Ask HN: Why are most web designers have very simple and boring websites? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Why are most web designers have very simple and boring websites?

4 pointskiraken7 comments

I'm a fullstack web developer and have been for the past 10 years. I never had a portfolio and prefer to upload my work on github. But times are changing and i decided last week to make my own. I've literally created over a hundred website through my career, but when it came to making mine, i was lost. So i decided to look at world known web designers portfolios to be inspired, hopefully. But the thing is, most of them are generic and boring! I really don't understand this, is it like a trend or something?

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Depending on what you mean by boring it could be

1. "The shoemaker's son always goes barefoot" or "A skilled or knowledgeable person often fails to use their skills for the benefit of their family and people close to them."[0]

2. Minimalism is strongly represented in tech design right now, and could be considered boring.

[0] http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/the+shoemaker's...

It's more of the first point i guess. But being a web developer, your website gives the first impression, so i believe that it's important to take care of it

> But times are changing and i decided last week to make my own.

Times have not changed. Why exactly would you build your own?

> But the thing is, most of them are generic and boring!

That's the definition of good design. If you can see it, it's poor design.

Were you expecting some tacky flash website with animations and gradients everywhere?

You're trying too hard to sound cool buddy and taking my words out of context in the process. A portfolio was never a big deal when i started working, they would just ask for some codes you wrote that you could even send through emails, nowadays everyone is asking to see a portfolio.

By generic and boring i don't mean a minimalist elegant design, i'm talking about a white empty page with a name, social links and a small paragraph

One reason could be that they having so much work/offers to do that they don't have time for their own site.

Another that in their spare they don't want to do something that is work related

Well when a freelancer first setup his website to start getting work he's not gonna be that busy for a while at least, which gives him more than enough time

It could be that it's easier to shine when you're driven by someone else's requirements.

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