Why I stripped the site back and rebuilt it on Sanity for 2026, so the work does the talking instead of the design.

Simplifying the Build

Looking back, the 2025 redesign was a step forward, but sitting with it for a while, I realised it needed to be stripped back further. So for 2026, the whole focus was simplifying the design and the build, so the actual work does the talking. I wanted something that gets out of its own way. Whether you're checking out a case study on your phone or on a proper desktop monitor, it needed to feel just as good either way, the design should frame the work, not distract from it.

That's exactly why I rebuilt the whole site on Sanity.

Moving to a headless CMS sounds like it'd add complexity, but for this it was actually the opposite; stripping things back to the essentials. Splitting the content from the presentation means I'm not fighting rigid templates or bloated code just to get a layout looking right anymore. I can build a clean, minimal front end that scales properly across every device.

When I'm sharing a project or writing up a case study, the details need to be front and centre, and a cluttered site just gets in the way of that.

With this setup I've got full control over every pixel and breakpoint. Typography sits exactly how I want it, load times are fast, and it's genuinely responsive, not just on paper. The work stays the focus no matter how someone's viewing it.

This refresh is a proper starting point for 2026: a simplified, solid platform that looks good everywhere and is actually enjoyable to maintain, instead of a chore.