Things finally got a new coat of paint around here. I really felt like it was time, with the move to WPEngine as a hosting provider, and several years of technical debt being cleared from this site. After two months of work, I’m slamming my restart button. The past is in the past. Welcome to my slightly more modern era.
For a quick overview of what’s new, see the image below. Otherwise, keep reading for the artist’s statement!
Background
In 2022, I launched a brand-new version of SladeWatkins.com (going to call it “.com” for the sake of not having to type the whole thing constantly through this) that was built on WordPress and hosted by Namecheap. Recently, I announced my decision to leave Namecheap. I wanted to shed the bloat of hosting providers I work with, and Namecheap was ultimately the first to go of a multi-month’s long audit (as contract renewals come up, etc.)
I knew I needed to do something, but I already had a plan.
Recently, I was approached by numerous parties asking me to design and develop their websites. It has been some time since I’ve taken on freelance work in this category, but my skills weren’t out of date by any means. So, I reached out to WPEngine with an application for their Agency Partner Program — and I was accepted. I’m so grateful to the team in charge of reviewing those applications for giving this nobody from a small Upstate NY town a chance.
Side note: You probably caught it, but I’m taking on web design work again! If you think I’d be a good fit to develop/design your website, please send me a message with the details! Working on a special webpage for it, promise!
With that, let’s talk Vision.
The Vision
I envision my website as a hub for my work, art, life, and the things that make me happy. Bringing the blog and vault into the main website was a give-in for me. I want this to be my home on the internet.
The Result
What you see now is the next chapter. I’ve shed the bloat of the past look and feel. I’ve slightly recolored my brand colors (Salmony and Lights Out), and adopted a more modern-era design. I’ve replaced Noto Sans with a brand new font–Overused Grotesk–which is both professional and playful. And finally, I’ve reorganized the site’s navigation bar, providing quicker access to each section of the site.
This new look took around 20 hours to perfect, and I’m proud of where we landed. There will be some tweaks as I analyze usage and make sure everything is working as intended, but I’m ultimately proud of what I made. I hope you love it as much as I do!