There is a point where my social media feeds started to feel disconnected. Not in a bad quality or taste kind of way, just scattered. Posting to my social medias felt squeezed in and not holding together and really discouraged me from continuing to post regularly. But working through an idea board I came across an idea of designing in themes and created what I like to now call "Visual Eras".
I stopped thinking in terms of single posts and started thinking in terms of chapters.
So what exactly is a Visual Era?
For me a visual era is a stretch of work that shares the same visual language and intent. And I mean across all of the types of posts and stories I can create. It’s not just about using the same colors or fonts. It’s about committing to a direction for a period of time and actually staying inside of it. The layout, the typography, the tone—everything starts to follow a set of rules.
This thinking changes how I will be approaching all of my social media posts. Launch announcements, updates, concepts, and anything else I want to post about will be thought of in terms of the era and how it fits.
I want the work I do and the creative parts of my projects to connect together and tell more of a story. Using this thinking not only helps me by giving me a starting point, it reinvigorates my intentions and interest in sharing. Working with this type of intent creates work that feels connected in a way that all of individual posts never really could.
This idea came out of frustration more than anything.
I was creating every post and story from scratch. Every time I sat down, it was a new set of decisions—new layout, new direction, new everything. It slowed me down, and it made things that should bring pride (like my instagram grid) feel inconsistent when I looked at it as a whole.
What I actually needed wasn’t more ideas. It was constraint.
When working on the development of a website, I use constructs that start out the same way and give me the foundation to build a design on top off. I use the same CSS base, design in the same row/column layouts, and use a basic HTML structure plus naming convention. Coding this way removes the need to think about the basics and allows my mind to create eye catching designs and user flows. In a way the visual era idea works in the exact same way. I am telling one story using many chapters and experiences to do so. I can think of ways things fit together without getting stuck on the basics of each tiny thing.
Once I gave myself this repeatable structure, things started to click. Decisions got easier. The work moved faster. And more importantly, everything started to feel like it belonged together.
It also made the process more enjoyable again. There’s something about working inside a defined system that lets you focus on the idea instead of constantly chasing something new.
There is a strategic side to this, even if it feels more creative on the surface.
I know from working with my clients (I tell them this all the time) that when you stay consistent over a stretch of time, you start to build recognition and you message sinks in without having to force it. The repetition does the work for you. People don’t just see your content—they start to recognize the language behind it.
There needs to be a rhythm to things if they are ever going to stick.
And maybe the most useful part is the direction it gives . I'm not asking what to post next—I am asking what fits inside what has been started. That’s a much clearer place to work from.
The Field Notes Era
The decision I made for the current era is something I am calling Field Notes.
This is a little more personal. It’s less about presenting finished work and more about documenting how I think through design. Every project I take on teaches me something or has a chance to change the way I feel about web design and how to present my clients.
My idea is simple. Each post focuses on a single observation—something small, but worth isolating. Not a full breakdown, not a complete guide. Just one concept, held in place long enough to actually look at it. And these observations come from the projects I am working on, things that stick out or needed second looks.
Things like how border radius behaves when it nests. Or how typography can act as structure instead of decoration. Or how spacing, when treated properly, starts to feel like a system instead of guesswork. Each post is basically a page pulled from a notebook.
Visually, this era leans darker and more restrained. Focused.
The backgrounds are deep, the contrast is controlled, and the typography does most of the heavy lifting. There’s not much in the way of decoration. Everything is there for a reason.
I’ve been pulling a bit from architectural drawings and technical diagrams—things that feel structured and deliberate. There’s a certain quietness to them that fits what I’m trying to do here.
Nothing is meant to shout. The goal is clarity.
Why Field Notes Matters (to Me)
This era feels different because it slows everything down.
Instead of thinking about what I can show next, it shifts toward what I’ve actually noticed. That’s a subtle change, but it matters.
It makes the work feel more grounded. Less about putting something out, more about understanding something before I do.
Visual eras aren’t something you have to follow. They’re just a way to bring some structure to the process.
For me, they’ve turned posting into something more continuous. Less starting over, more building forward.
Field Notes is just one chapter in that. There will be others, with different directions and different energy.
But the idea stays the same.
Work inside something.
Let it develop.
See where it leads.