Big Web Adventure Mon, 12 Oct 2026 23:18:37 +0100 https://andrewbackhouse.design/podcast en © 2026 Andrew Backhouse yes 15b92883-fabc-5e84-97f5-8eb7047f8095 Andrew Backhouse episodic false In this audio adventure, I take a lively (and sometimes shambolic) journey through the web. In each episode, I visit a website and walk you through it with a designer's eye. I share what works, what doesn't and the details that spark my imagination, so you can start to see the web the way a designer does.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) web design, design, ux, ui, Andrew Backhouse https://storage.buzzsprout.com/2c7bi00ybygljfqcolukw0qi82yo?.jpg Big Web Adventure https://andrewbackhouse.design/podcast Content Design London Content Design London Episode #003: Content Design London

This week I visit Content Design London, a site that skips photographs and lets plain words, set large, carry the whole front page.

It opens with black type on white, a name stacked like a stamp and a basket icon that tells you they sell things. On the courses page, every card shows the price with VAT. Open a single course and it answers almost every question a nervous buyer might have, down to the group size and an early-bird deadline with a day and a time. Then there's a 404 page that says "It's us, not you", and that one line tells you a lot about the people behind it.

I also talk about a headline that makes a claim rather than an offer, course cards with no dates and student quotes with no names. And I ask whether a company that teaches good writing has built a site that lives up to its own words.

Links

]]> Episode #003: Content Design London

This week I visit Content Design London, a site that skips photographs and lets plain words, set large, carry the whole front page.

It opens with black type on white, a name stacked like a stamp and a basket icon that tells you they sell things. On the courses page, every card shows the price with VAT. Open a single course and it answers almost every question a nervous buyer might have, down to the group size and an early-bird deadline with a day and a time. Then there's a 404 page that says "It's us, not you", and that one line tells you a lot about the people behind it.

I also talk about a headline that makes a claim rather than an offer, course cards with no dates and student quotes with no names. And I ask whether a company that teaches good writing has built a site that lives up to its own words.

Links

]]> Andrew Backhouse Buzzsprout-19856047 Mon, 12 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0100 264 1 3 full false The Modernist The Modernist Episode #002: The Modernist Society

I visited The Modernist Society's website, a site that asks you to join something rather than buy something, and then hands you five things to do before you've worked out who they are.

Get past the homepage and the about page calms right down and tells the story properly. It names the people who started it, thanks its funders in public and lets someone else's quote describe the magazine better than the site could itself. I spotted a small contradiction about how often the magazine comes out, and I talk about why a slip like that chips away at trust. The page for issue 57 gets selling a magazine just right, with eight pictures of the real thing and an honest note about a very small team.

I also talk about a menu full of names that only make sense if you're already in the know, and some lovely photos that nobody using a screen reader can see. So would it win over someone arriving cold? Have a listen and you'll hear where I landed.

Links

]]> Episode #002: The Modernist Society

I visited The Modernist Society's website, a site that asks you to join something rather than buy something, and then hands you five things to do before you've worked out who they are.

Get past the homepage and the about page calms right down and tells the story properly. It names the people who started it, thanks its funders in public and lets someone else's quote describe the magazine better than the site could itself. I spotted a small contradiction about how often the magazine comes out, and I talk about why a slip like that chips away at trust. The page for issue 57 gets selling a magazine just right, with eight pictures of the real thing and an honest note about a very small team.

I also talk about a menu full of names that only make sense if you're already in the know, and some lovely photos that nobody using a screen reader can see. So would it win over someone arriving cold? Have a listen and you'll hear where I landed.

Links

]]> Andrew Backhouse Buzzsprout-19855207 Mon, 05 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0100 429 1 2 full false Joe Lycett Joe Lycett Episode #001: Joe Lycett

In the first episode of Big Web Adventure, I visit joelycett.com and find a website that breaks nearly every rule, and gets away with it.

There's no headline and no welcome. You land in an archive of small pictures, from Taskmaster in 2017 to work made this year, and it's up to you where to start. The about page is one long, rambling paragraph that somehow fits in two BAFTAs, gallery shows and a stunt that made international news. The shop puts tea towels next to a sculpture with a very serious price tag. Then the contact page drops the jokes and gets down to business.

I talk about what these choices say about the man behind them, and where the site could be kinder to visitors, from a shop that takes some scrolling to a home page full of pictures that has to load on a phone in a pub garden. I also ask why a tidy, sensible website would be the wrong fit for him.

Links

]]> Episode #001: Joe Lycett

In the first episode of Big Web Adventure, I visit joelycett.com and find a website that breaks nearly every rule, and gets away with it.

There's no headline and no welcome. You land in an archive of small pictures, from Taskmaster in 2017 to work made this year, and it's up to you where to start. The about page is one long, rambling paragraph that somehow fits in two BAFTAs, gallery shows and a stunt that made international news. The shop puts tea towels next to a sculpture with a very serious price tag. Then the contact page drops the jokes and gets down to business.

I talk about what these choices say about the man behind them, and where the site could be kinder to visitors, from a shop that takes some scrolling to a home page full of pictures that has to load on a phone in a pub garden. I also ask why a tidy, sensible website would be the wrong fit for him.

Links

]]> Andrew Backhouse Buzzsprout-19851510 Mon, 28 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0100 266 1 1 full false Trailer Trailer Every website tells a story about the people who made it. Someone chose what greets you first, where each page leads and what got left out.

In each episode, I take a close look at a real website. I start with first impressions: what you see and feel in the first few seconds, before you read a word. Then I pick two or three key pages and ask if each one does its job. I dig into the detail too, from the words, pictures and type to how fast it loads and how it copes on a phone.

I care more about the people behind a site than scoring points. I'm warm about what they were reaching for, and honest when something gets in a visitor's way. Each episode ends with a short verdict: does this site work for the people it's meant for?

]]> Every website tells a story about the people who made it. Someone chose what greets you first, where each page leads and what got left out.

In each episode, I take a close look at a real website. I start with first impressions: what you see and feel in the first few seconds, before you read a word. Then I pick two or three key pages and ask if each one does its job. I dig into the detail too, from the words, pictures and type to how fast it loads and how it copes on a phone.

I care more about the people behind a site than scoring points. I'm warm about what they were reaching for, and honest when something gets in a visitor's way. Each episode ends with a short verdict: does this site work for the people it's meant for?

]]> Andrew Backhouse Buzzsprout-19848322 Tue, 22 Sep 2026 19:00:00 +0100 97 trailer false