A New Year & A New Look to TimSlade.com

Well, it’s finally 2019! And I don’t know about you, but I did not make it to midnight. I was actually pretty tired, so I decided to tuck myself in rather early. You see, over this past weekend, I’ve been working non-stop to implement a complete redesign of my website and portfolio.

TimSlade.com has always been a passion project for me. I first built my website back in 2012, and since then I’ve made gradual updates and overhauls to keep it fresh and current. Personally, I have a huge passion for visual design and professional branding—they are deeply interconnected and play a huge role in how you are viewed and recognized within your industry.

Because of this, it’s always been important that my website reflects a visual style that aligns with who I am, what I like, and what I do. The design of my site is a reflection of the quality of my work—it sets me apart by displaying my talent for visual design, which is my niche within the eLearning industry.

So, to kickoff 2019, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the evolution of TimSlade.com, and see how it led to its new design.

2012: My First Website

The very first iteration of TimSlade.com was actually the first time I had ever building a website. Adobe had just launched Adobe Muse, allowing you to design a website without having to write any code. For me, it was like Articulate Storyline, but for websites.

While it’s easy for me to look back at this first iteration of TimSlade.com and be critical, it wasn’t that bad for 2012! At the time, I had only been working as an eLearning designer for three short years, and I was just starting to realize the importance of having an online portfolio.

2013: Building a Visual Brand

After becoming more proficient with Adobe Muse, I decided to redesign TimSlade.com to introduce my blog. At the time, I was very much “into” the color green, which permeated every corner of my website.

It was this second iteration of TimSlade.com where I started to realize the connection and importance between a visual brand and professional brand. It was this version of TimSlade.com that helped me land a couple of important jobs and clients, and helped to establish me as a serious eLearning designer.

2016: Getting Serious

Between 2013 and 2016, I learned a lot about building and maintaining an online presence and brand. During this period, I was working as the Creative Director for E-Learning Uncovered, where I relaunched the E-Learning Uncovered website and blog.

It was this iteration of TimSlade.com where I decided to move away from Adobe Muse, and start using WordPress. This version of my site helped me grow my blog and launch my latest book and companion, 40-lesson eCourse:

• The eLearning Designer’s Handbook
• Getting Started with The eLearning Development Process

2019: A New Look

So, why did I decide to redesign TimSlade.com for 2019 and beyond? Well, to be honest, I was bored with the 2016 version of TimSlade.com and my design aesthetic was starting to evolve. I knew I wanted to create something fresh, new, and exciting.

And so, in redesigning TimSlade.com, I set two important goals for myself:

Goal #1: Deliver a Fresh & Consistent Visual Experience

While there was nothing wrong with the 2016 version of TimSlade.com, I found that as my design aesthetic started to evolve, I started being inconsistent with the 2016 look and feel.

For the new 2019 version of TimSlade.com, I decided to introduce new color and font schemes. I chose the new colors to reflect a fresh, bold, and exciting take on my brand. As for the fonts, I wanted to introduce something that reflected the simplicity and practicality of my take on eLearning development. I’ve always geared myself toward new eLearning designers, and so I wanted something that was simple and inviting.

Goal #2: Bring Focus to the Services I Offer

While I’ve always tried to cater my website as a destination for new eLearning designers, I ended up taking attention away from my other services. For the new 2019 version of TimSlade.com, I decided to bring focus to the three primary services I offer:

• Custom eLearning Development & Design
• Hands-On eLearning Workshops & Training
• eLearning Consulting & Coaching

To accomplish this, I decided to bring my services front and center on the homepage. I also paired each service with new, dedicated iconography and graphics, which helps to bring a sense of excitement and consistency throughout.

So, What Do You Think?

So, what do you think about the new 2019 version TimSlade.com? While there are still a few pages I need to update, overall I’m super excited with how it turned out. Let me know what you think by commenting below!

Check out this post on TimSlade.com.