the power to create to anyone with some tech skills and a clear vision. 

Whether you are using a website builder or plan to hand-code your website, the same criteria should apply, so you end up with a website design that’s an excellent fit for your business or brand. 

First impressions are so important online. Most users will evaluate your website in a fraction of a second, so if you are not professional looking and extremely clear about what you offer, you will often be overlooked.

A good website design will have a simple to understand site structure and have great content that engages the customer and helps to drive organic traffic to your site. In addition, the site should be customer-centric, optimising the tasks that most users want to complete.

It goes without saying that your website should be responsive. Responsive website design refers to the ability of a website design to adapt to the constraints of the device used to consume the content. This advancement in website design was born through the increasing dominance of mobile device usage. 

What are useful goals for a website?

One of the first things you need to know about your website is its goals. To do this, you need to define what you want to achieve with your site and what is the expected customer journey. Although websites have some common goals, not all websites have the same primary goals.

A blog site may have a primary goal to get new active subscribers, an online store wants the customer to purchase a product, and membership sites might have registration as their primary goal.

Get your primary and secondary goals defined early in the website design process. These goals will inform all aspects of the design, including user experience and what type of platform to use.

Picking a website platform

One of the trickier things you need to decide when building a website is what platform you will use. Of course, website goals and functionality specifications will play a big part in finding the best platform. 

However, you also need to consider who will be updating the site, does it have specific hosting requirements, how easy it will be to add functionality etc. Every platform has its limitations, and understanding your website’s endgame is key to picking the right one for you. 

Most website builders have a core set of functionality and can install other third-party services as required, so you need to evaluate this when looking at costs.

The ease of use of DIY website builders is excellent, but there will be limitations from a branding point of view. You will generally use a pre-designed template that you can customise to work with your brand. There is a trade-off between easy to use and customisable at this point, and you soon find scenarios where you cannot get your content to look exactly the way you want it. At this stage, you may need some help from a web designer to get the template back in shape.

This can be a frustrating experience for some and is one of the reasons why many sites that start this way eventually transition away to a new platform that better suits the business needs.

This is why I started using Webflow. My clients want a state-of-the-art content management system, but they also want a unique website designed specifically to work with their brand. I find Webflow is a platform that can do just that.

Tips for your website design process

So, we know how important it is to have a website design in sync with our brand identity. But, there are also many technical aspects to the process such as platform choice, content management, integrations etc. The best website design takes all these aspects and aligns them to fit your website goals and strategy.

Here is an outline of steps for a typical website design process. As with all design projects, each website design is different but using this as a checklist is a good start:

1. Discovery:

• Define website goals & strategy
• Research (Audience and competitors)
• Sitemap creation
• Select a platform & service toolkit

2. Website design:

• Branding & User Interface
• Online style guide
• Design layouts for key pages

3. Website production:

• Add optimised content
• Integrate third-party services
• Create metadata and SEO basics

4. Add tracking and analytics as required
5. Publish site
6. Generate sitemap and submit to search console
7. Analyse and improve

What tools does DesignChief use for website design

As we can see, there are many parts to a website design process, from planning to production. I have built websites in many ways, using handcrafted HTML & CSS, hosted on static servers, to building using today’s more accessible tools and platforms, built for modularity and collaboration.

Here is a look at the main tools I currently use for each step:

1. Platforms:

• Webflow (CMS, Ecommerce)
• Foundation (Custom HTML & CSS)

2. Design:

• Apple Notes - Sketching
• Sketch - Design layouts and graphics
• Adobe Illustrator - Graphics
• Adobe Photoshop - Imagery

3. Code:

• Visual Studio Code
• CodeKit
• Espresso

4. Support services:

• Google (Analytics, Tag Manager, Search Console) 
• Iubenda (GDPR compliance)
• GitHub (Code management and asset hosting)
• Fathom (Analytics)
• Ahrefs (Search Engine Optimisation - SEO)
• Chrome DevTools

In this guide, you’ll learn:

What is a brand?

We first need to establish just what exactly a brand is. A brand includes everything associated with identifying a company, product or individual. A brand is not a tangible asset as such, but more a combined perception of the following:

• Brand name.
• Brand identity.
• Brand products or services.
• Brand image (public perception).

Essentially, a brand lives in the minds of everyone who interacts with and experiences the brand, including customers, owners, employees and the media.

The origins of branding

Brands have existed for thousands of years. The concept can be traced back to the earliest documented markets almost 6,000 years ago, when Mesopotamian scribes carried around cylinder seals to authenticate their goods.

It was in the 1500s that branding became synonymous with an actual brand mark when a burning piece of wood was used to brand cattle to prove ownership. In fact, the word “brand” comes from the old Norse word “brandr”, meaning “to burn”.

Modern branding took off in the late 1800s when companies started packaging their goods to differentiate them from their competitors. Here we see the origins of brand identity design as we know it today.

What is a brand identity?

A brand identity, also known as corporate identity or visual identity, is everything used to express a brand, including how it looks and speaks to its audience. In some cases, a brand identity can extend to how the brand sounds, tastes, or even feels to the touch - it all depends on the brand requirements.

A brand identity should incorporate the core visual elements like your logo design, colour palette and typography, and possibly design systems for the key communication formats. It can also include your brand persona, tone of voice and overall brand style.

Tips for the brand identity design process

As established previously, each brand identity design is unique, and the process will differ from brand to brand. Therefore, it is essential to identify what parts of the process apply to your brand. 

Here is a list of steps for your brand identity design process. I tend to tailor this list depending on the brand requirements and starting point:

1. Discovery:

• Mission statement (The brand goals)
• Brand persona & archetype
• Brand architecture
• Research (Audience and competitors)
• Mood boards

2. Logo design:

• Naming (Usually supplied by client)
• Logo design concepts and revisions
• Logo artworks with type and colour specs

3. Core brand design:

1. Stationery
2. Email
3. Other agreed key touchpoints

4. Complete colour palette

5. Typographic styles

6. Graphic styles

7. Core messaging and tone-of-voice

8. Document templates

9. Style guidelines

What does a brand identity design include

At the outset, you don’t want to design more identity elements than you need. Brands develop organically, and their brand identity should evolve over time also. The best brands utilise ongoing brand design revision based on changes to their brand strategy, customer feedback, expansion etc.

I find it’s best to always keep the core identity as lightweight as possible, you will add to the core as you build out the brand, but initially, simplicity is something to strive for.

A brand identity should at least have three core design elements:

• Logo variants
• Colour palette
• Typography styles

Most brand identities will include more detail than this, and it is essential to determine the extent of the brand identity required for each specific brand. After all, all brands are unique!

Depending on the requirements of the brand and how it intends to communicate, the brand identity should define how the brand looks in all key formats by creating:

• Style Guidelines
• Design styles
• Graphic styles - Illustration, Iconography
• Photographic styles
• Design systems and templates

Why building a strong brand identity is so important

A strong brand identity design needs to work for everyone interacting with your brand, not just customers but also employees, creators, and the media. Although your brand identity may look good on paper and you now have everything you need to dominate your niche, it may still not achieve all your long-term goals. 

The key is to refine your identity as required and be cohesive in your message and application. A strong brand identity design should:

• Be memorable and distinct to stand out from the crowd
• Be scalable so the brand identity can grow as the business does
• Be flexible enough to be used on all media formats (screen, print etc.)
• Be consistent in the application of the brand so each element works with the next
• Be intuitive and easy to use and understand

Where does brand strategy fit in

It helps when creating a brand identity to have a sense of the brand strategy. The brand strategy can inform the design process, giving focus to the brand identity goals. A brand strategy defines the rules for how your brand engages with its audience. In other words, brand strategy is the how, where, when and to whom you express your brand experience. These rules inform the brand identity design, uncover the key touchpoints important for delivering your brand message and generally help guide your marketing efforts.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

What is a logo?

A logo is a symbol, image, type or combination that identifies a brand. Logos are utilised to convey ownership of a company, product or service. A logo is also core part of your brand identity design.

A good brand logo design should also be memorable and strive to tell the brand’s story. This is important to help create an emotional connection with the target audience. 

From a technical perspective, the logo design should work well in all branding environments and be scalable to large and small sizes.

Do I need a logo for my brand?

In most cases, yes. There are some exceptions where a startup business can succeed initially without one. But, as a rule, a well-designed logo is essential for growing the brand and retaining loyal customers. 

So it makes sense to prioritise a logo design when setting up your business to gain those benefits from the start. Essentially you need a logo if:

• You intend to use stationery, like business cards and letterheads
• You want to look professional (Who doesn’t!)
• You want to differentiate your brand from competitors
• You want to gain and retain customer recognition
• You want to advertise your brand visually
• You want to grow your brand in the future, adding new products or services

What are the elements of a logo design?

A logo can contain a logomark (the symbol or icon) used on its own or in conjunction with a logotype (text design) to create the logo. Most logos utilise these two elements to create the core brand logo. 

However, brand recognition can be so good over time that the logomark or logotype in isolation is strong enough to identify the brand. 

Another element of logo design is colour, and this, along with font styles, can be used to create brand style guidelines.

Should my logo have a tagline?

In most scenarios, your logo may not accommodate a tagline, but in some cases, it can work. 

For example, on-screen branding usually has limitations on size and shape. Because of this, the tagline might be illegible in some scenarios and detract from your brand. Despite this, incorporating a slogan may work when you want to feature your logo as a hero element. 

When there is such a requirement, I like to create a logo variant, or a lock-up, that includes a tagline if one exists for the brand. For a more robust solution, we can utilise responsive logo design.

What is responsive logo design?

You may have heard of the term “responsive web design”. It refers to the ability of a website design to adapt to the constraints of the device used to consume the content. This advancement in website design was born through the increasing dominance of mobile device usage. 

In simple terms, responsive web design works by automatically adjusting the website design based on the device width. This ensures that the size of elements and layout works no matter how the user decides to view the website. 

This design method led to the popularity of responsive logos, where the logo design is adjusted to suit the space available. As a result, a logo can retain more detail on larger screens and adapt as the screen space decreases - the best of both worlds.

What are the 7 key steps when creating a brand logo?

1. Read and understand the design brief and discuss the brand in detail with the owner to reveal the brand story and expected use cases.
2. Sketch ideas while researching competitors and industry standards. For me, this is the essential part of the creative process, allowing for the quick generation of original concepts.
3. Create digital versions of the concepts you want to present to the customer, using a variety of symbols, fonts and colours.
4. Present the concepts and gather feedback on client preferences for the overall design, colour and styles.
5. Complete the final logo based on the client preferences and create the required logo variations. Typical logo variations might include a tagline, reverse colour, print and screen, or web icons (like favicons and social profiles).
6. Test the logo variants for technical robustness and create a final proof for review and sign-off.
7. Create final logo artworks in the required formats and deliver them to the client with instructions for proper usage.

What’s in a logo artwork package?

Your brand logo package should contain all logo variations created for print and screen use. In addition, some usage instructions should also be provided, such as the priority of logo variant, colour specifications etc. I like to create a folder structure with the usage intent (screen or print) top in the hierarchy, followed by the logo structure variants like the example below.

Accutax is a tax advice specialist and wanted a new logo and website design to kick-start the business. I created the logo, website, HTML email signature and stationery including matching office templates. Photography by MOS Photography.

Mark was just about to launch his new book and wanted a website to spread the word. The website needed to be strong on social sharing and also have an easy-to-use blog for his excellent articles.

Gallagher Quigley were looking for an upgraded presence on social media, which was becoming a big part of their day-to-day business. The design focussed on updating profiles for Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn and designing an efficient system of social banner templates for their social posts.

Based in Boston, Westway Consulting offer services in the property development sector. They needed a logo design and business card to get their startup up and running.

Having worked with Visual ID on web design projects, they asked me to create a strong new identity for their company. The project included logo design, product icon designs and event banners.

Working with Swan Design for GlaxoSmithKline in Dublin, I was charged with creating a refresh for the Solpadeine brand and created a packaging system for their product range.

SHS Capital asked me to create a new identity for their startup company and wanted a full stationery suite and brand style guidelines. The brand mark typography was derived from Museo Sans, and the global crescent shape depicts the international nature of the business.

I have worked on many projects with Rapport and was asked to refresh their brand identity with a new logo design, including a simple identity system for the business.

Working with Swan Design, I created a brand identity refresh for Odlums. The project included an update of their iconic Owl logo and new packaging design system.

As a follow-up to an Identity project for VisualID, I was asked to create an identity for Intermedia, a brand asset management tool. This included logo design, UI design and icon suite.

Horseshoe Properties is a small building developer based in Boston. Quite simply, they needed a logo and business card to get started.

I worked with Boss Eyed marketing company to create a new identity and launch assets for Lyrath Estate Hotel Spa and Convention Centre, located just outside Kilkenny. Always great to work on these origin projects.

An identity refresh for Cork-based property network business that featured a new logo design, stationery suite and outdoor signage system.

Buto Developments, a building developer based in Dublin, wanted a complete brand identity. This included an extended stationery suite, a brochure with images from MOS Photography, and branding for workwear, company vehicles and on-site signage.

Michelle has worked on many projects with me, creating excellent photography content, although her primary focus is on Portrait & Wedding photography. I designed the logo, developed the brand style and coded a website with an online store for the business.

I have worked for many years with Allianz Ireland as brand guardian and design lead on various projects. Work includes multiple updates to the Allianz online style, App design, Email Campaigns, Custom code solutions and more.

Bit of a back-story here, I had worked with HandyTeck’s creator on many design projects before so we had a really clear vision of what we needed to do. They required a product brand, a suite of packaging along with the online store and web presence to launch their product.

A complete identity refresh and for the specialist tax advisors Warren & Partners. As well as logo design, brand guidelines and the development of their online presence, we also created a suite of photography of their beautiful premises which underpins the identity design.