Starting a brand new website from scratch can feel both exciting and a little intimidating. The possibilities are endless… which is kind of the problem. When there’s no structure, no content, and no visual direction yet, it’s easy to feel stuck staring at that blank canvas. Over time though, I’ve built a process that helps me dive in without feeling overwhelmed, and it usually starts with the basics.
Here’s how I typically kick off a new website design, from setup to creative inspiration:
Step 1: Laying the Groundwork
Before anything looks remotely “designed,” I start with a solid foundation. I install WordPress and immediately set up Divi, since that’s my builder of choice. One of the first things I do is import my go-to preset Divi Customizer settings. This helps me establish all the basic styles like spacing, button styling, and global design defaults. It may not look fancy yet, but having those basic settings in place makes everything else feel much more manageable.
Step 2: Establishing the Visual Identity
Once I’ve got the site prepped and ready, I shift my focus to the look and feel. I start pulling in the brand colors and playing around with font combinations until something clicks. This part is always a little fluid. I like to get a rough visual direction nailed down before I even think about building out individual sections.
Sometimes I’ll create a quick style tile or mockup for myself with the fonts, colors, and a few basic UI elements (like buttons or icons) just to help visualize how it’s all going to come together. It’s nothing fancy, just something to guide the rest of the design.
Step 3: Finding Structure (When There’s No Wireframe)
Not every client comes with a clear wireframe or layout in mind and that’s totally fine. When I’m starting from scratch, I lean heavily on pre-made layouts and template inspiration. Divi has a huge library of designs, and even if I don’t use one layout in its entirety, I’ll often mix and match sections that I like.
I might grab a hero section from Layout X because it has a bold, clean headline… then pair it with a testimonial section from Layout Y that feels warm and inviting. It’s like piecing together a puzzle using bits and pieces from different sets. From there, I tweak everything to fit the brand, style, and content needs of the client.
Step 4: Letting the Design Evolve Naturally
Once the first few sections are in place and things start to feel cohesive, the rest tends to flow a lot more easily. The hardest part is getting started—once that blank canvas becomes a rough layout, I’m fully in the zone. I’ll usually keep refining as I go, adjusting spacing, adding visual elements, and making sure the site feels polished but not over-designed.
And of course, I’m always checking how it looks on mobile and tablet devices as I build. No layout is final until it works across all screen sizes.
Final Thoughts
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to starting a new website, but having a flexible process definitely helps. By setting up the technical side first, defining the design direction early, and pulling inspiration from tried-and-true layouts, I’m able to turn that intimidating blank canvas into something I’m excited to build on.
It might not be the most glamorous part of web design, but that early stage—the part where you start to see the site taking shape—is still one of my favorites.
