We are in the process of creating a brand new website for Guestlist and figured it may be helpful to share some of our design process. Since our launch more than a year ago much has changed in how we see Guestlist and our place in the event registration market. The new website will communicate what we are about more clearly and also allow for some new feature additions.

The Guestlist design process, and really my design process since I am the only one doing design, is pretty simple. I don’t see design as a science. My design is largely driven by gut instinct. What this means in practical terms is that in order to get to a great design you need to go through a whole lot of mediocre and bad designs.

I am not suggesting making ten different versions and picking the best—that would be a colossal waste of time. Rather, a single design is reworked and refined until you find something that makes you think Yes!. A lot of work may be thrown away or abandoned along the way to perfection. Or, you might stumble upon something awesome on your first try.

The new homepage took two weeks to get to a final design, but only 4.5 hours of actual work. Why the discrepancy? If you stare at the same design for extended periods of time things will start to blend together. Sleeping on a design for a day or two will allow for a fresh look.

As the design for the new website comes along we will share some of the design thinking behind what we are doing.