I’ve spent most of my working life around technology, business, marketing and problem solving, but it took me a long time to realise that underneath all of it, I was actually a creative person. Military background, technical industries, business development, marketing, management. For years I thought I was naturally analytical, when in reality I was trying to force myself into that mindset. It wasn’t until later in life that I realised the thing I enjoyed most was creating.
Building ideas, solving problems and turning something from an idea into something real. That’s what web design became for me. As a freelance web designer and developer, that balance between creativity, functionality and problem solving is what drives everything I build.
For me, web design sits in the perfect middle ground between creativity and problem solving. I get to create, solve problems and receive real-time feedback from the outcome. There’s something satisfying about building a website that has a measurable purpose behind it and genuinely helps a business move forward.
Outside of design, life itself has probably influenced me more than anything else. Music, comics, technology, engineering, business and military culture have all shaped the way I think and create. Most of my work comes from instinct and focus rather than trying to imitate what somebody else has already done.
I believe a website has a job to do. Whether it’s a small business website, a trades website, a restaurant or a service-based business, the foundation should always be function first. A website shouldn’t confuse people or force them to search for what they need. If somebody lands on a website, they should feel like the journey that brought them there has been resolved positively and quickly.
I think modern web design sometimes loses sight of that. Too many websites are designed around what the company wants people to see rather than what the customer actually needs to see. Good design should respect people’s time.
My approach is simple:
Understand the problem, understand the audience and build something that works. I work best with people who trust the process and allow me the space to focus properly. I’m not interested in unnecessary complexity, overcomplicated workflows or endless meetings for the sake of it.
I like solving problems properly, with no fuss and no overcomplication, the mindset of somebody visiting a mechanic’s website is completely different from somebody looking for somewhere to eat, and understanding those differences is a huge part of effective design.
I don’t believe everything needs to be rebuilt with the latest framework, plugin or trend simply because the industry says so. I think people often move on from solid foundations too quickly instead of improving and refining what already works. Reliable, functional and maintainable websites will always matter more to me than chasing hype.
Technology should serve the outcome, not become the outcome.
At the end of the day, if somebody walks away saying:
“He delivered exactly what we needed, with no fuss.”
Then I’ve done my job properly.
