TOTALLY YOURS
Totally Yours’ owner has been a friend of mine for many years. This shop also serves as an outlet for my religious artwork and greeting card line. The owner is a typical small business owner in that her technical skills are not cutting edge, but her people talents surpass many others in her reaching out to individuals and the community.
HISTORY
Established in 2012, Totally Yours began as a gift shop to provide religious goods to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. The dream was to expand to something much more. To become a place for all to come and learn about the Catholic Faith. To make accessible to all, resources and studies that would not only teach about the Catholic Church but help those searching a closer relationship with the Lord.
I wanted this to be a place not only for growth in knowledge of the Faith but also, a place where like-minded people could meet and share their faith with others, in an effort to grow closer to Jesus Christ and develop a personal relationship with him.
It took almost three years before the Study Center was opened thus fulfilling this dream. To meet the desires of those seeking to learn, there are group studies offered almost daily. Morning and evening studies are available.
Designer: How was Totally Yours born?
Owner: Totally Yours is a study center where we learn our Catholic Faith. It is also a gift shop. I opened the Gift Shop first and classes were held at my house. The opportunity to rent the space next door came and the Study Center was moved to it.
Designer: Which one has become the most important?
Owner: Definitely, the Study Center has become my priority.
Designer: Why?
Owner: People need a safe place to learn and share about our faith and have access to materials such as our library to help that journey.
MISSION
Our mission is to provide an atmosphere that encourages growth in faith and knowledge of the Catholic Faith, with the belief that this knowledge will lead to a deeper and more personal relationship with the Lord. We cannot love what we don’t know and it is through knowledge that our love of the Lord moves from our head to our heart.
Our Lord said "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing" (Luke 12:49)
We are here to set hearts on fire through diverse studies of the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and various programs which delve more deeply into specific aspects of the Catholic faith. This is a place where one can find peace and love of God and of neighbor.
Our faith is a Gift from God. A gift that is to be nurtured and shared. Evangelization is a requirement of our faith.
Designer: What is the purpose of the Study Center?
Owner: I want to bring people closer to Jesus. Set hearts on fire for Jesus whether they come with a big or small spark.
Designer: What is the purpose of the Gift Shop?
Owner: I want to provide faith inspired gifts for our customers to enhance their faith journey or the journey of others through the merchandise they purchase and to make available beautiful gifts that reflect the beauty of our Christian faith.
GIFT SHOP
ITEMS
Books
Bibles, Prayer Books, Devotionals, Theology, Reference, Lives of the Saints, fiction and non-fiction stories, books in Spanish (libros en español), etc.
Statues
Indoor and outdoor, many sizes, many subjects. Jesus, Mary, Saints, Angels, etc.
Rosaries
Wide varieties of rosaries are available. Silver, gold, gemstones, wood, plastic, etc.
Religious Art
Framed and unframed, posters, sacred images, oil paintings and more.
Jewelry
Rings, bracelets, necklaces, pins, medals, etc.
Accessories
Scarves, t-shirts
Gifts
All occasions: Birth, Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), Wedding, Anniversary, Vocational, Toys, Encouragement, Greeting Cards
Free gift wrapping available upon request!
Designer: Can you quickly describe how do you choose the items you sell in the store?
Owner: Every item is meant to inspire and/or teach some aspect of our faith with a strong emphasis on Catholicism
Designer: The gift shop provides the financial means to support the Study Center while answering the spiritual wants of its customers.
Designer: What are the payment methods?
Owner: Lay-a-Way and Major Credit Cards.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Owner
Dolores Romano
Telephone: 407-321-8855
email: dolores@totallyyoursagiftshop.com
Location
1434-1438 West 1st Street Sanford, FL 32771
Hours
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10am -4pm
Saturday 10-2 (Closed the 1st Saturday of each month)
Closed Sunday and Monday
By appointment only, need to call mobile-phone 407-321-8855
Designer: It is not advisable to use her personal cellphone number on the website!
Designer: After interviewing some of the clients, we concluded that the location of the store is vital on every page of the website. Clients like to come to the store to read, study and talk to other clients. They would rather buy at the store than online. It is highly recommended that the map and location information be part of the footer. It has to be accessible as soon as the user opens the website!
STUDY CENTER
GROUP STUDIES
Father Michael Gaitley’s "33 Days to Morning Glory, Consoling the Heart of Jesus", "The One Thing is Three" and "You Did It To Me". Symbolon - Used originally for RCIA but now, due to its popularity, is used for a variety of adult studies. A Biblical Walk through the Mass and many other topics are explored. New studies are offered all the time depending on the interests of the participants.
Most studies involve DVD presentations followed by group discussions
90 minute meetings
Weekly mornings (10:30 am) and/or evenings (6:00 pm or 7:00 pm)
Cost of materials varies from $10 to $25
Offered to older children and adults
Range in size from 4 to 12 participants
CLASSES
Basic, Advance and Master Catechism
The Catechism Classes are partly independent study. They involve test questions to be answered on your own using the Catholic Dictionary, Father Hardon’s Handbook and computer research. They then meet with the group to discuss the test questions. Certificates of completion are offered by Intermirifica for those who complete the course with a passing grade. This course is approved by the Holy See.
Term of course ranges from 16 to 35 weeks
Cost of Materials $30 to $65
Class offered for adults (male and female)
Class size ranges from 5 to 12 participants
Designer: Classes and Group Studies should not be visually treated with the same layout.
LIBRARY
A wide variety of Christian/Catholic books and DVDs are available to borrow or rent. There are reference books such as the Catholic Dictionary, Catechism, Bibles and Codes of Canon Law. Also, novels both fiction and non-fiction, biographies of Saints and other known Catholic figures, Inspirational stories, self-help, and much more are available.
Seating is available for those who would like to stay and read during regular store hours
Library membership is required to borrow books and/or rent DVDs
There is no cost to take out books with a membership (Limited to 3 at a time)
DVDs rent for a $1 per day and $3 per week per DVD (Limited to 3 at a time)
Cost of Membership starts at $20 annually, which includes $15 worth of free DVD rentals
Must be 18 or older to join
Designer: The library fees should be shown clearly on the FAQ page and the Study Center page.
MOVIE PRESENTATIONS
Faith based, full-length movies are shown on a 65" flat screen TV, including stories about Jesus, Mary or the Saints. Current movies such as God’s Not Dead, War Room and Woodlawn, among others, are shown.
Matinée – 10:30 am – third Wednesday of every month
Evening – 7:00 pm – third Saturday of every month
No Cost
Call ahead to reserve space, as seating is limited
Movies are open to singles, couples, and families (when topic is appropriate for children)
Designer: Are concessions available?
Owner: Popcorn, candy and water are on the house!
Designer: Woo hoo!
EVENTS
Study Center
Prayer of the Rosary - first Saturday of every month
Holy Hour – first Sunday of every month
Celebration of Special Masses - ocasionally
Local Artists Presentations
Gift Shop
Local Artists Presentations
All Soul's Chappel
Consecrations - Divine Mercy and "Totus Tuus"
Designer: There are plenty of events celebrated at the Study Center, Church, private houses and other locations. All events need to be recorded in the calendar as well as on their own page. Special events must appear as the user gently opens the home page. Width that said, overlays will be very useful.
MARIST LAITY
The Marist Laity is a third order of Mary. We strive to learn how to live more like Mary, the mother of God, in humble obedience to God while supporting His Church.
Meets every second Saturday of the month at 9:30am
No cost
Designer: Totally Yours has links to external websites, parishes, dioceses and common ministries with other parishes. Meetings are hosted at the Study Center.
SEARCH
Designer: Do you know how people find you online? What words do they search to find the store?
Owner: Hmmm, that's interesting I don't know. I'm assuming they use totally yours. Religious store, maybe?
Designer: These are a few words that the user will commonly input to perform the search on the engine. "Totally yours" will be their first choice. They might also try "totally yours sanford", "totally yours store", "totally yours religious store", and "totally yours.com"
Designer: Wheen one inputs "totally yours Sanford", the Yellow Pages show the location and phone number of Totally Yours. It also shows the map. This is excellent!
Designer: When only Totally yours is entered in the search engine, the user is taken to the page of a Real State Company also called Totally Yours.
Designer: One Facebook page takes you to a business consulting company also called Totally Yours and to another called Totally Yours Pilgrimage.
CURRENT WEBSITE
Designer: How can I help you?
Owner: I don't know anything about websites. I need people to find me. If I can put a photo of some of my products and announce my classes, then I can sell. I know that I don't have anything right now.
Designer: The current website is a one and only page with an image placed on it. I suggest a real, awesome inspiring website layout!
CURRENT LOGO
Designer: This current logo is a cross in the middle of the gift shop’s name with a brief description of the business underneath. It is extremely crowded and very difficult to read. Usually, customers pass by the door and do not find the gift shop.
The grayish color and the chopped blue, surely do not inspire peace or softness. On the contrary, it looks messy and does not explain that inside there is a Catholic center and religious store.
Plenty of customers have left the small shopping center claiming they did not see any religious store.
CURRENT SOCIAL MEDIA
Designer: Is this Facebook page part of your personal FB account?
Owner: Honestly, I don't know. I didn't make it. It was John Doe who made it.
Designer: Totally Yours has a Facebook page created within the owner’s personal page. "No bueno"! At the present time, no one visits the page. The page is easy to find when the search is "totally yours sanford".
I strongly suggest a Facebook business page with regular posting. The Facebook store will help increase sales. We will include in our "on the house invoice", basic and simple Facebook 101 skills. The about content needs love!
CURRENT CALENDAR
Designer: Many classes won't repeat and/or have a last minute change. The same happens with movies. Therefore, the calendar must be CLEAR, NOTICEABLE and IMMEDIATE LIVE UPDATE. It needs to be easy enough for the owner to perform the task daily without anyone else's help! Having the calendar on a page of its own is a problem solved idea!
THE AUDIENCE
Clients belong to Catholic local communities from the areas of Sanford, Deltona, DeBary, Lake Mary, Heathrow, Longwood, and Casselberry. Customers ages range from 30 to 90 years old. Seventy percent (70%) are female while thirty percent (30%) are male.
Clients visit the store to buy, to hang around, to read, to study, to watch movies, to listen to music and to pray. Occasionally, Masses are celebrated at the Study Center. Clients behave more like family than clients.
Many of the inquiries are done by phone and orders end up placed via email.
Designer: Can you tell me some words that describe Totally Yours?
Owner: Faith, Hope, Love, Peaceful, Catholic, Inspired, Joy, Alive, Happy, Service-Servant, Warm, Cozy, Freedom, Evangelize, Peace, Ministry, and Facilitator.
Designer: Owner's technical skills are very limited! Besides, she runs the place by herself so time to learn tech skills is limited too.
PERSONA 1
Anita is a thirty-nine year old Hispanic woman and a single mother of a seven year old girl. Prior to the decade that she has lived in Sanford, The Big Apple sheltered her for seventeen years. However, the New Yorkian, now a Floridian, was born in Cali, Colombia.
She works as a medical billing specialist for Dr. Bonilla, a physician. Having a flexible schedule and working from home is a perfect combination for Anita. It gives her the opportunity to visit Totally Yours to read and participate in the study classes.
She enjoys reading and watching religious movies! Goes to mass every Sunday. One does not have to be her friend to enjoy a kind conversation with her.
Designer: How often do you come to the store?
Anita: I come every time I have the opportunity. Usually I come twice a week. I'm a regular customer. You know? I love it here. This place strengthens my Faith. Dolores helps me grow my faith.
Designer: When you come, what do you like to do?
Anita: I love to sit down and read! If I need to buy a gift, I come to the store even if it is to order it. Dolores offers suggestions when I can't decide what to buy. She knows very well the Catholic celebrations and what items are good for each occasion.
PERSONA 2
A sixty-five years old client from Iowa who has been living in the Longwood area for seventeen years. Although she misses the northen seasonal changes, she does not complain about Florida's weather.
Mother, wife, sister, daughter, and excellent neighbor, she belongs to some of her parish's organizations. One of her best ways to find inner peace is the discipline of daily Bible reading.
Mark, her husband, is a retired engineer and a happy member of the fraternal benefit society Knights of Columbus. He likes to watch sports and once a year joins the Cubs for an exciting baseball game. He grew up with a constant reminder of what God can do to a man’s soul and immersed himself in Church activities since a very young.
Both used to pray the Rosary at Dolores' house. Now they come to the Study Center. Parents of three children, six grandchildren. They enjoy movies, music and attending Church activities with friends and family. They are an active Catholic couple.
Designer: Hi, I'm Susi, Dolores' friend. How are you?
Joyce: Oh! Fine, thank you. Have I met you before?
Designer: I don't think so. I am a student now so leisure time is a luxury I don't have...for the moment.
Joyce: And Susi, what do you study?
Designer: Graphic and interactive design. Web design basically. I'm helping Dolores with hers.
Joyce : Oh, that's good. You see? The first time I went online, it took me a while to find Dolores. You can't do anything online with her website. I moved the mouse but nothing happened. I don't really browse much or know much about computers. Oh, I do like Facebook. (She smiles) My son gave me this cellphone and honestly, he had to teach me everything. I'd rather call Dolores or come to the store. But you keep helping her because it would be good for others to see what she has in the store. These are gorgeous items.
Designer: Oh Yes they are.
GOALS
Reach out to more people
Evangelize even more
Increase sales
Grow the space
Generate daily posts for Facebook
Create the habit of checking the calendar
These goals are for both the Study Center and Gift Shop.
Designer: Because the Study Center is the owner’s priority and knowing that it can not survive without the Gift Shop, I recommend creating individual pages, one for the Study Center and one for the Store. The Study Center page will lead to a list of major categories of services, while the Store page must lead eyes and clicks to the products that sell the most.
Designer: Anything else that you would like to share with me about Totally Yours? Other ideas?
Owner: In the furture I would love to sell t-shirts that read "100% Catholic" and have a Spanish section with a bigger variety than what I carry right now.
LOGO
Google font Tangerine gives a sense of beauty and it has a windy style like the Holy Spirit. The cross in the middle symbolizes Jesus as the center of life. It is placed above the words to represent the almighty.
Google Font: Tangerine 700
HTML – link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Tangerine:400,700" rel="stylesheet">
CSS – font-family: 'Tangerine', cursive;
Designer: What would you like to see happening with the logo?
Owner: Well, you are the designer. You know more than me about colors and lines. As long as it has a cross in the middle, I'm fine.
TYPOGRAPHY
Headings
Google Font: Libre Baskerville
Weight 400 normal 400 italic 700 bold
Content
Google Font: Open Sans
Weight 300 light 300 light-italic 400 normal 400 italic 600 semi-bold
Designer: I believe that by using these two typefaces together we can feel the ancestry of Catholicism and bring that to our modern times with the san-serif style. So what you believe in, having a God alive from then to now, can be accomplished visually. Do you agree with me?
Owner: I like a lot the combination of the two typefaces together!
COLORS
Gold
Hex #d3ad36
rgb (211, 173, 54)
cmyk (22, 26, 100, 1)
Blue
Hex #4a95d1
rgb (74, 149, 209)
cmyk (64, 34, 0, 0)
Gray
DARK
Hex #4e4e4e
rgb (78, 78, 78)
cmyk (65, 58, 57, 36)
MEDIUM
Hex #797979
rgb (121, 121, 121)
cmyk (54, 45, 45, 10)
LIGHT
Hex #afafaf
rgb (175, 175, 175)
cmyk (33, 26, 26, 0)
Designer: One of these two principal colors needs to be chosen over the other. The combination does not work well together. One needs to be selected as the primary color and the secondary used for details. We suggest blue over the gold color because it is the color associated with the Blessed Mother. Also, for print purposes, gold could be a challenge.
SITE MAP
The contact information will be a main part of the footer, making it available on every page. This will provide the user an easy and friendly browsing experience.
WIREFRAMES
A background image should mirror the serenity and the spirituality of Totally Yours in order to set the tone and atmosphere that the customers will encounter when they arrive at the store.
The skeleton of Totally Yours was developed from white board to paper to digital. Then, as is normal, the functional elements of the website were lightly modified.
GALLERY
Both the Shop and the Center, were created to elevate spirituality. Because of the strong concept and core mission, photos were taken from a high perspective as if Heaven itself were shooting them. The following photos provide an overview of the store and the center.
- Gift Shop Main Photo
- Study Center Main Photo
- Footer Map Location Icon
- Home Page Main Photo
- Gift Shop Bible
- Gift Shop Libros en español
- Gift Shop Greeting Cards
- Study Center Styudy Group
- Gift Shop Rosaries
- Gift Shop Accessories Scarf
- Gift Shop Art
- Gift Shop Jewrelry
- Gift Shop Wall Art
- Gift Shop Images
- Gift Shop Angels
- Totally Yours Community Clients
- Gift Shop Wall Rosaries
- Gift Shop Toys
ELEMENT COLLAGE
The element collage is not necessary when comps are created. However, I decided to quickly throw together some styles in order to save time and help the owner capture the right mood and tone of the proposed website design.
COMPS
A few sets of a comprehensive layout (comps) were designed. The website might be the beginning of a more complex design in the future which will include a catalog for the library and the store items.