This Website
The site you're looking at right now was designed and coded by me from the ground up. In the process, I taught myself HTML and CSS using online resources, reaching a working knowledge of both in just six weeks.
Click on an image to enlarge it.
Version One
Initially, I angled for a cool and collected theming inspired by the "glassmorphism" UI trends of the early 2000s that recently resurged. My approach was predominantly monochromatic with subtle night sky motifs, utilizing gradients to simulate translucence. Below is a mockup of the site made in Affinity Designer.
It wasn't bad - in fact, I think this theming could have worked well for someone else! But for me, it just wasn't weird enough. I wanted something more colorful, more immersive, with more distinct and unique character to really convey my approach to game design and art alike. So I made a new mockup, adapting the same structure with a radically different style.
Version Two
This new mockup felt a lot better to me, and more representative of my tastes and vision - colorful, fantastical, immersive, but still with strong hierarchy and gestalt. But it wasn't perfect yet! I went on to fine-tune the details by creating an aesthetic guide, which also contained notes on sizes, colors, and execution.
First, I swapped the header fonts from Alegreya SC to Almendra to hone in on a whimsical, fantastical vibe. I added a lot more texture, some new methods of displaying and highlighting text, and fine-tuned the palette for legibility and playfulness. A footer and a drop shadow were also added, though I've waffled a bit about whether to include the latter.
The fact that this guide looks remarkably similar to the final site is a testament to, if nothing else, my stubborn resolve to execute a vision. There were some troublesome hurdles in the process, such as how to code the header strips to overlap the body text boxes, but I'm proud to say I overcame that and many other challenges to create a website I'm truly proud of.
I ended up revising the site's structure a bit from those original mockups - removing the sidebar and fiddling with various other bits. But that's iteration! If I stayed too committed to any particular version of the site, I'd run the risk of creating something inferior. It's vital to be objective about what's best for any project.
Postmortem
I've heard it said that a house is never finished. There will always be more to do, be it surprise maintenance or a stroke of design genius. I suppose the same could be said of a personal or portfolio website - it's never really done, but just the same, it's important to reflect on the journey and take pride in your work thus far.
I'm proud of my website exactly as it is right now. It may not be completely perfect, but it doesn't need to be - it needs to serve its purpose in style, to demonstrate my skill and my aesthetic sensibilities, and to tell you a little bit about me as a person. On all three counts, I'd say it does the job!