Hello hello fine people of the internet! I hope you had the spookiest of Halloween seasons and ate so much candy corn it made you want to barf. Or maybe just the thought of candy corn is enough for that! October was a whirlwind for me with two One Week Websites, a new Brand Foundations package starting, and another brand + website package wrapping up. Plus, I managed to book out the rest of my start dates for 2023, which is a big relief that I'll be all set with projects until after the new year. But I opened my calendar yesterday to suddenly realize that the month was gone and another wallpaper design needed to be created. So here we are!

You've got a business that you work hard on day in and day out, and you're ready to take it to the next level by developing your brand + website design. Now, you're faced with a crucial decision: do you hire a local freelance designer here in Denver, or do you go the agency route? Before you start summoning the corporate cavalry, let me share a few of my thinking-est thoughts on why hiring a freelance designer might be your best choice — or not!

Hello friends! We’re entering the fall season and each morning feels a little chillier than the last (even though it’s still getting up towards the 90s by afternoon here in Denver)! I’m trying to enjoy all the lovely things about this season before the doom and gloom of winter hits. So, let’s list a few of my favorite things about autumn that I’m grateful for, because gratitude can literally rewire your brain to look for the good: sunshine on a crisp day, the pretty leaves changing color, pumpkin spice everything except lattes, big warm hoodie season, yummy comfort food like soups and hot dishes, allllllll the Halloween decorations! That’s all I’ve got for now, but even just thinking about those things helps me remember how much good stuff comes along with the change of seasons.

I know that your business is your baby. You've birthed it, raised it, and watched it develop. So, when it's time to level up your branding or website it's important to decide whether or not working with a freelance designer in Denver is the right choice for you. If you're on the fence, I'm dropping 5 compelling reasons why partnering with a freelancer can be the secret sauce to your business's success.

🎵 Happy workiversary to me 🎵 happy workiversary to me 🎵 happy workiversary dear Six Leaf 🎵 happy workiversary to me! Oh, you didn’t know that September is my workiversary? And this one is a special milestone for me — as of September 1st, I’ve officially been running Six Leaf Design (and creating monthly wallpapers) for 10 years. An entire decade. That means 120 wallpaper designs! I can’t even believe it and honestly, I’m not exactly sure how I feel about it. On one hand, it’s hard not to think that I should be further along. On the other hand, I’m really proud of my business + the work that I do and how far I’ve come in these years. I’m gonna try to focus on the positive hand, and maybe put an ice cream cone in it to celebrate 🍦

Well, here we are again. The start of another month. And right when I feel like summer is just beginning, it’s supposed to be winding down. It’s like time is always playing tricks on me. But now is the time I appreciate being in Colorado, because we’ll still have a few more months of hot days and warm nights before that one week of autumn hits us out of nowhere (if you know, you know!). So, I’m gonna try to keep the summer spirit alive as long as I can and enjoy every ounce of it.

I open my email to 5 new messages from my web design client and fight the urge to roll my eyes. It's not that she's a bad client — but we've been working on her site for months, and instead of moving forward, she's asking for punctuation updates on already approved pages. I don't think that's what it's really about. I think it's the fear of putting herself out into the world that's losing her time online, which means losing potential business. Which brings me to the hard news I’ve got for you today: no matter how hard you strive, you'll never achieve a perfect website, brand design, or image. So, I want to talk about how embracing imperfection is the only way to move forward.

Hello summer! It’s here in full force and we’re all ready for it. Well, I am at least. My favorite parts of summer, you ask? For me it’s the slower pace, the warm night walks, and margaritas on patios to name a few. But I recently saw a meme saying the only reason we actually like summer is because we’ve been conditioned to from summer vacation off school as kids. Could be true, but it still feels like there’s a special kind of joy that comes along with summer time. How about you?

When I moved to Denver, I was terrified to enter the field as a newbie graphic designer. I knew how saturated the city was with multiple design schools spewing out amazingly talented people every year, while I was mostly self-taught and fairly inexperienced (I even considered going back to school to get some sort of degree or certificate to prove I knew what I was doing). Now I've got over a decade living + working here under my belt, so I feel pretty confident in what I’m doing. And I can say that while there definitely are tons of designers in the Denver market, doing your due diligence to find the right one for you will pay off in the end.

HERE ARE MY TOP TIPS FOR HIRING A BRAND + WEBSITE DESIGNER IN DENVER TO MAKE YOUR PROJECT A SUCCESS.

Hi there! Sorry for being a day late with this guy — I’m sure you’ve been sitting on the edge of your seats waiting for it. There’s only been one other time in the last 9.5 years that I can remember being late with the monthly wallpaper design, but life has been chaotic lately so I’m trying to give myself some leeway. And also, shhhh don’t tell anyone, but I repurposed this design from a 2020 wallpaper (bonus points if you remember it!). I updated the calendar and tweaked the colors though, so that counts for something.

I’ve been freelancing for 6 years now. And I think that I’ve finally come to accept that there are ebbs and flows when it comes to the amount of work I have. I used to panic every time I had a little lull (ask any of my business besties about the frantic phone calls they’d get). But nowadays I try to embrace the slower times and have faith that it’ll come back around. So when you find yourself coming down from a peak into one of these valleys, here are 3 things you can do when business is slow that continue to build your business and help you get more work coming down your funnel.

Hey party people! Summer will soon be arriving. Can you feel it? I’m seeing tulips blossom, trees budding, and tank tops are making their first appearances at the park (it’s still a little too cold for me, but it doesn’t seem to be stopping the guy doing pushups on the playground equipment while his 2-year-old plays). I’m so glad that May is here and I’ve got a strange little wallpaper design for you this month.

This month I’m starting a new series to help explain some of the common terms that I use everyday as a graphic designer, but that may not be as commonly known to others. I’ve found myself answering questions about these more than a few times, so I thought it might be helpful to start defining some of these terms that I commonly use when talking with clients. This time I’m starting with a few basic terms that anyone with a website or who is planning to have a website should know.

Hello April! I’m glad to welcome you here and hopefully warm spring weather will follow. March was a struggle, so I’m happy to be kicking it to the curb and embracing a fresh new month. What about you? I’m entering a season where I’ll be practicing a lot of patience and waiting, both of which are hard for me. So, I’m reaching into my tool belt for all those coping skills I went to therapy for and hoping for the best 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

There are three main categories that I typically group logo designs into: illustrative, iconic, and typographical. All three have many great attributes, and each also has drawbacks. But the best way to know which is the right one for you is to figure out how you will mostly be using your logo. Once you do, you may find that you want to focus on a specific style.

Well, February went by in the blink of an eye, huh? I guess it’s the shortest month of the year, but I feel even less prepared to go barreling into a new one than usual. This first quarter is turning out to be very full for me both personally and professionally — full of pressure, joy, grief, laughter, stress, relief, tears…all of the above! I’m looking forward to things hopefully evening out in the next months as things settle down and I get a grip on reality. And I’m hoping that for you as well if you’re in the same boat, my dudes!

But either way, I’m here with a fresh new free wallpaper design for March and we’re back to pattern land! I recently took a long weekend and stayed at a historical hotel that inspired an art deco style pattern for this month’s design. It’s two parts funky, one part traditional, and umpteen parts fun! Grab yours using the links below to fancify your digital screens this month. And as always, please share and enjoy!

How long has it been since you updated your website? Heck...how long has it been since you've even looked at your website? Sometimes we forget (and I'm just as guilty of this) that while we may not be working on nights and weekends, our website is on the clock 24/7 making the first impression that many potential customers or clients see. Here are 5 easy steps to take to make sure your website is working while you aren't - and not embarrassing you behind your back!

Hi hi and hello! Happy February! What a year January has been, am I right?! Why does it always feel like the longest month of the year? Maybe it's just me, but this is the time of year when the cold + dark really starts to set in, and I start counting down the days to spring warmup. So, if you're in the same boat, I've got a message for you: Keep it up! You're doing great! You are enough!

And if that doesn't help, maybe downloading the new free wallpaper design for February will do just a little bit to brighten your day. I was looking for a fun February color palette, but everything is all pinks/purples/pastels for Valentine's Day, and that's just not what I'm craving this year. So, a funky retro design with loads of texture is what I went with instead. The heart wants what the heart wants. Please share and enjoy!

You know how some people cringe at the word moist? It's just got a gross sound to it and sends a nasty image through your mind. Well, if you're not watching the language you use for your brand and website you may as well be shouting MOIST MOIST MOIST MOIST MOIST from your proverbial rooftop. The words you choose to use give off a certain impression of you and when you're representing your brand, you gotta make sure that impression is the right one. Here are three ways you can watch your language and more effectively communication with your audience.

Hello friends! I hope you had a wonderful + restful holiday season! These last 2 weeks looked a bit different to me from the past few years. I actually took time off to rest! Instead of doing internal business things (i.e. redesigning my entire brand and website like I did in one week last year), I spent time with family, played in the snow, read a book, napped, ate lots of pie, saw friends, and overall just tried to savor a bit of time away from my computer. I’m not a big fan of setting goals for the new year, because I can set + work towards goals any time that I choose rather than some arbitrary date on the calendar. However, I have been doing a little reflecting on what I want more and less of in my business in 2023. More: connecting with industry people, deep dives into branding + web design projects, supporting my existing clients, giving back. Less: ignoring red flags, overbooking myself, time spent alone, doing things I don’t enjoy.

But back to the reason you’re here! The free wallpaper design for January is here and ready to brighten up your new year. Playing with brush textures and an unexpected color palette, this one is sure to bring a smile to your face every time you look at it. Slap this baby on all your screens by downloading the size you need below. Please share and enjoy!