After 10+ years building websites, I’ve realised half of becoming a better designer is simply stopping things that looked clever at the time. A few things I quietly retired: ## 1. Designing websites only for other designers Turns out normal people don’t care about your ultra-minimal navigation concept inspired by a Scandinavian furniture catalogue. They just want to find the contact button. ## 2. Adding animations to everything Not every section needs to fly in from the left like it’s auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent. Sometimes static is fine. Peaceful, even. ## 3. Chasing every new trend Every year the internet reinvents the same 4 design styles and gives them a new name. Meanwhile, good spacing and readable text continue to do most of the heavy lifting. ## 4. Ignoring performance A beautiful website that loads like it’s being delivered by carrier pigeon is still a bad website. ## 5.…