Life is too short to carry unwanted baggage. So while my last design was well received, I feel this new look is more fitting to my life right now. The actual design process was pretty straight forward. Show as little as possible while still remaining informative and beautiful. I was inspired by the simplicity of reading a book and the old saying that “content is king”. And credit must be given to this site for an enormous amount of inspiration.
a clean slate
I always like to clean the kitchen before I start cooking. I enjoy picking up and organizing the house before company arrives. And I love the crisp first page of a new journal. I think cleanliness has been ingrained in me from day one. So the more I grow as a designer the more I find an attraction to the simple things in life. And the best part about designing for the web is you get to start over as often as you want. You aren’t stuck with a thousand copies of your identity in a box that will just go to waste.
doing more with less
Now that I’ve stripped down to the bare essentials I am able to focus on what’s important, the content. I was never fully satisfied with how my content was presented before. The multi-column approach on the web I think is good for companies and magazines that have a need for it. But for a personal site, I don’t see the purpose. That’s why I rid myself of all link lists, social links and any other silly sidebar meta data. I don’t feel the need to tell people I’m on twitter, dribbble or [insert new social hotness here] anymore. If someone is really interested in finding out more about me there’s something called google that handles that.
Also, you won’t find any tags or categories listed anymore. I tried really hard to harness their power in my last design, even to the point of splitting up my site for each category. But I wasn’t ever fully satisfied with that approach, whether it worked or not. Again, I think it comes down to knowing what’s appropriate for your site and what isn’t. And I see now that having all my content split up was a waste of space. Even if I try and write about three different topics (ie. life, design and faith) it all comes from me. And now I don’t mind letting it all flow together in harmony.
looking ahead
As I continue to learn and grow as a person, husband, designer my palette will change along with it. This is just a temporary look at my life right now. I believe that in all we do we reflect our personalities. Whether it’s in art, music, writing or designing. We all have our own little quirks that reflect who we are inside. So while I’d like to say this is the final revison of my site, I know that isn’t true. Like the saying goes:
You are your own worst client.
Good stuff, Kyle. Keep it simple.
Awesome. Onward!
nice post – nothing like keeping content front and center (metaphorically not literally) i think to many sites lose site of this.
.mike
Love this content! Great job!
I like it Kyle. I have been quietly working on a new site for myself when I have time. It’s taking some what of the same approach, “stripping down to the bare essentials.”
I really like it Kyle. About a year ago I started thinking about simplicity in all areas of my life..now-a-days I can only work with a small wireless keyboard, mouse and my iPhone on my desk. I’m literally thinking about getting the word “Simplicity” tattooed somewhere on my body.
I’m slowly working on a new site/blog as well and my ideas are very in-line with yours and your site. Keep up the great work!
Also check out the book “The Laws of Simplicity” if you haven’t already.
This is a great post Kyle, I am also digging the new design. I’ve been working on something slightly similar for a few months (what can I say? I’m a slow worker, and a hobbiest), and this post has made realise I’ve let too much unnecessary, how can I put this politely, cruft work it’s way into the project, and I’ve compromised what I want to achieve.
So, thank you. Thank you for making me realise the above and for making me stoked to try and rectify it.
That’s awesome Dean. Thanks so much for sharing. And please, let me know when you get the new design into action, I’d love to see it.
Well, as I said, I’ve let too much cruft creep into it, and its going to change, but here is what it looks like at the moment.
It is definitely subject to quite a number of changes now though.