Case Study
Denise Holmes
Children’s book illustrator
Denise Holmes is a children’s book illustrator with more than 20 published titles and a growing body of illustration, personal work, and products.
She came to Milk Parlor ready for a website that felt more like the illustrator she had become and put greater focus on the work she wanted to do more of: children’s publishing, especially board books.
Project Highlights
A website that feels “100% DENISE”
Denise’s new site brings her playful illustration style into every page while giving her work a clear, professional structure.
20+ published books, easier to explore
A dedicated Bookshelf and individual book pages give Denise’s publishing work a prominent home instead of asking it to compete with the rest of her illustration portfolio.
A new home for products, too
Denise knew she wanted to begin selling products directly through her website, so we built and styled a shop that’s ready for her growing product collection.
A website she’s proud to share
After launch, Denise described the site as “professional, playful, clear and very me” and, most importantly, something she was excited to show people.
Project Goals
Denise wanted her new website to:
01
Better reflect who she is, the work she creates now, and the work she wants to create more of
02
Give her books and board-book work a more prominent place in her portfolio
03
Create a strong, recognizable visual identity that feels connected to her illustration style
04
Organize her books, illustration, personal work, teaching, and other creative projects in a way that feels clear rather than overwhelming
05
Add a shop where she could begin selling products as her catalog grows
The Before
Denise’s previous website no longer felt like an accurate reflection of her or her work.
She knew she wanted something different, but figuring out how to reorganize and redesign an established creative career on her own had become exhausting.
“My old website didn't feel like a true reflection of who I am, the work I do, or the work I want to be doing. I felt really stuck and exhausted every time I thought about trying to redo it myself. I was really doing a good job of holding myself back.”
—DENISE
Hiring a designer also felt like a significant investment. What ultimately changed the equation for Denise was realizing that she wasn’t only paying for a new look.
“Once I realized I wasn't just paying for a website, but I'd be paying for clarity and a chance to really showcase my work in the right way, I took the leap!”
Brand Styling
Colors & Fonts
Denise already had an illustration style full of personality, so the visual identity for her website needed to complement her artwork rather than compete with it.
I created a color palette and typography system that could feel playful and expressive while keeping longer stretches of copy and portfolio information easy to read.
Something Good Handwritten Sans gives the larger headings a loose, hand-drawn quality. Blackberry Macarons Sans adds personality to smaller headings and labels, while Figtree keeps body copy clean and readable.
Wordmark & Brand Mark
We also moved away from presenting the portfolio primarily under “Niseemade” and put Denise Holmes’ name at the center of her professional website.
I created a custom wordmark for her name, along with a secondary mark/favicon that could carry the same visual identity into smaller spaces.
Portfolio Structure
Giving 20+ books a home of their own
One of the biggest structural decisions was separating Denise’s published books from the rest of her illustration portfolio.
Her new “Bookshelf” gives more than 20 titles a dedicated place to live, with individual pages where visitors can see artwork and information from each book.
We also created separate pages for each title in Denise’s Are These My Ears? and Is This My Tail? series rather than combining each series into a single project.
Illustrations & Details
As the website came together, Denise created additional patterns, icons, and illustrated details specifically for the site.
I worked those pieces into backgrounds, sections, buttons, and other moments throughout the design so her artwork wasn’t simply displayed on the website. It became part of the website itself.
That collaboration helped the finished site feel like Denise’s creative world rather than a portfolio template filled with her work.
“I also really appreciated how much care Julie put into all the tiny details, things that I never would have thought of, but that made the whole website feel special.”
— Denise Holmes
Website
The finished Squarespace site brings Denise’s books and wider creative practice together without asking every part of her career to do the same job.
The Bookshelf foregrounds her publishing work, separate illustration collections make the rest of her portfolio easier to explore, and pages for her story, journal, newsletter, and shop give visitors other ways into her work.
The underlying structure stays straightforward, giving the expressive artwork and visual details plenty of room to provide the personality.
The site was also optimized across desktop and mobile, with foundational SEO, alt text, and other behind-the-scenes details in place before launch.
Results
A website Denise feels represented by
“For the first time, I feel like I have a website that really reflects who I am, the work I'm doing now, and the work I want to be doing more of. It feels professional, playful, clear and very me.”
A clearer way to show the breadth of her work
Denise now has distinct places for her books, illustration, and personal work, giving art directors, editors, clients, and customers a clearer picture of what she does.
A website she actually wants people to see
“It's a site that I will be proud to share with people and to show off, that is for sure!”
Room for more than a portfolio
The new site also gives Denise a foundation for parts of her creative business that are still growing, including a shop where she can begin selling products as her catalog develops.
Client Testimonial
“I'm convinced Julie is part website designer, part magician! She was fabulous from the very start! Julie was so easy to work with, incredibly responsive, and understood my vision right away.
I felt like she could see what I wanted, even when I didn't quite have the words for it. She walked me through the whole process, brought so much knowledge and creativity to the project, and made something that had felt overwhelming feel exciting and doable!
Julie took all my ideas, hopes, and scattered thoughts and turned them into a website that feels 100% DENISE!”
— Denise Holmes, Children’s book illustrator
Bring the many parts of your creative career into one clear home.
You’ve spent years building a body of work and creating new ways for people to work with you, from books and illustration to school visits, coaching, products, and more.
I’ll help you bring it all together in a clear, thoughtful website that feels like you and makes your best work easy to find.