Why the minimalistic retro website? After all, aren’t websites supposed to be full of flash and awe these days, with images and fancy graphics galore?
I’ve been designing websites for over a decade now, and I’ve done my fair share of fancy stuff. But truth be told, I’m tired of flashy self-promotion, and profligate web-consumerism where each experience needs to be more visually addictive than the next.
So I thought I’d go back to basics, and embrace the mantra less is more — lacing hopefully interesting and useful links with a bit of tongue in cheek humor.
Plus, it’s more fun doing things this way!
More seriously though, I’m, a strong believer in the importance of serendipity, and the delight and power of unexpected discoveries. And so this is a website that is designed for just that — you never know what you’ll find!
The philosophy behind the website (pretentious or what?!)
When I started planning therealandrewmaynard.com I wanted to make this a website that was full of discovery, serendipity, whimsy, and delight, and not one of cold hearted SEO-driven efficiency and success.
I also wanted it to be the antithesis of the self-promotional “look at me” glitzy media-rich, all singing and dancing sites that we’re all allegedly supposed to be using to tell everyone how wonderful we are on the web — if you hadn’t worked it out yet, the URL is intentionally ironic.
As a result, this is a website that intentionally flouts all the rules of good self-promotion–it’s not flashy, it isn’t filled with testimonials from others about how important it’s subject is, it’s not crafted to “sell” a mega-star, and it’s definitely not designed to slickly deliver what it’s creator thinks you need to know before your restless eyes wander to an even more glitzy site.
Heck — it even commits the cardinal sin of long and boring preambles before you get to the content, and not so much burying the lede as not finding it in the first place! (my students will be shocked and dismayed at such a flagrant “do as say, not as I do” attitude!)
Rather, this is a website that’s intended to be to browsed and explored, to surprise, be enjoyed, and be serendipitously delighted by.
Of course, if you’re in a hurry, there are ways to get to where you’re going faster — if you can find them. But far better to take the time to wander … you never know where you’ll end up!
