Been listening to The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin – again. That’s where I got the name for my website design business – Making Art Web Design – that, and the fact that it is the perfect name for it as far as I can tell. They are works of art whether you like them or not!
I like them because they can be an accurate – albeit fun – mirror, or depiction of the business, niche, or person they represent. I feel that a website should realistically reflect what it is showing to the world.
There are some websites that look like they are from a Fortune 500 company when, in actuality, any one could be a site for a stay-at-home dad marketer or a freelance designer who rarely works in anything other than her underwear. And that’s O.K. But that’s just not me.
There are those in the design and online marketing world who will search online for websites that they think are outdated or need to be redone if the site isn’t the most current design (read parallax). Then they will look up the owner of the site and cold email them to tell them, in essence, how crappy their current site looks and that they have the best solution available. Usually, those sites that they do design end up looking like a thousand dozen of other websites that are using the same theme!
I try not to take it personally when I get one of those emails. I believe Mr. Godin said something to the effect of: Don’t judge my work by your measuring stick. And, yes, I struggle everyday with the thought – is my work good enough? Well, I’m going to do it anyway.
Not only do I want my designs to be good enough, I challenge myself to make them exceptional!
Thanks for letting me vent. Now I’m on to my next listening adventure of which I will be honored to tell you about next time. (Hint: I’m fiercely optimistic about the positive affect it is having on me – now and in the future.)
