Jono's Blog

At the very beginning of this year, the time of year we all try to be especially self-reflective, I wrote down why 2011 would be different. I really believed it, for lots of different reasons. One of these ideas struck me as particularly important — Document the Journey — the idea that sharing the challenges, successes and failures along the way were of upmost importance; as a record of history and as a learning exercise in articulating my thoughts and ideas in the realm of interactive design and the Internet. It didn’t matter if other people read it or not, it was important in my own personal growth as a designer and, to some extent, as a person.

Smash cut to August 31st: the idea of starting a design related blog exists as an item in my to-do list only, a place where my (many) ideas like to gather and boldly mock me. There is more to this scene however - called in with the rest of the designers & developers (I was the Creative Director) to the board room of iP Internet’s office, our Managing Director gives us the surprise announcement of the year:

“I’ve got some bad news. I’ve received some advice… and that advice is to liquidate the company.”

And in the blink of an eye we handed in our keys, said our goodbyes and left. It was definitely a shock to the system, and there are all sorts of small details that need to be wound up (including taking care of the clients we have built relationships with for years), but the truth was this clean slate was exactly what I needed. Even though I was proud of our team and the hard work we put in every day, I’m truly excited for the brand new challenge this puts squarely in front of me.

That challenge is simple: get a brand new portfolio online and start exploring the opportunities that lie ahead. I’ve given myself this week to launch, keeping all the important design lessons I’ve learnt along the way (I’ll be sharing these) in mind, I’ll design and build my personal online presence from scratch, be kept accountable via this blog, and definitely learn a thing or two along the way. That’s just the beginning. One thing I can do is make my to-do list one item shorter:

And now I just have to keep doing it. Hope this encourages other people to start doing the same.