Principles

On this page, I try to outline my design principles. When you design, you make a ton of micro-design decisions along the way. These are mostly based on general design principles. I feel it's important to explain the way I design to attract the right clients, and subsequently do my best work.

  • 1. Everything should be as simple as possible.

    Remove everything that shouldn't be there.

  • 2. Design with intent

    Every design decision should have a reason.

  • 3. Speed is a feature

    Above all, make it fast.

  • 4. The most important aspect of software is productivity

    Don't neglect the power-user.

  • 5. Design the content, not the frame

    Jeffrey Zeldman said: “Design in the absence of content is not design, it's decoration.”.

  • 6. Design is a team effort.

    Everybody in the team should be design-conscious. Don't expect a designer to come in and fix all the problems by himself. Design is a team effort.

  • 7. Design is how it works.

    Design is how it works, looks are derived from the function.

Why Wolf's Little Store?

Radical honesty

I won’t do work I don’t believe in and will be frank to tell you what I think. This is the only way to good work. I believe that you are what you do, and you don’t want to waste your limited time doing things you’re not.

Detail oriented

80% of the work is in the last 20%. There’s always room for improvement: better copy, better graphics, faster, more accessible. I sweat the details to make not just good, but great.

Solid and up to date knowledge on how the web works

I like to live on the bleeding tech edge and work on the latest, while retaining support for older devices through progressive enhancement.

I can approach a problem on a business level but at the same time I'll also work together with developers to make sure things become real.

References

“We loved working with Johan. He is a skilled designer who has fresh ideas, who knows his UI paradigms, and who communicates very well on what he's doing and why he's doing it.”

Tom Klaasen, 10to1

“What you see on this site is what you get working with Johan. He's thoughtful, meticulous and an excellent communicator. Also, try resizing your browser window. That's pretty badass, right?”

Frederik Vincx, Prezly

“As a developer I needed a designer that wanted to think along in the process. Johan gave valuable feedback on my ideas and came up with very interesting ideas himself.”

Kristof van Landschoot, Coin-C

Do you have a comment, question or perhaps a new project? Check out the contact page for ways to get in touch.