History of aliciahurst.com
Celebrating 20 years of maintaining my eponymous domain, here is every design since the beginning. I still occasionally make websites for others.
2006 • Built with Raw HTML & CSS
I bought the domain in 2006, my fifth one already and I was barely a legal adult! Before launching anything, I threw up this weird placeholder: a bold black box over a crosshatched background, linking somewhere I’ve long forgotten. All my previous websites were personal and for fun, but aliciahurst.com would become my professional home online.
2008 • Built with Raw HTML & CSS
The first real version of aliciahurst.com. The chaotic typography combo! The horizontally scrolling frame! Both regrettable and kind of cool at the time.
2009 • Built with WordPress
A period aesthetic that I don’t know how to describe. I was about to graduate college, hadn’t yet designed professionally, and used this site to show off artwork and blog headers.
2011 • Built with WordPress
When I started freelancing for a living, I moved back to WordPress. I’d used it since its 2001 debut, when it was still called b2/cafelog. Unfortunately, I also chose clashing graphics and the most questionable font pairing of my life. Looking for great design, I ask? That’s embarrassing!
2013 • Built with WordPress
Not my strongest era. The palette was muted, the design concept a little overambitious, and the layout was pretty experimental. But I did have a nice all-caps serif and a monogram A logo I liked, good enough to make some stylish business cards using my own photography.
2014 • Built with WordPress
Before the new design was live, I put up a single-page placeholder accented with marigold. I also designed a business card pattern I liked so much, I borrowed it from a client project and made it my own.
My website was performing well in organic search, and I was hitting my stride: writing helpful blog posts, educating small business owners, and dialing in the tone. Every page had strong CTAs and testimonials.
2015 • Built with WordPress
I only used this design for a few months between major visual identities. Clean, serif-heavy, hand-constructed WordPress theme as ever.
This next brand identity was big shift with a contrast between a brushy script and a thin sans-serif, set against a strict vertical split layout. Maybe a nod to my design/dev duality?
2016 • Built with WordPress
By this point, I had become a product manager. The site used a visual identity I’d created in 2015 (more below) and my Home page became less elaborate as I phased out design project highlights.
2018 • Built with Squarespace
After 17 years on WordPress, I switched platforms and left this minimalist placeholder up for a while. Just a quote, a coffee mug stock photo, and some social links.
2019 • Built with Squarespace
Began my single-page era. I linked to recordings of talks, side projects, and corporate blog posts, plus favorite quotes and photos that felt like a snapshot of me personally.
2023 • Built with Squarespace
Two years of variations on a theme: simple, single-page with the same basic info. You probably could’ve learned more from my LinkedIn!
2025 • Built with Squarespace
It was intimidating to relaunch my site with real content focused on product management, the first time I’ve done so since moving into the role a decade ago. Few product people keep websites, but I missed having a portfolio and blog like I did as a web developer. I wanted to bring a personal side to the design, so I experimented with green (a staple in my wardrobe) and a softer look. I’d been admiring websites that feature geometric sans-serif fonts, modern, friendly designs, and a pop of color, like Jenna Park, Cooper Smith, Fetcher, and Michelle LaCroix.
I soon revisited the green theme—it felt too muted and botanical for my tech-heavy online presence. Instead I revisited colors and styles from 2023. I first noticed the heading font Degular on BackBIPOC’s site, which was featured in Squarespace’s showcase. It struck the right “tech but approachable” balance I was going for, so I used it here too. I was stuck on layout ideas when I came across Social Impact Capital’s website— which coincidentally uses almost the same blue—and I instantly loved it. I knew I couldn’t (and shouldn’t) recreate it exactly, but I tried to capture that spirit, especially on my homepage.
2026 • Built with Squarespace
I wanted to go back to a SaaS look, and the homepage was too lightweight. So I once again revisited, this time inspired by Fractional Jobs and the Brennan Center’s website.
