Roughly every six months, I update my site design. This interval seems to occur naturally rather than by plan. In the past, major updates have been driven by design, technology, and content reasons, or a combination of the three. This update was mostly driven by changes to the content.
The previous site used a three column format with a height that was almost the same for all text pages. While it looked nice, it was not very accommodating to new types of content. The new layout also uses a multi-column approach, but with a flexible page height and more adaptable format.
The width of the pages has been expanded to allow for larger portfolio samples without relying on any JavaScript generated windows or overlays.
Most importantly, I needed to refresh the content to address my clients better. The home page is more useful with additional text, a limited number of project samples, and regularly updated posts. Testimonials have been added next to some project samples, and in the About section.
As with design, sometimes what is not there is equally as important when working with your website content. Breathing room around visual elements in a design is necessary. Resist the temptation to cram your site full of everything. Be kind to your readers by keeping it concise.
On that note…