The blog
Notes on building websites, design, and the brands I love working with.
Why some websites feel instant (and others make you wait)
Having a fast website isn't a matter of luck. Here's what makes a site feel instant, why speed decides whether people stay, and a few things you can check on your own site.
I got the first screen back, and it humbled me
The oldest, smallest piece of the game turned out to be the hardest. It also reinforced what I already knew about AI: it can be completely thorough and completely wrong at the same time, and just as sure of itself either way.
The first five seconds: what your homepage says before anyone reads it
People decide how they feel about your website in about five seconds, before they read a word. Here's what they react to, and how to make those seconds count.
I'm rebuilding a dead game for an audience of two
The servers went dark back in 2018. All I've got left is the app file, a lot of nostalgia, and AI tools that finally make rebuilding it possible.
Why 'it works' isn't the same as 'it's done'
You can get a website on screen fast. Getting one you can trust with real users and real money is different. Here's why the order you build in matters.
The quiet design choices that make people click
A handful of well-understood design choices explain why some pages get people to act and others stall. Here's how I use them to help visitors, not trick them.
What women-led brands actually need from a website
Women-led brands don't need corporate polish. They need clarity, confidence, and a site that sounds like them. Here's what I focus on when I design for them.
Why I build from scratch instead of using templates
Templates are fine, until they aren't. Here's where they stopped working for me, why I build custom instead, and the honest cases where a template is still the right call.
Will AI replace web designers?
Will AI replace web designers? Here's the honest answer from someone who builds with AI daily. It changes the job a lot, and deletes it far less than the headlines say.
Designing for animal brands: warm, but still trustworthy
I have three Pomeranians and I've been the anxious owner picking a dog trainer at midnight. Here's what actually earns trust on an animal brand's website, from both sides of it.
What actually goes into a website (the parts you can't see)
The design you see is about half of a website. The other half is invisible to most: speed, accessibility, SEO, security, and responsiveness. Here's what really goes in.
Why I redesign brands nobody hired me for
I redesign brands that never hired me, on purpose. Here's why concept work is some of my favorite portfolio, and how I pick which brands to reimagine.
No AI slop: what I actually mean (yes, I use AI every day)
I use AI every day to build websites, and I still say no AI slop. Here's what that actually means, and why the tool was never the problem.