In the digital realm, an absence of three years can feel like an eternity, almost as if you’ve disappeared into the void. But far from drifting in digital limbo, I’ve been strapped into the very real rollercoaster ride that is co-founding and running Avery & Brown. If you’re not familiar with that journey yet, well, let’s just say you’ve missed the prologue, but the story is far from over. You can learn more on my homepage or check us out in detail here.
Why the reboot and why now?
I have missed having a platform that is unequivocally mine – a space free from the conventional constraints of channels like LinkedIn, where I can share musings and insights without fear of adhering to ‘content best practices’ and ‘algorithm updates’.
When this site was live from early 2018 to late 2020, it led to meaningful connections, inspiring conversations, and multiple opportunities for growth and development, including speaking gigs, podcast interviews, and magazine contributions. With all of this in mind, and with regards to the obvious personal brand benefits of having a named domain, getting it back online was an easy decision.
After a three-year hiatus and with Avery & Brown maturing from baby to tween, this feels like a very natural time to get my site live again.
Sustainable by design
Needless to say, I wanted my new site to be green at its core and rooted in digital sustainability best practices. So, how did I bring it all together? By bringing in the best in the business.
First up, enter my mate and long-term Avery & Brown creative ally, Ben Horsley-Summer from Null, who designed my new visual identity and fresh look. I wanted something which represented me, my three core focus areas, and which shared subtle similarities to our Avery & Brown branding but was still totally unique. Obviously Ben nailed it.
Next up, for the nuts and bolts of the site build itself, I called on Nick Lewis, a LinkedIn friend whose sustainable web dev skills I’ve long admired. Nick took Ben’s site design and recreated it to perfection. Using his clean-code skills and low-carbon know-how, he’s built me a site which is rated ‘Amazing’ by Beacon. Have a gander at the badge in the footer to learn more.
And as for hosting – the backbone of any eco-friendly site – well, there was only one place I was ever going to go. The team at Krystal are the green hosting champs whose servers run on 100% renewable energy. Green energy, green data centres, a green purpose and green-minded staff… Easy choice.
UPDATE APRIL 2024: I’m excited to have expanded my low-carbon digital ecosystem even further thanks to the addition of EcoSend as my email newsletter platform. Through their partnership with Treeapp, EcoSend plants trees for every subscription tier across their clients base.
If you’d like an introduction to any of these great people, please feel free to drop me a line.
The road ahead
With my new digital stage now set, I’m excited to delve into the broad variety of topics close to my heart. While sustainable marketing, regenerative business, and the built environment will take centre stage, rest assured I’ll also be tackling broader themes around climate change, sustainable living, and regeneration.
If something here strikes a chord, or you’d like to delve into a deeper conversation on any of these subjects, you know where to find me.
Here’s to the journey ahead. May it be filled with new connections, challenging perspectives, and a whole lot of regenerative thinking.