About
I’m Steve McKinney, I write this blog about the design and build of websites. I aim to explore the craft behind web design.
About the site
I registered the domain for this website in 2010 as a 20 year old and started as a portfolio and a bit of a blog as I was nearing the end of my time at university. I had treated it as such, a place to write website updates and the odd tutorial to support with work.
In hindsight I’d probably have a different domain name with the focus of the website today. Maybe I’ll do that someday.
It’s always felt like a thing on the web to share what you know. I did this when I was far younger with photoshop tutorials, trading links with the little banners, trying to emulate some of the bigger websites at the time. The web design community is a good one.
I made a decision in 2015 to try to have a real aim of publishing regularly. It helped me to realise I learn well through writing about topics. It forces you to really absorb a topic. Which leads nicely into who this website is for.
What is this site for?
I aim to focus on the craft of web design. This is a broad topic in itself, which feels challenging to achieve. But going back to my point about learning through writing, I hope to achieve this for you the reader.
When did this start?
I made a decision to start writing this blog consistently in January 2015. Every week, for two years, a blog post went out. I started out writing about anything I was interested in, as long as it was related to websites.
I realised over those two years, there was a lack of content focusing on the visual side of design. I still feel that is the case today, it’s tough to teach outside of the ‘quick tips’ but it’s where I want to be.
Eventually, I stopped posting frequently and haven’t quite found that rhythm again. I’ve accepted I’ll always be figuring things out, but with a vision in mind I can work towards that.
Who is this for?
I’d like to think if you’ve an interest in designing for the web then hopefully you benefit. Specifically, I feel you’re a developer wanting to improve their visual design skills, or a designer with some coding experience.
You’re someone who understands the value of not only good design, but the skill that goes into making something visually appealing too and want to improve like myself.
Why do you do this?
There’s a few reasons why I do this. I want to push against the message of “you can’t expect your designs to look the same as they do in design app”. I know it comes from a good place, but it’s always struck me as a way to avoid challenges.
I also want to challenge myself to create consistently and get better at design and building those designs.
Finally, I want to add an overall positive to the web that isn’t plagued by cookie banners, tracking and such.
About me
I’ve spent the majority of my 12 plus year career designing and—a good part—building for the web. I specialise in visual design and user experience—doing this across a variety of industries.
As a designer, someone might ask if you have a personal style. I do feel I have a personal style, I enjoy serif typefaces, use of colour, using illustration over photography. However, I will always design for the audience, goals and systems that are already in place with the brand. It’s good to have constraints.
Generally, I think it’s an enjoyment of creating things on the web. Be it icons, animation, illustration, CSS or JavaScript. It gives me a broad enough space to draw topics from to write about.
Best posts
These are a mixture of my most popular posts and what I believe are my best.
Design history
Here is the design history of this website. The first version of this website I started working on in 2009, so you can see how my design sensibility has evolved over the years.
I’ve experimented with different logos and styles as the trends have evolved. Moving from a portfolio and blog to solely a blog.
Documentation
Version two onwards I have documented some of the design decisions. The later the version the more in depth it gets.
- Version one 2009
- Version two 2010
- Version three Early 2011
- Version four Mid 2011
- Version five Late 2012
- Version six Late 2016
- Version seven Rebuild 2021
- Version eight Current
