Tools, frameworks, and libraries are a web coder’s best friend. For nearly any existing application in nearly any language, there’s code out there to get the job done. Whether building an ecommerce site in PHP or designing a site layout in CSS, there are ways to make it easier.

It’s great stuff, but sometimes its also stultifying — it ruins your creativity.

That’s why every so often I like to sit down with a blank canvas and work from scratch, building out an idea from the ground up and playing with it until I get something I like. Sometimes it goes nowhere, sometimes I end up with a bit of code I can build on or reuse later. Either way, it’s a great way to get my brain chugging and keep myself flexible and familiar with the fundamentals.

Today I endeavored to do just that with some basic front-end web design. No extras here — just plain HTML and straightforward, non-compiled CSS. Taking a bit of inspiration from existing sites and color schemes, I spent about half an hour putting together a layout I wouldn’t be too ashamed to put my name to — although don’t hold me to that! It’s an experiment, like playing with clay, not meant to be one’s flagship.

If you’re curious to see the code, it’s at https://mberlove.com/proj/ex/supersite (index.html and style.css).