Introduction
Yes, I did it again. I changed the design of my website.
Why? Because the old version didn’t feel like me. It looked minimal and tidy, sure, but also bland. It was a design that didn’t represent me as a person or the way I want to present myself online. I want to be proud of what I publish, and if I can’t even get excited about my own website, then what’s the point?
This post is a look into why I redesigned the site (again), what inspired the new design, how I built it, and what’s next.
Why the Redesign?
The old design was functional but soulless. It had the classic portfolio vibe: calm, white, minimal. But when I looked at it, I didn’t see myself. If you can do any design you want on the World Wide Web and it presents YOU, why settle?
I wanted something bolder, more personal: something that communicates what excites me visually.
That’s where the overhaul started.
The Idea Behind the New Design
In my head, the starting point was wild:
“Akira meets superheroes meets fighting games meets Katsushika Hokusai meets modern poster design.”
It sounds chaotic, but the vision slowly condensed into something coherent:
a poster-like, bold design with strong typography and a vibrant color palette. And I absolutely love the hover effects on cards!
Here’s how I defined it in my brand guide:
- A bold, poster-inspired UI that blends Japanese woodblock colors (blue + cream + vermilion) with arcade/fighter-select shapes (thick outlines, stamps, flags).
- Typography does the heavy lifting—components stay simple and graphic.
- Brand traits:
- Brave → oversized type, strong blocks of color, visible edges.
- Readable → calm cream backgrounds, generous spacing.
- Playful-serious → arcade-like hover states, but no distracting gimmicks.
In short: I wanted my website to look like a poster you could almost hang on a wall.
From Vision to Reality
Having a vision is one thing. Turning it into a usable website is another.
I spent hours hunting for inspiration, sketching ideas, and experimenting with layouts that wouldn’t hurt the eyes or ruin readability. I had a clear picture in my head, but bringing it into the browser took time.
AI also helped. ChatGPT was my planning partner: I bounced ideas, refined concepts, and tested out how far I could push certain elements without making the site a mess.
I mentioned superheroes earlier. I am still on the verge of thinking “does it look too much like Captain America was splattered into the site, with a hint of cream?” but I guess that is okay. I love the colors.
Development Process
Once the design direction was set, the development itself was fast.
- The site already had a solid base built with Astro.
- Hosting is still on GitHub Pages. It’s not perfect (there are things I’d love to do on a VPS), but the CI/CD pipeline with Astro + GitHub Pages is smooth and fast. Emphasize on fast, because time is limited between work and studying + I want to be able to do my own fun activities too.
- The main work was in deciding fonts, colors, and styling, documenting them into a small brand book / style guide, and then translating that into CSS.
That’s it. Suddenly the bland site felt alive.
Old vs New
A redesign is best shown, not told. Here are comparison shots of the old and new site:
- Front page: old vs new
- Blog index: old vs new
- Experience page: old vs new
The difference is night and day. The new design feels like me. Content stays the same, but representation is drastically different.
What’s Next?
The work doesn’t end here. Design is never “done.” I’ll keep tweaking, refining, and experimenting. I already see some things I want to tweak a bit, and new functionality is on my mind.
But for now? I’m genuinely happy with the outcome.
My site finally feels personal, bold, and something I can be proud to call mine.
Final Thoughts
If there’s one takeaway from this redesign, it’s this: don’t settle for a design that doesn’t feel like you. Even if it means starting over (again). Your personal site should reflect who you are: not just follow trends.
And if that means “Akira meets Hokusai meets fighting games,” well… then that’s exactly what it should be. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t - reiterate!
Let me know what you think :)