When I work on client websites, I ignore the design first
This usually surprises people.
When I start working on a website, I don’t think about colors, layout, or animations.
At all.
I look at something else first:
👉 What is this actually trying to say?
Because most websites don’t have a design problem.
They have a thinking problem.
- unclear offer
- generic messaging
- no real differentiation
And no amount of “clean UI” can fix that.
❗️The pattern I see again and again: clients ask for a “redesign”… but what they actually need is clarity.
Once the message is sharp - design becomes easy.
But when the thinking is weak, even a “10/10 design” feels empty.
👉 So here’s the uncomfortable question: if I removed your design completely
and left only the text - would your website still make sense?
This is the kind of milestone that motivates you to keep building. 🚀
$100K earned in one year is an incredible achievement. Congratulations, Nikita!
I’m building my own journey too, focusing on website design and automation, and seeing what’s possible here makes me even more excited about the road ahead.
One project, one client, and one step at a time. The goal is to keep improving, deliver real value, and build lasting client relationships.
An architecture studio's website should feel like walking through a quiet gallery, not a brochure.
Zabriskie is an architecture and design studio that balances sustainability, aesthetics and economy. I built them a custom WordPress theme with a calm, gallery-like layout.
What's on the site:
• About, team, and clients and partners
• Services: workplace, neighbourhood, landscape and urban design
• Sustainability and investment advisory pages
The decision I'd defend: lots of white space and very little decoration. The projects are the visuals, so the layout steps back and lets them lead.
Under the hood: editable templates so the team updates content without code, optimized images and caching, and layouts checked on desktop, tablet and mobile.
Stack: WordPress (custom theme), Figma, PHP/CSS
Live: zabriskie.rs
For a portfolio-led studio, how much should the site itself say?
🎬 A new website build every day. Follow so you catch the next one: instagram.com/sellwrightstudio · youtube.com/@sellwrightstudio