NEW AND IMPROVED / NEW PACKAGING / BETTER THAN BEFORE / EXCITING AND FRESH

We have all heard the dribble marketing people toss out at us on a nearly constant basis haven’t we.  Well in this case this is exactly what is happening with “Escaping New Jersey”.  In case you haven’t noticed the website has changed. 

New Look, New Logo (s) New Design, New Hosting Service, New Domain Registry, and hopefully we will be headed out in the next few months for new adventures.  In the mean time we will continue to update you and our content, and try to keep things fresh.  Watch for a change in how we ______ in the future and keep an eye out for some _______ as well!!!  You’ll just have to stay tuned to see how we fill in those blanks.  We’re super excited to show you!!!

How did this all happen? It started with Charlene and I realizing we are doing our best but needed a little help.  So, Charlene started a search for someone who could push, shove, drag, and pull us into the future.  Charlene, why don’t you tell our friends and fellow adventurers what you went through (she told me that will be her next post) and I’ll talk about the new design. 

The Design:  Charlene wanted a cleaner look with brighter colors than the dreary greys and browns the original formatting allowed us.  I wanted, and we agreed, that the site should have a tiled look to make sorting through the blogs easier.  We wanted a search functionality and better use of pages.  We also wanted the ability to add a “swag” shop down the line too.  You’ll notice the color palette was changed with greens and blues (Charlene’s favorite colors…and mine too coincidentally) with some orange.  The background became white.  The hero picture at the top will soon be a slide show and will eventually include video.  And there is something totally new… a logo for Escaping New Jersey.

The Logo:  We have Jet skied, hiked, and seen spectacular sunrises all over the eastern United States and Ireland. And, we have shared many of these with you.  The logo incorporates these elements.  The water showing our time on the water and an indication of the direction we are hoping to take our adventures.  The mountains are a depiction of our time on the Appalachian Trail, and other hikes, past present and future and the sunrise which harkens to the future yet speaks of the past.  All of these icons are incorporated into the letter “e” to signify our adventure and our “escape” from the rate race known as “Corporate America” and our embrace of a simpler life. 

There is still work to be done and tweaks to be made for sure, but we are moving forward.  What does the future hold?  Who knows, but we have a dream, a small plan, and each other so the future looks bright.  Dare I say… We might have to buy shades….

Thanks for coming along with us and our escape.

Don and Char