I believe that great sites are like great movies ..

Think of the first time you saw Citizen Kane, 2001: A Space Odyssey or Badlands.

Why did these movies change you and cinema?

Is it because the film makers — Welles, Kubrick and Malick respectively — were or still are supremely talented, highly creative artists?

No: it was because each one of them knew the golden rules of cinema so well that they could allow their art to bend the rules just enough to move us and the profession into new territory.

In other words, only by knowing the rules could they rewrite them.

I believe that great web designers — like all artists — pull off the same trick.

Only with a deep understanding of all the essential component parts — the content (dialogue), the brand (the actors), and the customers (the audience) — can they deliver a knockout Rocky-esque design experience.

One that keeps bums on seats long enough for their clients to tell their story from start to finish.

For 20 years, I’ve studied — and I believe, fine-tuned the art of — creative web design, usability, WordPress platforms, SEO, typography, reader persona and influencer outreach, lead generation and multi-channel marketing implementation (CRM/ESP).

Recently, I’ve also grasped the latest thinking on squeeze pages, sales funnels, marketing automation and re-targeting ad campaigns.

In other words, I know the where the new rules (and rule breakers) are likely to come from.

And I like to count myself as one of those design auteurs.