• LAUNCH YOUR DREAM
  • BE A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
  • STARTING OVER MIDLIFE
  • HAPPINESS THROUGH ACTIVISM
  • TRAVEL THE WORLD
  • GET HEALTHY & FIT
  • BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE
  • BRAVE LIVING
  • WRITE WITH US

8WomenDream

Dream Big Stories

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • CONNECT
You Are Here Home » LAUNCH YOUR DREAM » Warning: Simplicity is Key to Online Success

in LAUNCH YOUR DREAM

Warning: Simplicity is Key to Online Success

Last updated on August 9th, 2024 at 02:46 pm

Branding YourselfBranding yourself is an important step in launching your dream online because your brand – who you are – is an extension of your authentic self. Branding yourself online allows you to present yourself in the best possible light.

It can also make your followers feel close to you and a part of your online success.

Think of branding yourself as an online business suit and creative portfolio rolled into a giant space.

I recently purchased my own business website, and I’ve spent the better part of the last two weeks working on getting WordPress installed and figuring out a plan for the brand that will be “me” online.

I’ve had those crazy dream thoughts one has when launching a particular dream phase.  At one point, I thought: What if I’m not all that brand-yummy? (I just made that word up to represent someone who exudes uber-coolness online). This translates into me thinking this is all just a grand waste of time.  It’s not.  We just like to make excuses when it’s time to move our dreams to the next level.

I swear to the Goddess above that working on your own stuff is more difficult than helping someone else with their dream. I think this is parallel to mechanics who hate to work on their own cars and techies who hate to network their home computers.

It’s like swimming through peanut butter.

While trying on 1,000 wedding dresses.

Alone.

For two weeks, I thought this one thought: What do I want my business website to say about me? Then I’d go fold clothes, stack books, and start the dishwasher.

The one thing I do know is that after spending a great deal of time writing online, you begin to understand simplistic design elements.

Eventually, you learn that if you want your words, images, or graphic pieces to stand out, you can’t distract a reader’s eye with many design elements. I need to keep my brand and website simple.

Simplicity is the key to online success.

Simplicity can tell the world that you are bold, confident, and tired of all the online content shoved in your face.   Hasn’t the world learned that “less is more”?

Jonathan Ive, Apple’s senior vice-president of industrial design, in an interview, confessed this about the simplicity of design,

“Simplicity isn’t just a visual style.  It’s not just minimalism or the absence of clutter. It involves digging through the depth of complexity. To be truly simple, you have to go really deep.…You have to deeply understand the essence of a product in order to be able to get rid of the parts that are not essential.”

The same is true of your blog/website/brand/speech –what does author Stephen King like to say?  Oh yeah.  “Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.”

Where did I go for my simple branding design inspiration? The Internet, of course—just like everyone else.

I’ve spent hours studying the following websites and their designs — or ways to convince myself I will never be that cool online.  At the bottom of this post, I offer up my own website.  You can tell me if these simple design websites influenced me enough or if it’s back to the drawing board…and swimming through peanut butter.

8 Simple Web Designs for Design Inspiration

1. INK

Screenshot of INK website simplicity

 WeAreInk.co.uk

The website for INK showcases their focus on clean, modern design, which enhances clarity and user experience. Their minimalist approach and strong emphasis on visual storytelling make complex technology accessible and engaging. The design is intuitive, with smooth navigation, allowing users to easily explore their portfolio. This simplicity reflects the agency’s aesthetic and helps convey a sense of professionalism and focus on quality over quantity.

Got it.

2. Danielle LaPorte

 

Key to Online Success: Danielle LaPorte

daniellelaporte.com

Danielle LaPorte is an inspirational speaker, former think tank exec, and business strategist who writes her thoughts on start-ups and living your passion at DanielleLaPorte.com, where she gets over a million visitors.  Her site has been called “the best place on-line for kick-ass spirituality”, and was named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by Forbes. (Thank you, Huff Post, for help with her bio).

If I said I wanted to be her, would you still come back to read my thoughts on growing your blog online? She’s ass-kicking it online, but I don’t know if she’s got kids. Yes, that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking with it until he’s in college.

Danielle’s brand is simple yet exudes what you imagine her personality to be. She knows how to be authentic online, and it’s made her very, very … well off.

3. I Love Topography

Key to Online Success: I Love Topography

ilovetypography.com

John Boardley is the man behind I Love Topography. He’s also the publisher of Codex, the journal of typography, so it would only stand to reason that he would prefer the simple in design.  Just staring at his website makes me feel like the girl in the room in granny underwear.

Is it even possible for me to create a cool brand of myself online?  I often think 8WomenDream is only cool because of the other dreamers, especially the younger ones.

I stare at his site and sigh. It’s become a daily habit.

4. Dear Photograph

 Key to Online Success: Dear Photograph

dearphotograph.com

The epitome of coolness is Taylor Jones’ site, Dear Photograph.  His idea was simple: hold up a photograph from the past in front of the place where it was originally taken, take a second photograph, and add a sentence of dedication about what the photograph means to you and upload it to his website.

Millions have converged on his site to share and read-alike. The then-22-year-old Jones started Dear Photograph after flipping through old family photos at his parent’s kitchen table.

22 years old!

It’s such a great idea for a website that staring at it makes me want to just pack my bags and leave the Internet for good. Sometimes, it’s hard to stare at pure brilliance online.

5. The New Yorker

Key to Online Success: The New Yorker

newyorker.com

What can I say? It’s the New Yorker.

If you ever want to compare your writing with real writing, read the New Yorker. It will deliver a big dose of humble pie mixed in with “So YOU thought you could write, right?” and sounds of distant laughter. But when I think of an online publication that sets the standard for online publishing, I have to go with the New Yorker.

If you are willing to read 16 pages ONLINE about Scientology while staring at a computer screen, then you understand why the New Yorker hooks its readership.

Of course, the New Yorker is lucky.  They can break a few rules online because they already were a brand before going online.  They already had class, too. But if you are going to set the bar for your online dream, then you may as well set it very high.

Very high.

Back to the drawing board…

6. Simple Bits

Key to Online Success: Simple Bits

simplebits.com

Simplebits is the website of Dan Cederholm, designer, and author of Bulletproof Web Design. To quote him, “Freely distributed information that’s relevant to the person reading it. That’s web design.”  

I’d take that one step further and change his last sentence to “That’s the key to online success.”

SimpleBits is also Dan’s “notebook”, where he writes about design, CSS, markup, web standards, craftsmanship, and thoughts on life.  It’s a pretty-near-perfect personal brand website.

I like to read what he says about design so I can slap myself upside the head with a “D’oh!” His site can be painful to my head.

7. One

Key to Online Success: Oneone.org

ONE is the website of a grassroots and advocacy campaign of more than 3 million people committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases, particularly in Africa.

Their left sidebar menu says it all. Just when I think I am changing the world, I see how others are REALLY changing the world. Talk about big dreamers. I need a better sidebar.

8. Nick Finck

Key to Online Success: Nick Finck

nickfinck.com

Just in case you don’t know who Nick Finck is, he’s the founder and former publisher of Digital Web Magazine.  He has also created web and mobile experiences for Fortune 500 companies, including Adobe, Intel, REI, Boeing, Google, and Oprah.com. Yep. Oprah.

I love what he says about the end-user experience,

“Anyone that has been working in this industry for a while, and has actually been running A/B tests, knows that we’re very often surprised. What we think would happen with a given design or feature doesn’t always work out like that. Unless you have access to the detailed analytics, it’s very possible your intuition is wrong. Mine is wrong so often I have come to expect to be wrong. But I’ve found that helps me much more than it hurts me because I’ve learned to be very open to the data and to learn quickly.”

There is no question who he is when you land on his website.  He strikes the perfect design balance.  I want to scratch everything whenever I visit his site and start over.

And what did my two weeks get me in design?

TA-DA!

Key to Online Success by Catherine M Hughes

There it is. I birthed another website. It’s only been 10 years in coming, and it’s nowhere near where I want it to be yet. But you have to put it out there. You have to launch your dreams now. Simplicity will also gift you a faster launch time and more time to spend working on your dream.

Even though you should always strive for perfection, you have to launch before you are ready, then tweak and fix, and tweak and fix, until you get feedback — not the type where you are told that what you are doing is great, but the type where people tell you how to improve your experience, how you are missing your mark, what you shouldn’t change, and then they offer assistance.  Otherwise, keep working on it.

In the vast ocean of websites and content online, simply give your visitors a place to rest and allow them to focus.

I invite you to welcome the white space into your dream world this week. Consider it your friend. It likes to be called “Simple.”

Say hello from me.

 

Related Stories:

  • 8_women_dream_on_accepting_feedback
    The Secret to Success Online: Accept Feedback
  • How Hopscotch Can Be The Key To Your Dream
    How Hopscotch Can Be The Key To Your Dream
  • Balance Is the Key To a Life Full of Joy In Living the American Dream
    Balance Is the Key To a Life Full of Joy In Living…
  • the-key-to-life-gratitude-quote
    The Key To a Happy Life is To Practice Gratitude
Chughes
Catherine Hughes

Catherine Hughes is an accomplished magazine columnist, content creator, and published writer with a background as an award-winning mom blogger. She partners with companies to create captivating web content and social media stories and writes compelling human interest pieces for both small and large print publications. Her writing, which celebrates the resilience and achievements of Northern California’s residents, is featured in several magazines. Beyond her professional life, Catherine is passionate about motherhood, her son, close friendships, rugby, and her love for animals.

Note: Articles by Catherine may contain affiliate links and may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link.

Filed Under: LAUNCH YOUR DREAM

Some of the posts on 8WD contain affiliate links or links to purchase products or programs from 8WD contributors. This means 8WD or the contributor may make a small commission if you make a purchase. The 8WD affiliate links help offset the cost of hosting this website and the contributor links help support the dreams of the contributor. Please check out the 8WD Legal Page for more details.

Thank you for your continued support!

« At What Time is the Food Not Fresh?
The Adventure of Buying a Women’s Triathlon Wetsuit »

Check it out

  • LAUNCH YOUR DREAM
  • BE A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
  • STARTING OVER MIDLIFE
  • HAPPINESS THROUGH ACTIVISM
  • TRAVEL THE WORLD
  • GET HEALTHY & FIT
  • BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE
  • BRAVE LIVING
  • WRITE WITH US


The 8WomenDream Dream Tote Bag

About the 8WomenDream Tote Bag
US – 10oz Cotton
Dimensions (External Dimensions)
• Height – 18″ (45.72cm or 457.2mm)
• Width – 15″ (38.1cm or 381mm)
Handle Dimensions (Internal Dimensions)
• Length – 29″ (73.7cm or 736.6mm)

Recent Dream Stories

  • 8 Solstice Traditions for Focusing on Your Big Dream this Year
  • Winter Solstice: What Will You Do With 1 Minute More?
  • Why Halloween Costumes Can Help Discover Your Big Dream
  • How the Equinox Can be a Catalyst for Change
  • 5 Strategies to Live Your Wildest Dreams
  • Starting Over as a Single Mom Wasn’t My Big Dream
  • Warning: Big Dream to Be a Motivational Speaker Won’t Always Obey Your Plans
  • Dance to Relieve Stress to Focus on Your Big Dream

Inspiration

More About 8WD

WE BELIEVE EVERYONE HAS THE POWER TO ACHIEVE BIG DREAMS.
 
IT IS OUR SINCEREST WISH THROUGH THE SHARING OF PERSONAL STORIES ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE TO TRY TO ACHIEVE A BIG DREAM THAT WE WILL INSPIRE YOU GO AFTER A BIG DREAM TOO.
 
YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT 8WOMENDREAM, HERE.

8 WOMEN DREAM | COPYRIGHT All RIGHTS RESERVED © 2025 · LEGAL

Welcome to 8WomenDream Where Big Dreams Are Shared
The 8WomenDream website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're OK with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. ACCEPT REJECT READ MORE
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT