project_log:004

Yo.

Welcome to project_log: a series where I give a raw, unpolished update on what I'm building at my independent development studio.

I've just wrapped up the last full week of client work for the year. I'm going to take a couple of weeks off client projects to focus on building the new Over-Stimulated site, spending time with fam, and hopefully getting some surfing in.

Let's jump into a quick update on the client projects:

For context, I have three client projects in active development: a modular CMS build for a credit union, a large AI company site, and a design agency site build.

If you've read any of my past project_logs, you'll know there's a recurring theme: I miss my internal deadline by one day. Surprise, surprise it happened again.

I've got half a day's work tidying up some QA items for the credit union site before it will be ready for handover. We're estimating it'll take another 1-2 months before this will be ready to go live due to the amount of content that needs to be created. This project has been in talks since May 2024, so it feels good to be close to completion.

Not much progress was made on the AI company site this week. We're waiting on design files for the features we're shipping in January 2025.

I had a call last week with the managing director of the design agency whose site I'm building. It was great to catch up and talk through some of the issues they're facing with the new design. A few pages may change, but in the meantime, I'm full speed ahead. I made a list of what needs to happen and was able to tick off some of those items last week. Feels great to be back in the swing of this project.

Managing timelines in 2025:

Multiple clients extended their contracts this year (which is great, not complaining at all). It just makes it difficult to plan new projects after those are completed. I find myself having to push new projects out, which can be frustrating for new clients.

I know this is partly due to the nature of being a service provider. But I'd love to get better at this to keep things running smoothly. If you have any tips, shoot me a DM on X. I'd love to hear how you manage this.

Soft launching an MVP of the new brand:

Another struggle over the past few weeks has been brand alignment. I'm referencing Over-Stimulated like it's already out to the world when in reality it lives inside these project logs and a Figma file shared between two people.

To remove the confusion internally and externally, I'm going to soft launch an MVP version of the new brand in January 2025. Same design, but I'll just ship the homepage for now:

Once the site is ready, I'll update my social accounts to match the vibe of the identity we've created. This means a new headshot on Twitter lol. I'll also need to update the business name and tax info, which is pretty easy here in New Zealand.

I did some designing...

A few weeks back, I mentioned a feature I'm building for the new site. I'm thinking about turning that feature into a product in 2025. Stay tuned...

Goals for next week:

This is where I write out the goals for the week ahead to keep myself accountable.

Progress will be a little slower this week with Christmas coming up. I'll be focusing on internal projects from the 26th through to around the 5th of January.

Clients:

1. Credit union site: Goal is to wrap up my end of the build. Should have no trouble finishing this as there isn't much left to do.

2. AI company site: There's a lot to do in January 2025 on this project, so I'll just be preparing as much as possible with the goal of making early next year smooth.

3. Design agency site: I've got a big list of small fixes and interactions that need building. It'll be nice to tick off some of these items if I have time.

Internally:

1. Over-Stimulated site: A few things I'd like to complete:

   • Set up Sanity CMS for handling content.

   • Build the static site.

   • Start working on a functional carousel (Past explorations have just been experiments).

2. Content: Same as last week. Keep consistent. Keep seeing progress. Keep building new relationships.

That's it, pals. Keep crushing. Talk soon.

Will.