A look back on my web designs

After gaining a considerable amount of experience creating websites through open source scripting language PHP, designing mockups using Adobe Photoshop, and developing vector graphics using Adobe Illustrator, I was ready to conquer the world (more like the world wide web) by writing tons of code and uploading design assets online. My first project of course was my personal website, and to get it live, I had to purchase my domain rabyyuson.com from Godaddy. I configured my email address info@rabyyuson.com and used WordPress as the publishing platform to create posts and pages. I also used FileZilla to transfer assets to my hosting server.

I decided to make my first website simple. I used several minimalistic techniques on the site such as repeating background pattern, logo and navigation situated at the top of the page, define a list articles on the homepage, and add some theme related styling to links. Below is what my first website looked like.

I decided to use a web persona a year after my first website to make it more fun and engaging. I created the vector graphics through Adobe Illustrator and envisioned a character opening the window from his balcony (to express a welcoming gesture) and below him would are more information: posts, services, projects, links, photostream, and social media posts.

I made use of gradients, rounded buttons, and shadows for realism.

Fast forward to three years, I wanted to keep it fresh and showcase my skills even more. I came up with an idea that expresses my liking for both creative and technical problem solving. The concept is how our left and right brain functions and this element will be presented above the fold or the hero section of the homepage which gets exposure immediately once the page loads.

For this version I wanted to try out different ideas such as incorporating shapes (circles for social icons, hexagon for the logo, rounded cards) and made use of repeating backgrounds for the hero content and footer area. I chose bright and cool colors such as aquamarine and turquoise for it to be pleasing to the eyes. The typography made use of thin fonts, and spaces are added generously for content isolation.

Now seven years later, I have learned a new way of crafting websites through Single-Page Applications and Isomorphic Javascript. Websites are now more optimized and retrieves data by fetching it from JSON API endpoints. Elements are now following the single responsibility principle which allows abstraction, encapsulation, and composition. Frameworks and libraries can be imported with ease through the use of package managers just as NPM.

And now that Web 3 is here, I am slowly making preparations for this transition and incorporating the necessary techniques, disciplines, and principles.