davidroessli
commented
4 days ago Okay, so today we're doing something a little different.
We're gonna take a deep dive into the online world of a guy named David Roessli.
Yeah, I don't think many people would know that name right off the top of their heads.
Definitely not a household name or anything.
But when you look at his work, it's clear that he's had a hand in shaping a lot of what we see and experience online these days.
It's true, and what really struck me right away was just how long he's been in the game.
We're talking about someone who started designing websites back in 1996.
1996?
Whoa, that's like ancient history in internet years.
I know, right?
Yeah.
That's practically the dark ages of the web.
Like, think about what websites looked like back then.
It's mind-blowing how far things have come.
Totally.
And for him to not only witness that entire evolution, but to actually be a part of it, to help shape it, that's pretty remarkable.
Yeah, and what's even more interesting is that he didn't just sort of rest on his laurels.
You know, he didn't just keep churning out those old-school, blinky-text websites.
He seems to have really adapted and evolved his approach over the years.
Exactly.
Yeah.
Like, when you look at his bio, he talks a lot about ethical design, web standards, accessibility, all these things that are so crucial today, but weren't necessarily top of mind back in the Wild West days of the internet.
And it's not just talk, either.
The guy's got a seriously impressive client list.
We're talking organizations like ISO, museums, even the Bank for International Settlements.
Hold on.
Did you say the Bank for International Settlements?
What's the BIS?
Okay.
I mean, I know they're a big deal, but I'm drawing a blank on what they actually do.
They basically oversee a lot of the global financial system, kind of like a central bank for central banks.
Oh, wow.
Okay.
So, like, high-stakes stuff.
Exactly.
And the fact that they trust David to handle their web presence says a lot about his expertise.
Yeah.
It's not just about making things look pretty anymore, right?
Especially for organizations like that.
It's about security, functionality, reaching a global audience, all while navigating some seriously complex regulations.
Absolutely.
And that's probably where his emphasis on things like web standards and accessibility comes into play.
He's thinking about how to make the web work for everyone, regardless of their location, abilities, or technical know-how.
Makes you wonder what his day-to-day work life is like.
He's got this tagline on LinkedIn that stuck with me, "Coding at the speed of life."
What do you think that even means?
Hmm, that's an intriguing one.
I think it speaks to his adaptability.
The web is constantly changing.
New technologies pop up all the time.
Trends come and go.
Like trying to drink from a fire hose, right?
Well, totally.
So, maybe coding at the speed of life is his way of saying that he's not afraid to embrace that chaos.
He's riding the wave, always learning, always evolving.
So, it's about being agile, being a quick study, not getting bogged down by the old ways of doing things?
Yeah, I think so.
And it's probably safe to assume he's not doing all this alone.
I mean, these kinds of projects, they require teams, collaborations.
Oh, for sure.
You don't build websites for the BIS by yourself in your basement, or do you?
Well, he does have this thing called the Open Device Lab, which is actually pretty cool.
He basically opens up his personal collection of devices, phones, tablets, all sorts of things, and lets other designers use them to test their work.
Honestly, that's incredibly generous.
Isn't that stuff expensive?
Oh, yeah, it can be.
But it really speaks to a spirit of sharing knowledge, which as we dig deeper, you start to see as a bit of a recurring theme with David.
I like that.
It's like he's giving back to the design community, democratizing access to resources, making sure everyone has a chance to create great work.
Exactly.
It's not just about building websites.
It's about building a better web for everyone.
So, you know, we've been focusing a lot on the professional side of David's life.
But his personal website hints at a pretty interesting guy behind the scenes, too.
Oh, for sure.
Right off the bat, he describes himself as father, partner, web designer, not necessarily in that order.
I like that.
It kind of tells you right away what his priorities are.
Yeah, definitely.
It's refreshing, actually.
Makes you realize he's not just some coding robot, right?
He's a real person with a life outside of work.
Totally.
And when you dig a little deeper, you see that it's not just a clever tagline.
There are travel blogs, tons of pictures from sailing trips.
He even shouts out the show The Bear.
The Bear?
Okay, that's kind of awesome.
I'm picturing him, like, frantically coding with one hand and flipping omelets with the other.
Right.
But no, it's cool.
It paints a picture of someone who's got this whole other side to them, these passions and interests that have nothing to do with the digital world.
And here's where we bump into a bit of a contradiction, actually.
A contradiction?
Hmm, I'm intrigued.
Tell me more.
Well, think about it.
Everything we've seen so far points to this guy who's all about clean design, functionality, keeping things simple.
Yeah, that seems to be his MO.
But then you look at how he describes his personal blog, a mix of irrelevant, undocumented, emotional, and infrequent posts.
I kind of love that.
Yeah.
It's like he's embracing the beautiful messiness of life outside of the digital world.
Exactly.
It's like those perfectly organized lines of code give way to something a little more dot organic, a little less curated.
And maybe that's where we see the real David.
Yeah.
You know, not the polished professional persona, but the guy who's not afraid to be a little vulnerable, a little less buttoned up.
It's like a behind the scenes look at the man behind the curtain.
And it got me thinking, this whole thing about sharing, about revealing what's often hidden, it actually ties back to his background in anthropology.
Wait, what?
You're telling me there's a connection between his love of messy blog posts and dot anthropology.
Explain this to me.
Okay, think about what anthropology is all about understanding human behavior, cultural nuances, the things that make us tick, right?
It's about observation, analysis, digging deeper into the messy complexities of the human experience.
Okay, okay, I'm starting to see it.
So maybe his anthropology background is what fuels his drive to uncover and share those hidden layers, both in his personal life and in how he approaches web design.
Exactly.
It's not just about building websites.
It's about understanding the people who use them, their needs, motivations, and how those things might not always fit neatly into a perfectly designed box.
And that brings us back to this whole idea of ethical design.
Yeah, you're right.
We've danced around it long enough.
What does ethical design even really mean in this context?
Is it just a trendy buzzword or is there something more substantial behind it?
It's one of those things where everyone's talking about it, but if you ask them to actually define ethical design, things get kind of fuzzy.
Right.
It's become a bit of a buzzword, hasn't it?
Easy to slap on a website, but harder to actually live up to.
Exactly.
So how do we move past the vague platitudes and figure out what it really means, especially in the context of David's work?
Well, I don't think there's any one size fits all answer, right?
It's going to look different for every designer and every project.
In David's case, if you look at his actions, it seems to be about more than just checking boxes.
Yeah, like it's not just about following some predetermined ethical checklist, right?
It feels more ingrained than that.
Totally.
It feels like a core philosophy that permeates his whole approach, like take his focus on web standards and accessibility, for example.
Right, which we see over and over again.
He could just do the bare minimum to meet those standards, avoid getting penalized by search engines or whatever, but he's clearly going above and beyond.
Yeah, and it's not just about avoiding penalties, is it?
It's about genuinely wanting to make the web a more inclusive place, a place where everyone can access information and resources, regardless of their abilities or disabilities.
Exactly.
And when you think about his clients, organizations like ISO that are all about setting global standards or the BIS, which deals with incredibly sensitive financial information.
High-stakes stuff, for sure.
It suggests that he's aligning himself with organizations that, at least on paper, share that commitment to accessibility and ethical behavior.
So it's about using his powers for good, not just for profit, which I love.
Yeah.
But it also makes you think ethical design must encompass way more than just accessibility and client choice, right?
Right.
Especially in this day and age.
Oh, absolutely.
I mean, think about all the ethical mind fields in the digital world right now.
Data privacy, the environmental impact of technology, the spread of misinformation.
The list goes on and on.
Exactly.
And unfortunately, we don't have a ton of information about where David stands on those specific issues, like what measures does he take to protect user data?
How does he approach the environmental costs of web development?
I was like, we've unerished all these fascinating clues about his design philosophy, but there are still some pretty big question marks, too.
That's true.
And it makes you wonder, how does he navigate those gray areas, especially when working with large institutions that might not always prioritize ethics over profit?
Right.
Those must be some interesting conversations.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall for those.
But for now, I guess we're left with more questions than answers.
That's true.
But maybe that's okay.
I mean, we've still learned a ton about David Russelli, his career, his passions, his unique approach to design.
Yeah.
We've already scratched the surface, but we've unearthed some pretty thought-provoking stuff along the way.
We have.
So to our listeners, we'll leave you with this.
What resonated with you most about David's story?
And how can we all, in our own ways, strive for a more ethical digital world?
Until next time, keep those questions coming.
URL
https://davidroessli.com/assets/audio/about-david-roessli.mp3