This is My New Gold Standard

_{Day 31/100}

Some of the best designed sites on the internet are not the most visited. And that annoys me.

People returning to certain websites, not because they’re objectively the best, but because there is something about them that is unforgettable. Unique. A connection that transcends just the information on the page.

It’s something I’ve been striving for for years.

Make a site that people love, and that no one else could recreate. Something that is mine, and Google loves.

I’m getting there, bit by bit with the Penfriend site. It’s a slog.

Stop Competing On Perfection. Start Competing On Personality

I was re-watching the David Perrel x Harry Dry podcast the other day. And amongst a hundred different takeaways this one stands out to me over and over.

The last one sticks with me. It’s the copywriting equivalent of Glenn Allsopp’s Superpixels concept, but it writing.

And so, I’m looking for what are the things on our website that only we can make. What are the design choices we can make, the font choice, the placement, the fun cool PERSONAL choices we can make to the site that make it uniquely ours.

This brings me to Josh W Comeau.

The Best Designed Blog I’ve EVER FOUND

Now, I’ve been looking for great designed blogs for over 15 years at this point. And this may well just be the best. It’s amazing. _{I actually just want to give up ever making website things ever again.}

Now the layout isn’t revolutionary, the colours aren’t amazing. But it’s the effort.

He’s showing, over and over and over again that he know his sh!t.

It’s a blog about web design. And how to do specific things with code to make cool stuff. And so he make cool stuff, over and over and over again.

There is this little guy that you can click a bunch of time to fill up and then it shoots confetti everywhere. I AM 100% STEALING THIS FOR THE PF BLOG. I’ll make a guide on how.

And then the newsletter subscribe. It’s just chef’s fuckin’ kiss.
I’m not going to ruin it for you. Just scroll far enough down the page.

It’s a masterclass in personality. In care. In “I’m going back over and over again to this website”.

✌️Tim “I’m gonna have to learn CSS aren’t I?” Hanson
CMO @Penfriend.ai

P.S. Send me your favourite sites to get design inspo from. I’ll get them all featured in a newsletter or blog in the coming weeks. I’d love to know where you find your designs from.