Diapsalmata Website + Branding

Diapsalmata.com is my personal website. I like to call it my “attempt at writing a few thoughts about a few things.” It’s fairly simple but I’m including it here because it’s often the personal projects that best display the style and heart of a designer. If you’re interested in seeing it for yourself, you can find it here.

Diapsalmata Website + Branding

The branding for this site was a bit tricky. Since the theme centers on doubt about the Christian faith and doxology, I wanted something to suggest those (seemingly opposed) ideas at work together. As I thought about it, the gray and nebulous nature of our doubt and the contrasting faithfulness of Christ can be represented by two elements, a question mark and a shepherd’s staff. Together, they form a sort of modified cleft note. The result is a mark that suggests what the Psalms so plainly teach: that doxology is often mingled with the deepest questions of the human heart.

The design of the website is relatively straightforward. Any site that exists for any period of time will eventually “lose” posts. I say “lose” in the sense that older posts are often lost in the shuffle of newer content. One of the ways I chose to address this was to feature topics on the front page. This way, content is both searchable and easier to see on the homepage. Obviously, this strategy won’t work for every site but I think it works well for this particular project.

Aesthetically, I opted to use classic artwork to adorn the site. Wrestling with doubt is a human struggle that spans all times and places, it reaches every culture and people group. The great masters in history touched on this, depicting the struggle in sometimes powerful, sometimes poignant ways. It seemed an obvious choice to feature their artwork on the site.