I’ve been working hard on some really exciting projects this year and I am so freaking stoked to finally share some stuff with you.

First off, there never seems to be enough time to update my online design portfolio, keep my blog current and self-promote. The end result is that even the closest people in my life don’t really know what I’m up to. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good problem to have! I’ve been so busy with freelance jobs from word of mouth alone, as well as with my day job as a Graphic Designer at Expedia, that I haven’t really had a chance to stop and breathe. But I’ve promised myself that I would try to make this more of a priority. Try.

Earlier this year, I pulled my portfolio website down (www.leannepadgett.com) and rebuilt it. It was time for a facelift. I made me a logo. Thanks to my fabulous and talented photog friend Erik Ferguson, I got some new photos taken. I decided it was time to get serious about this freelance business I’ve been running off the corner of my desk for the past few years.

A few months ago a colleague, Jill Binder, approached me with an idea for a productivity web app that she wanted me to design. She’s a developer so it was already wireframed, but in multiple iterations. She wanted my help with illustration, look & feel, and helping organize the iterations into one unified set of skins. Working with Jill was a genuine pleasure. Working with a developer who knows the biz makes a big difference on a project like this. She’s also a freelancer so she understands the roadblocks and challenges of balancing freelance and life. She was very patient with me, but gave me the little pokes when I needed them and helped me stay on track. I feel like I have grown and developed a lot over the course of this project and this year.

Here is the initial mood board I created for the project.

The app is called Do The Thing, and I ended up adopting “Do The Thing” as a personal motto. I reached the (now obvious) conclusion that there is only one way to build this business of mine, and that’s with a lot of freaking hard work. If I was feeling tired or overwhelmed, I would make a list and tell myself to start by doing one thing, one little item, and that was often enough to create momentum for myself.

Here are a few of the skins:

That’s all for now. I’m off to do more things! More updates still to come. Happy Friday, friends!