Building Beautiful Websites With Michal

If you’re in the market for an expert who can help you grow your business, don’t think twice before reaching out to Michal. He’s fluent in website development and Google so can rest assured that not only will your website look great but it will also check all the boxes needed to rank well on Google’s search results.

Based out of Edinburgh, Scotland, Michal can take your business idea and turn into a living, breathing website that brings in business.

In fact, he’s the man behind the new look of LOGO.com. In this exclusive interview with us, Michal talks about his business, Love My Web, what inspires him, his top three pieces of advice for new web developers, and more.

Let’s dive in!

1. How did you get into website development? What's your story?

I came to Scotland from Poland about 15 years ago, and tried to find a place for myself in this new world. There was a point when I was running a business trading in vintage audio equipment, and I realised I needed a website.

I tried to hire professionals to help me build this website but it wasn't working out for me. So, I decided to build one myself.

It was a steep learning curve, but I really liked doing it and realised that it was exactly what I wanted to do.

2. What inspired you to start Love My Web?

I have always preferred to work for myself, so once I knew what I wanted to do, I paused all my other business activities and dived head-first into web design and I have been doing that ever since.

What I really like about web design is the creative aspect. You make a thing, a digital thing, an intangible thing made of pixels and code, and send it out into the world, the online world. And it becomes real, almost-tangible.

People see that digital thing that you created, interact with it, use it to do stuff, to get stuff done, and so much more. It’s very satisfying.

3. What were some of the key challenges when redesigning LOGO.com's website and how did you address them?

My key goal when redesigning LOGO.com was to showcase the real logos created on the platform. It was one of the best ways to show what the app can really do.

I wanted to show the platform's actual abilities, and at the same time to address a key concern any potential customer might have, ‘’if it’s done by an algorithm it won't understand my business and will give me generic results’’.

People are suspicious of machine-anything, machine design, machine translation, etc, and I wanted to address that, and show just how amazing the logos designs actually are.

4. When you're not feeling creative or motivated, where do you go to draw inspiration from?

I get away from the screen! Usually for a run, or some other form of exercise, but the key thing is to stop, take a break, leave it for a while and come back to the problem with a refreshed mind. Or just sleep on it. It's much better than staring at the screen or just stressing about the problem.

I also want to add that sometimes feeling stuck, unmotivated or stressed is a sign that something is not quite right. Perhaps the approach is wrong and needs a serious rethink or review with the client.

Or perhaps you've outgrown the client and taking on the project was maybe not a good idea. Addressing this situation can be difficult, but it's important for long-term success.

5. Did you have any mentors along the way? How did they help you grow?

I did not have an in-person mentor but I've always tried to learn from all the people I meet in my life. One person I have been following consistently for ten years is Chris Do of the Futur and Blind and his principles for ‘’business design’’. I love the idea of making a living doing what I love and I am a living proof that it’s possible.

6. If you could give three pieces of advice to budding website designers, what would that be?

The most important piece of advice I can give to any web designer, budding or more experienced, is Don’t design for your client, design for your client’s clients and customers. It is not your client that has to love the website and find it clear and intuitively usable, it’s the people who will visit it. You are hired as a professional, and blindly following a brief can lead to failure, so if you can advise and make suggestions, do.

The second piece of advice follows, in a way, from the first one. Try to work with customers who already have, or had websites they aren’t happy with. They will know the benefits of letting a professional do the work, will be much more open to suggestions, more likely to provide enough information for you or your content creator to work with effectively, and there will be much less of a steep learning curve. You are more likely to do something good that works, which will make for a happy client.

Thirdly, don’t underprice yourself. Putting a decent value on your work is not just about your income and being able to give a project the time it needs. It will also mean that the client values your work and what you deliver. It will filter out the people who don’t treat their projects seriously enough to be willing to invest a bit more money, and it will mean that the business is more likely to thrive and make good use of the website or other Internet tools you provide them with.

7. Is there anything you'd like to see yourself doing in the next 5 to 10 years?

Who knows what Internet -- and the world -- is going to look like in 5, never mind 10 years’ time! I don’t plan that far in advance, but as of now I want to do what I am doing now: build awesome websites and apps based on Webflow and it’s ever-growing functionalities.

I can’t wait to see the next developments in no-code tools that allow people to focus on what matters: the design and content that will do what you want it to do.