Site Designs Left by the Wayside

I wrote in a previous entry that I designed too many versions of this site and wanted to stop. While that entry talks about how I ended up with the current iteration, I saved several of the unused versions. Here are a few mock-ups of those iterations, along with brief notes about my thinking process. You can kill your darlings, but that doesn’t mean you have to forget them forever.

The Altered Photos Version

This is one of the earliest versions I created. I grabbed images from Unsplash that represented published pieces of my work. I edited the pictures to be minimalist and suggestive, and I added text from my stories related to each one. My two main reasons for not using this version are: 1) the feeling the images and text create are inconsistent and chaotic across different pages, and 2) the images and text scale poorly on mobile screens.

The about page is mostly white with black text. Three pieces of black and white wheat nod to the right in the background. The word About is among them in large text. In smaller text are words from Matt's story, Children of Ash.

The page is mostly black and white. Large black text reads, "Work." A quote from Matt's story, The Giving Island, hovers around the shadow of a tree. The quote reads, "No human had set foot on the living island of Mund before."

The Darkly Colored Altered Photos Version

This concept is similar to the Alter Photos Version, except that I leaned into the original images more. The dark edges and subtle colors create a sense of mystery, and the quotes from my stories give a preview of the type of writing I typically do. The text is no longer a part of the images—unlike the first version—which helps it scale better on smaller screen sizes. I like this concept, but I decided against using it, because I constantly found myself second-guessing which stories to use quotes from and which pictures to use. Additionally, this version felt like it was missing a smidge of playfulness that can also be found in my writing.

A close up of the chest of an ornate golden suit of armor. The word "About" is written in large white text on the left. In smaller text on the right is written, "The god made good on his promise. Now Edgar will fulfill his." This is a story quote.

A close up of a few pieces of golden wheat. The image is dark around the edges. Contact is written in large white text. In smaller white text, there is a quote from Matt's story, Children of Ash: "Their arrival was always a sight..."

The Dark Fairy Tale Version

I love fairy tales, with an even softer spot for the dark ones. While some of my stories can be labeled dark fantasy, this version of the site gives the impression that the genre represents all of my work. I appreciate the consistency of this iteration, but I wanted a more accurate representation of my writing.

A mostly black home page reads, "Once there was a storyteller. Matt Athanasiou." The tips of a few green trees can be seen toward the middle of the page.

A mostly black page. The word About can be read above, "In which breadcrumbs are dropped." On the right-hand side, a small tunnel of branches can be seen through the darkness.

The Dark and Playful Version

I enjoy writing children’s literature from time to time. I allow myself to use more lyrical language and fantastical ideas when I write in the genre. In this version of the site, I leaned into playfulness by adding weird doodles and writing each page like it was a book chapter with a summary. Ultimately the site felt like it skewed too heavily toward children’s stories—albeit darker ones.

A mostly black page with the word "Publications" written in large white font. A drawing of a colorless being floats across the blackness with a cloud head and holding strings attached to words that represent balloons.

A mostly black page that reads, "About Matt. In which truths are unearthed." A white squiggly drawing of a small ghost with a squiggly heart stands to the lower right of the text.

The Literary Designer Version

I dig this version, how it leans into the text. On the home page, I like the large M/A symbol juxtaposed with the small prose type, and the color distantly reminds me of aged paper. Subsequent pages utilize large stylized prose for headlines, which feels both like chapter titles and summaries of each page’s content. The main reason I didn’t use this iteration was that I became burned out on designing the site, and I wanted to take a step back before choosing a final direction. That was when I thought up the concept for the current site.

A beige home page with a large M in the center. A small ligature sticks inward from the right-hand side of the M to almost form an A. Small text reads, "Here are stories of Matt Athanasiou, an author and designer."

A white page with a large beige rectangle toward the top. Text in the rectangle reads, "About. In which breadcrumbs are dropped." Small text below mentions more about Matt.

Have thoughts on these versions or want to share iterations of your site? Feel free to message or tweet me.

Site Designs Left by the Wayside

A Final Date with Tommy Shelby

200 Words a Day Challenge