Blog
Thinking out loud.
Twenty years of making things for clients of every size has taught me a lot about what works, what doesn't, and why the brief is almost never the real question.
These posts are the things I find myself saying in first conversations — written down so they're easier to find.
The CMS your marketing team will actually use
I've watched too many marketing teams work around their own website. They update a PDF instead of a page because the page is too complicated to edit. It doesn't have to be this way.
Why I build everything in Webflow
I've built sites in enough tools to know the difference between a platform that serves the designer and one that serves the client. Webflow does both.
What makes a brand last beyond its launch
Most brands don't fail at the design stage. They fail in the six months after launch. A brand lasts when the people responsible for it understand not just what it looks like, but why it looks that way.
Your logo is not your brand
A logo is a mark. It's the most visible part of a brand, which is why it gets confused for the whole thing. The logo is the flag. The brand is the country.
The case for fewer revisions, not more
Most design processes include three rounds of revisions as standard. The best projects I've worked on had fewer rounds, not more – because we spent longer getting the brief right before anyone opened a file.
Why I don't use templates
Templates are somebody else's answer to somebody else's question. They're designed to be inoffensive enough to work for as many people as possible. That's the opposite of what good design does.
Five things your website should let you do without a developer
Your website is not a finished object. It's a living thing that needs to change when your business changes. If making those changes requires a support ticket or a three-week wait, something has gone wrong.
Design decisions you should be making with your designer, not for them
There's a version of the client relationship where the designer disappears for two weeks and comes back with something finished. In practice it means the designer made a hundred small decisions without you.
Why I ask so many questions before I start
The first conversation I have with a new client almost never goes the way they expect. They come prepared to talk about what they want to build. I want to talk about why they want to build it.
The difference between a designer and a design partner
A designer takes your brief and makes it look good. A design partner reads between the lines of your brief, tells you when it's asking for the wrong thing, and stays with you long enough to see whether what you made together actually worked.
Why your next website shouldn't start with a designer
Most people come to a designer with a brief that already has the answer in it. Start with a designer and you'll get a beautiful site that answers the wrong question. Start with the question and everything else follows.
Ready to start?
Whether you have a brief ready or just an idea you want to talk through, get in touch. No obligations, no agency pitch – just a conversation.
(Based in Brighton, UK)
(Available worldwide)
(Currently taking on new projects)