In my experience newer doesn’t always mean better. Today I finished version 8.@$!# of my personal website, and I brought the site a little more back to the basics. I have been practicing what I preach to my clients and using data (courtesy of Google Analytics) to refine and improve the viewers’ experience on my site. My previous layout only lasted about 2 months before I switched to the current version. Why, you ask?

• Unclear Message
• Poor Optimization
• Confusing Navigation
• Not Scaleable

This is a perfect example of why you should take time before you start designing a site and set up some goals for what you want your site to accomplish. When I get a new client, we sit down and hash out many of the details before design begins. For some reason, when it came to designing my own site, I tried to do it all in my head. My head is a place for creativity, not organization. When it’s time to organize, I need to get back to basics with pen and paper (or computer and keyboard if you prefer). With this said, before my re-design I made sure I had clear and concise goals:

• Promote my work
• Highlight my background
• Show how I keep current in my field
• Engage viewers
• Get contacted by prospects

That wasn’t so hard, and now I have more room in my head to get creative when It comes to designing. After getting my new site up and all my content plugged in, an idea popped into my head: WayBackMachine. I looked up my site and found that my site has come quite a long way, but the oldest version of my site, way back in 2002, had a pretty good message:

[box style="quote"]Creative, Expertise, and Simplicity. I believe communicative art should inform, excite and compel.[/box]

Yes, the graphics are a bit dated and the whole site was built in Flash (keep in mind it was 2002), but the message was clear and concise. While I’m not going to revert my site back to the way it looked back then, I am reminded that getting back to basics can be just what we need.

What are those icons at the bottom of my old site and where are they today?

iDisk Still around but will be transitioning to iCloud in 2010.

DesignisKinky.com Site looks the same including the cute squirrel silhouette.

vBrush tmp Not found. Photoshop brush sites are a dime a dozen. Try Brusheezy.

k10k.net Site looks exactly the same, pixel fonts and all.

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