Homepage reclaiming

[Melooon]

This is a practice that I've had to do a number of times and I was curious if anyone else has ever found it necessary!

Homepage reclaiming is when you start to get back into working on your homepage after a time and you find that it no longer entirely speaks to you as you are now; it's the process of figuring out what you need to change to make it feel like your own home again.

This happens naturally as people change, but it can also happen because of particular events (for example if you are taking part in a bunch of game jams and posting about them on your site; when you come back in a few months you might need to clear the jam stuff away to make way for your latest exploits). If a homepage is a kind of life journal, then it's part of moving on and turning a new page.

Iv never been a fan of outright re-designs, I feel like a re-design is like a sledgehammer approach;  I prefer to just retouch things here and there until the picture feels relevant again. That's a homepage reclaim 

[virtualtelegrams]

Occasionally! Other times my stuff will partially corrupt (user error? not quite sure) and I'll use the somehow-surviving scraps to build a new one from the digital ashes.
Other times I've done a total rewrite but kept the same overall vibe- optimisation etc.

[Guest]

Iv never been a fan of outright re-designs, I feel like a re-design is like a sledgehammer approach;  I prefer to just retouch things here and there until the picture feels relevant again.

I did this to my last "re-design". It usually happens when I find a better/easier way to organise things and I end up chipping away at/repositioning elements until I feel as though it both looks better and preforms better!

However, I typically work opposite to you which is interesting! I much prefer a complete clean slate... It just feels easier for me to build something new than it does for me to "fix" anything. It's not just my website I do this with though- it's with everything in my life. I need to do a fresh install and wipe my PC? Well, I guess everything that's on it right now will be going with it too! No backups or anything, I just completely restart my life over and over again LOL.

I've never thought too much about it... But I do think it comes down to the fact that "fixing" rather than "restarting" feels a whole lot more overwhelming to me. Salvaging/reworking feels like a lot more work than just starting clean and fresh, because having nothing to recall back to is much more understandable than it is trying to pick and choose which parts to keep/delete.

[brisray]

My homepage has only had two designs. The original from 1999 and what it is now which dates from 2005.

The other pages have had four designs - 1999, 2010, 2014, and 2020.

What caused the redesigns was mostly growing dissatisfaction with the menus. Either aesthetics, the ease with which I can update them, or the ease of use for whatever visitors I have. As I found or thought of new ways to make the menus, I took the opportunity to update the look and functionality of the pages.

Rather than try and do the entire site at once, I just use the latest style whenever I edit old pages or create new ones.