--- title: "Redesign to learn" description: "Why constantly redesigning my website is about learning by doing, regaining control, and finding joy in personal projects." date: "2020-01-20T00:00:00.000Z" canonical: "https://www.antonsten.com/articles/redesign-to-learn/" --- If you're a frequent visitor of my website, you've probably noticed that there's a fresh coat of paint. And if you're truly a frequent visitor, you're probably aware that it's just 6 months since my [last redesign](https://www.antonsten.com/newdesign/) which was a technical redesign rather than a visual one by switching from Jekyll to Gatsby. That redesigned focused on things I value, but might not be apparent at first glance - privacy, [speed](https://www.antonsten.com/waiting/), accessibility, and security. This redesign, however, focuses more on the visuals. But it also got me thinking, why should we keep redesigning? ## Learn by doing Ever since attending Hyper Island back in 2000, I've been an avid fan of learning by doing. I love to read, but I've realized that I learn by doing, not by simply reading something. So redesigning my website has always been a way for me to learn new things. Even though I rely on Alexander Hansson to help me with the core development, I love fiddling with the site's CSS to get the sizes and spacing right. I love being able to try things on my own. I loved being able to take an active role in the development, which is something I rarely get to do in my 'real' work. > Learning by solving specific problems is probably the best way, because then you get to apply what you learn immediately through practice, so it won't become only theoretical knowledge, but a useful skill that you can use in the future too. > > — [Case Study: Interview with Daniel Korpai](https://www.casestudy.club/interviews/daniel-korpai) But even learning isn't the full picture. It's the obvious answer and it's surely part of the truth. When I read Frank Chimero's post [Wants and Needs](https://frankchimero.com/blog/2020/wants-and-needs/), things fell into place: > I've redesigned my site a lot in the last decade. A lot. Too much and too frequently, most certainly. The stated reason was to practice using new methods (trying CSS grid, taking a new typeface for a spin, and so on). But that isn't the full story. Too often, I'd redesign because I needed to feel capable at my job, which required a design challenge that wouldn't drive me nuts. The simplicity of redesigning my personal site became a way to hide from the crazy-making and humbling (humiliating?) complexity of systems design. The redesigns were a happy little bubble of sensibility and control, a way to practice and use technology at work without feeling trapped. > > — [Wants and Needs](https://frankchimero.com/blog/2020/wants-and-needs/) Because the work I usually do is complex, large, and filled with stake holders, redesigning my own website is limited, appropriately sized, and no one to answer to but myself. It's a way to feel a sense of control in a world that seems to be moving faster each day. Designers love to run multiple side projects and even though it's my business' primary marketing window, I still see it as a side project. It's a place where I can try things out and see what actually works. > Side projects make you the boss. > "When you feel real ownership for a project, you become more confident in your decisions," says van Schneider. "You might change your plan and that's okay. You are always right when it's your project." > > — [Why Side Projects Should be Stupid](https://vanschneider.com/why-side-projects-should-be-stupid) ![New website, who dis?](/images/articles/newwebsite.webp) ## What's new As an admirer of great user experiences, I love reading release notes and especially those that provide insights into why something was added, changed, or removed. Notion, that I'm writing this post in, features all of [their release notes](https://www.notion.so/What-s-New-157765353f2c4705bd45474e5ba8b46c) in a shared doc (a Notion doc!). My primary goal for this redesign was to make it more visual. While I still prefer a clean, minimalistic aesthetic it doesn't make sense for my website to look like Google Docs. There's a bit more color on the website now and solid blocks to clearly differentiate the elements. - I wanted a bit more attitude in the typography while still maintaining a great readability. So the main typeface is now [Lyon](https://commercialtype.com/catalog/lyon_text), a beautiful and easy to read serif from Commercial Type. It's paired with [Prachar](https://www.indiantypefoundry.com/fonts/prachar) from Indian Type Foundry. I love it's hand-written look and the boldness that comes with it being an all-caps font. - I also wanted to have a template design that would give me more flexibility compared to the one-column design that I had previously. With this 1/3 + 2/3 column grid, I can give elements hierarchy in a way that wasn't possible previously. It allows me to set i[mage captions](https://www.antonsten.com/case/eon/) on some of the work in my portfolio and to [break out testimonials](https://www.antonsten.com/work-with-me/) much prominently. - Finally, [my notes](https://www.antonsten.com/notes) are separated from [my blog](https://www.antonsten.com/blog) to give each the attention they deserve. I would love to hear what you think! Whenever I change something, I value any feedback that lets me know if I'm moving in the right direction. This redesign is no different. So give it a look over and shoot me your thoughts. Much more content coming shortly, stay updated through [my mailing list!](https://www.antonsten.com/newsletter/)