When I was learning HTML back in middle school, I discovered a Dynamic HTML snippet that let me change the user’s mouse cursor to whatever I wanted! With the power of copy and paste javascript, I had a site more hideous than a typical Myspace profile, long before Myspace hit the scene.
Unaware of the atrocity I had slapped together, I went to a forum (remember those?) to ask for feedback. I was summarily told that my site was not worthy of 1999, much less 2004. It was the Internet, so people were pretty mean, but one person’s constructive feedback has stayed with me.
Just because you can do something, it definitely doesn’t mean you should.
In reflecting over the last decade in my last post, I remembered that advice. As I conjured up the mental image of the worst website I’ve ever made in my life, I took a look at this site. I saw a useless sidebar with unnecessary graphics, confusing static page titles, and an inconsistent site methodology. I went back to the drawing board, updated WordPress and my trusty K2 theme, and hacked away at CSS and PHP until I came up with the design you’re looking at now.
I’ve thrown away as much template text, promotional material, and other crap as possible. I upped the size of the beautiful Lucida Grande that graces these pages, and completely ditched the sidebar. I’m pretty happy with it, and can’t believe I didn’t go simple sooner. In writing, design, or any other art I can think of, simplicity is king.
I find myself remembering that quote at least once a week, after you told me it over the summer. Definitely something that’s good to understand
I <3 simple.