I built my own website

So, yeah. I built my own website. What more needs to be said, right?

Well, the truth is, this website is more than just a place for me to showcase my work and talk about myself. It’s been a passion project that I’ve been envisioning for the past 6-7 years. Staying up more nights than I’d like to admit scouring the web, looking at what other people have done, and concepting out different ideas of my own. I can’t tell you how many iterations or ideas I’ve had in my mind for this damn website. One that told a story through a timeline with visuals. Another that had cool animation effects. And yet another that used minimalist design elements with a black and white tone, which I thought was really cool, but a little too serious to represent me. I’ve been wanting to update my “who I am” story for a while, and now I have something to showcase.

More than those things though, building my website also represents a big milestone in my life. It is the first major goal and step I’ve taken toward becoming a self-sustaining freelancer. Web design and digital marketing is what I’m passionate about and it’s what I want to do. Honestly speaking though, that probably is an understatement as I am pretty much borderline obsessed with a well-designed, well-thought-out website. So, I figured I better put my aspirations to work and get my passion going.

Of course, I have bigger, grander goals, but as some famous person once said, “The journey toward a thousand miles, starts with one step.” Or in my case it “starts with a website.” Needless to say, I am super excited that my work, my passions, and my story are finally out there. But now on to more important questions about the website and my thought process behind it all. Questions such as why I chose the layout, colors, elements, font types, and much more.

“Why the simple, text-heavy look to the site?”
Let me first start off by saying that I am ordinarily more chaotic. Not in terms of design, per se, but life in general. I love color, imagery, design, and the blending of these components. However, when it came to testing out different designs for my website, in the end, I just wanted something simple. I believe there is something organic and personal about using my words, voice, and understanding of the English language, to showcase who I am and the work I’ve done – without the use of too much imagery. I am also someone who strongly believes in the power of speech (and puns), so using words to convey messages and stories seemed appropriate.

“Why the color orange?”
A few reasons actually: 1) Despite yellow being my favorite color, it’s impossible to use unless you use a black background. And black was just too serious a color for me to use on my website. 2) The color orange represents fun, vibrancy, and warmth – all descriptions I try to embody (and admire) in my life. Orange is also associated with pumpkins, the changing of seasons, and fall, which is a great season. Winter definitely takes the cake though. Love me some rain and clouds. 3) Lastly, orange simply stands out and is legible as a color that I’d like to have represent my site.

“Why Georgia font? It seems so… ordinary.”
Exactly. Even after all these years, I still like Georgia. It’s simple, and almost dull at times. It doesn’t evoke too strong of an emotion – positive or negative. It’s just a font. However, in terms of actual handwriting, it is more on-point than most fonts, and I think that works well for me considering the style and tone in which my website embodies.

Beyond those reasons, it should be made known that I (without shame) went through over 100 font types to illustrate my brand and personality. They all just failed. Not because they didn’t have enough personality, but because they had too much personality. I needed, or better yet, I wanted something more mundane. In the end, good ol’ Georgia prevailed. Safe to say that Ray Charles was onto something with his late, great hit “Georgia on My Mind.” This song definitely puts me in a mood.

“I said Georgia.
Oh Georgia, no peace I find (no peace I find)
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind).”

“Why the look of the logo? Is there any significance?”
Growing up I would always mess around with my initials, coming up with different ways to sign my name. Most often I would do this by combining both letters, using the “M” as a backboard for the “P”. Inevitably, that mechanism lent itself to the design I chose and, thus, a logo was born.

Looking to the future
The past three (3) months while building my website has provided undoubtable challenges, but there have also been important lessons that I’ve discovered along the way. It has reaffirmed my passions for web design and has taught me that anything worth pursuing requires hard work, dedication, and a bit of patience.

My hope and desire for my website, moving forward, is that it will serve not only as a place for me to showcase my work, but also as a resource for people who want to learn about web design and digital marketing. From questions about email marketing and web design to topics such as how to choose a website name for your business and what not to do when creating ads for your LinkedIn campaign, my goal is to cover a wide range of topics. Then, as time goes on and I refine my skills, my next objective will be to start my own full-service web design agency, bringing together a range of services to help small to mid-sized businesses grow.

Please spread the word
I’d like to ask that you help spread the word about my services in web development. My primary focus will be building websites for personal use or small to mid-sized businesses. I’m able to work closely with my clients to provide them with a beautiful, well-thought website at a low cost, and quick turnaround. Anyone who would be interested in my services can contact me here or call anytime at 949.632.4843. Thank you for your continued support of my new venture.