I can’t believe we’re finally here. This has been truly 9 years in the making. The wait was worth it though as I feel like I finally got it right. Those who know me well know I’ve always loathed the old name, My Style Vita, I chose all those years ago. Plus since day one, I have always wanted a beautiful custom site but could never pull the trigger on it. They’re a big investment with both time and money. But I did it. And here we are, finally!
This process took several months and it’s a little crazy to think today is officially launch day. I worked with the incredible designer, Katelyn Calautti who helped to bring my vision to life. Also parts of my vision I didn’t even know I had or wanted. She truly read my mind better than I ever could and guided me to make decisions that made this site different than others. And Lindsay and her team over at Made To Thrive who are the genius coders behind it all to make it function just the way we want it to. I set out on this process in the beginning of June and yes, the process takes a while! But it’s worth it. And I’m so happy to finally share it with you all.
So welcome to, An Indigo Day
My Most Favorite Features Of The New Website
There are so many new features to the website that I’m loving. But still all your classic blog elements, too. Something I wanted to make sure we kept intact as I am still an old school blogger. Although I did struggle with the idea of getting rid of my sidebar, or not doing what everyone else is doing as their featured post. I’m so thankful Katelyn pushed me on some of these things. I trusted her 100%. With that said, there are definitely a few notable features to call out that are new and exciting that I hope you enjoy. Plus, many were features YOU were asking for. So thank you for your honest feedback during the process.
An Indigo Day On Mobile
While exploring on mobile I wanted a much easier way for you to shop and pin. They’re the two things you all LOVE to do the most. So while you scroll on mobile, you’ll notice a little grey bar at the bottom to easily shop and pin. These two functions are easily at the bottom to access at all times. I’m also in love with the new mobile menu to easily browse by topic, shop or search! These updates will help to make browsing, shopping and exploring much easier.
Destination Pages
I’m also MOST excited for what I like to call my destination pages. With a ton of content created over the last 9 years, I really wanted a more elevated experience to digest content by specific categories or topics. So maybe you want to explore recipes. Instead of a grid of posts, I’ve created a destination for you. From quick tips to favorite products to shop and a curated selection of content. Plus, an easy and more traditional way to just explore the content within the category with ease just in case you’re old school like me. The same goes for my travel content that you can explore here. And my everyday tips here! I hope you enjoy this more curated content to ensure you get the best experience possible.
Explore Page
The explore page is something that’s grown in popularity over the last few years. It’s typically a landing page for when you come over from Instagram. A simple destination that has everything you’d need if you’re visiting from IG. My latest post to read, my latest Instagram looks to shop and also we’ve included my most popular posts to check out. Some are your most frequently asked questions! It’s a great spot that has everything you may be searching for. This is easily accessed with the link in my Instagram profile, and at the bottom of the blog in the footer.
An Upgraded Shop Page
Shopping from a blogger is one of the main ways we generate revenue for our business. So having an easy to use shop page for you was really important. If you head to my shop page, you’ll see a few of my latest Instagram posts to shop but also a whole lot more. Here you can navigate from shopping my home, my beauty products and style. I’ve also included some of my most popular posts that many of you will ask for when you see something. Like my runner in my kitchen that I get asked about every single time I share a story of Pork in the kitchen. These posts help to answer a lot of your questions and are easy to access. Plus, there’s a list of products to shop as well.
Your Most Frequently Asked Questions About The Big Name Change
I couldn’t possibly write today’s post and not answer some of your questions. Changing your entire identity 9 years in is kind of a big deal. And I want to share the thought process behind it all and answer some of your most frequently asked questions.
What happened with the name My Style Vita?
Well, I hated it to be honest. I came up with it on a whim while sad and depressed on my couch 9 years ago. It never sat well with me and always hated telling people what the name of my blog was. I wanted a name that I could see on a coffee table book, or on a clothing label. A true brand. And My Style Vita was never that to me. An Indigo Day 100% feels like a brand to me and I’m so excited about it. And hey, maybe now it’s time to speak a coffee table book into existence.
I swore you’d go with Elevated Everyday, what happened?
While an Elevated Everyday is still part of my “why” in a sense, it just didn’t work. I swore it was the name too and it’s what launched the initial search for a designer to rebrand. I even bought the damn domain for a pretty penny. But the more I sat on the name, the more I realized it wasn’t it. I actually decided on An Indigo Day with not even 2 weeks before the project officially began. But just like I expected, I knew the name would feel right when I saw it. And as soon as I saw “indigo” on a possible list of names, I knew that had to be in it.
What exactly is “an indigo day”?
Thanks to Emily of Amavi Studio who initially helped with my refresh last year, she was able to really help me with my tag line. Which is “providing practical tips for a more put-together life”. I wanted a name that would encompass what that feeling is. Honestly, if it weren’t for our work together I don’t think I would have ever gotten here. She was the most pivotal stepping stone in the name change all thanks to finally figuring out my WHY. Now it was time to figure out what that name was.
To me, it’s a feeling when you make your bed and you and your house feel more put together. Or when you make an actual cocktail at home even if it’s just 3 ingredients, instead of pouring yourself a glass of boxed wine. Maybe it’s doing your eyebrows and putting on a quick swipe of lipstick before walking out the door because it just makes you feel good. You feel polished and put together after you just did a small little something. They’re easy everyday tips that just make your life a little better. Whatever THAT feeling is, that to me needed a NAME. And I couldn’t figure out what the hell it was. Finally, I decided it’s an indigo day.
What was the process of getting to the name, An Indigo Day?
It was a long, long process. I really think my brand has been evolving for years and the last few of those years, I knew I needed a name change. It all really started to unravel when I worked with Emily of Amavi Studio. Coming up with that tag line pushed me over the edge in a lot of good ways. We still couldn’t come up with a new name, but it was the biggest stepping stone.
So we went with a new tagline and focusing on that. But still, I never could think of anything to change My Style Vita to. Finding the name itself was posing a major challenge for me. I did brainstorming sessions with girlfriends, sat with my thoughts and a thesaurus, and even hired not one but TWO people to help me. But finally I got there. And it of course happened at the very last possible second.
I ended up working with Dani Kreeft who is a copywriter and a genius with words. We worked together on several brainstorming sessions and slowly, we started to narrow things down. Her process was very intentional and detailed. And the more words we came up with, however, the more frustrated I was getting. Nothing was sticking out as “yeah that might be it.” And ones that did were taken. Coming up with a blog name in 2020 is much more challenging than it was 10 years ago.
Finally, one of our sessions was all about color. She sent over a ton of colorful images with the names of the colors on them. I instantly selected indigo as one of the ones I liked, along with navy, brass, mustard and a few others. But something with indigo felt like it just clicked. After that session, we knew indigo was the word. Now to figure out the thing that came before AND after it. That was also a struggle. But eventually, we landed on The Indigo Daily. Then The Indigo Day. Then An Indigo Day. Something about “an” made it feel like you’re having that kind of a day. This day is an indigo day. It made it feel like a vibe, like a feeling, or a lifestyle. And THAT is what I had been searching for all this time.
What is indigo exactly?
Indigo also has a little bit of meaning to it for me. Especially with my previous experience working at Alternative Apparel. Indigo is a natural dye in a deep blue hue that’s used in denim and cotton pieces. Those truly casual, comfortable effortless pieces that make me feel good. It felt so organic to use indigo for that alone. So here on this blog, I am hoping to help make each day an indigo day. Like how a good pair of jeans and a perfect tee makes me feel complete, put together but also comfortable. Whatever that is to you, is what an indigo day is.
Will your content change?
Nope! If anything, my content took more of a turn last year to focus on always trying to provide a tip, or how-to, whenever possible. That stemmed from finally figuring out my “why”. Those practical tips for a more put-together life. So going forward you’ll just see a lot more of that. There are no new writers for the blog and no major changes. Just more helpful and inspiring content in a much more beautiful space.
Thank you again for being a part of the journey with my blog. Your support means so much I can’t even put it into words. So here’s to having an indigo day!
