mistakes I made when redoing my website
aaand a new Notion template for creatives and small brands + updates
heyy
This is becoming a thing, isn’t it?? Ahh!!!
This past week I’ve had some time to develop my website, and it was surprisingly fast (Framer is such a breath of fresh air). It would be already done, but I decided I want to do a last minute little change that may delay it a bit. I’m hoping it will be published by the end of this week.
I had been working on this website for way too long. The idea of redoing my site started around March. Then, I was just thinking about redesigning the current website when it came to aesthetics. But I quickly saw that I wanted to make this switch, not just focus on web design and include everything else I enjoy, all into one project. Because, you see, I used to want to start a new project every time I found a new interest, and that has inevitably become unsustainable.
I knew that with the new website I wanted to create a blog as well, so I needed CMS. It also needed to be really easy to update, so it could grow and evolve as time and projects pass. Looking for a web builder that could both offer plenty of customisation, like Webflow, but that could be easy to learn, and non-coder friendly, like Readymag.
My search was thorough and almost desperate. I did not want to be limited by Squarespace and I did not have the patience to learn Webflow, again. I heard about Framer, watched some videos on YouTube and when I saw it had the things I required, I was so happy I shed half a tear, hahaha. My hunt had come to an end.
But then came the redesigning… I made mistakes because I was in a rush and wanted the website to be done and publish it asap, and that delayed it even more. I had had clients before, and I had an established process to follow when creating a website from scratch. But, for some reason, I thought I could go all in without doing much thinking because it was my own website. I was wrong. And especially because it was my website, I should have started at the beginning, and not skip any steps.
Mistake #1
Mid developing the website I decided I didn’t like it, it didn’t align with my vision, the colours didn’t quite do it… I wasn’t even sure of the content. That happened twice. All of that should have been thought before I started even thinking about design. Didn’t occur to me, and it caused a waste of time. There was definitely a lesson there.
What I should have done from the beginning: Establish what I wanted the website to do. The goals. And going even deeper, since I wanted a change of direction, I had to define that too, put it into words. Then next step, planning the architecture: what pages do I want? What sections in those pages? What is the point of each section?
Mistake #2
Another mistake was going all in on Framer from the start, and starting to design with colours. All I did was do a couple sketches on a notebook and went directly to Framer. But it was certainly a mistake. Some people do design directly in Framer, but it isn’t an option for me. If I do, then I mix design with development, and, for example, take time to make a section responsive for mobile, when that section was later maybe discarded or completely changed.
Framer offers great speed, but you need the designs previously done. And when I finally did it this way, I saw that I was able to have better ideas too, because I could design freely, without thinking on how I would later make it possible on Framer. Also, designing without colour first allowed me to focus more on the layout, make sure the website doesn’t rely on colour and apply colour more easily later.
Mistake #3
I also made mistakes when it came to selecting a colour palette. Again, I was not doing enough thinking. I was relying so much on what looked good that I quickly wanted to bring every colour in existence into the website. I had the same problem I have with new interests, I fell in love with every option! I was indecisive on whether I wanted pastels, brighter colours, just one colour…
Colour is also not an easy task, it seems easy, but it’s really not, for me at least. There wasn’t so much of a lesson with this, but much needed practice, that has hopefully made me better at selecting colours and creating palettes.
The “logo” of this publication actually has too of the colours from the final palette:
Well, it’s been a journey to say the least, and I’m finally near the end of it!
Notion template for creatives
These past weeks, I’ve been perfecting my Notion set up for this “new” personal brand. It has been working great for me, so I thought, “why not turn it into a template?” This way I can make it useful for others. It’s a simple and functional setup, and I’m sure other creatives can benefit from it, so I have to share it.
I’ve decided to put a price on it, BUT people who follow the blog have a chance at having it completely for free. I’ll activate Substack’s referral program, which gives you rewards every time someone subscribes thanks to you. It’s not activated yet, I’ll let you know when it is!
In the meantime, if you want to support me and get the template in its full price, you can also do that (you really don’t have to haha).
Creative updates
Alphabet Superset: Yesterday, I started doodling some illustrations for this week’s Alphabet Superset prompt: A. In the end, I decided the theme for the challenge will be “designed objects around the house”
I designed a poster with the idea being a literally translated expression in Catalan. I posted it on Instagram with more details on its creation.
Things worth sharing
Food for thought → The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence by Parker’s Pensées with Sven Nyholm on YouTube
A podcast with life & mind tips from a neuroscientist → Do You F***ing Mind? by Alexis Fernández.
A YouTube channel of an interior designer with great personality → Caroline Winkler
This is it for this week! If the website is published before next Tuesday, I’ll share it on my Instagram!
Thank you so, so much for reading! I appreciate you took time from your day to read me <3
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