My friend, Michael, finished redesigning his personal site today. Here is the full site: http://whoismichaelsuen.com/. He aimed to make this site extremely desirable because he is on the lookout for new clients — he is a freelance designer. How he designs his own website is indicative of how he will design for others. 

The site starts off with a large, custom header image of Hong Kong, with layers that move as you scroll. This feature is very appealing visually. He is very intentional in all of his choices — from typography to layout to copy. He has added playful easter eggs in the page that change the word “work” to “play” when you hover the mouse over it, because he says that he likes to blur the line between work and play. He communicates his competencies and showcases where his work has been published and quotes from former clients. 

The page shifts from black to white and then we can see a short portfolio. You can click on the projects on the side to see his past selected work. This inclusion of a portfolio establishes credibility and answers questions that potential clients may have about the quality of his work. The screen then shifts to black again, cleanly splitting up the webpage, and leads to the contact form. This form has an interesting feature that changes the words in between “Let’s” and “something.” The words range from “experiment with” to “make” to “riff on,” etc. The form is short and inviting. 

Finally, to add a personal touch, he has the final section showcasing his tweets, books he’s reading, music he’s listened to, movies he’s watched, and video games that he is playing. It reminds clients that he is a human with a variety of interests. 

Overall, this site is extremely well-designed and effective in marketing his design skills to potential clients. One day, I hope to get my personal site up to this level.