When I joined Girlboss a year ago, I remember distinctly thinking, “Awhhhhh, cute. Their office is in an apartment.” I found it charming. But that’s how this brand gets you. You’re all “They’re a tiny team!” and then BAM. We bust out incredible editorial content, off-the-wall conferences, and get nominated for Webby Awards.
Those Squarespace pages were us hiding in plain sight. Plain (web)site? Guys, I’m the art director not a writer.
Anyway, I do believe we have arrived. Our website finally fits how we feel—a destination as ambitious as our team. It is with much joy and pride that I take you on a tour (with words, article-style) through some of my favorite choices we made with our new digital home.
It’s hella fast
All I have to say is: skrt. There are tons of decisions laced throughout this redesign to optimize speed, but my favorite choice was where we landed with our fonts. Take a look at the typefaces you see throughout these pages. They feel…oddly comfortable, no? Bitch yes, that’s because you have been staring at these same fonts through your side bangs since you were formatting your Xanga in 2004. These aretraditional web safe fonts,baby.
“All I have to say is: skrt.”
Nothing crazy, nothing trendy, nothing that looks different on your iPhone than it does on your Grandma’s old PC surfing on Internet Explorer. Your browser isn’t out of breath, straining to load any of these pages for you. It’s just like “Yeah, we’ve all seen the Helvetica documentary, cool choice.”
It acts like an app
Ya’ll are used to swiping, right? Us too. We all use apps everyday, so why shouldn’t a website operate more like the way we’re used to interacting with in-app content on our phones? Good question, I’m super glad you brought that up. As you pour through the pages on Girlboss.com, you’ll notice our site is now built out both horizontally and vertically.
Horizontal swiping changes categories, while vertical swiping takes you through a fabulous, infinite mine of content. Swipe away and stay a while, why don’t you?
It’s not minimalist
Look, I wouldn’t call it subtle. It is one of the true joys of directing-the-art atGirlbossto be able to push our visual language, and to feel fully supported in being a little bit extra.
This type of redesign is pretty much unheard of for a media company: To nix custom fonts in favor of early-internet standards, to change colors throughout categories, to disrupt the directional ways in which we’re used to moving through websites.
It’s bold and unapologetic, a site as strong and outspoken as the team behind it. So poke around, have some fun, and only contact me if you like it <3.
