Before

The site currently uses Quarto’s sandstone theme with very light custom styling: a primary-color navbar, default Bootstrap/Quarto page structure, and a small global heading text shadow. The result is legible and conventionally academic, but it does not strongly express the “Semantic Werks” identity or Neil’s mix of software engineering research, public writing, and personal voice.

The homepage is content-rich but visually flat: the portrait, territory acknowledgement, academic role, links, climate image, and Mastodon feed appear mostly as default document flow. The navigation labels are clear for institutional readers, but the overall presentation could do more to signal an idiosyncratic independent scholar while remaining credible to university, grant, industry, and corporate visitors.

The desired direction is early-80s punk print design: high-contrast, photocopied/zine-like, assertive type, slightly raw edges, and handbill/poster energy. The site should borrow that attitude without becoming visually chaotic or unserious.

After

Refresh the site presentation with a restrained early-80s punk influence:

  • Build a custom visual identity in styles.scss: stark black/cream contrast, one disciplined accent color, assertive condensed headings, rougher editorial details, improved spacing, better link treatment, and a navbar that feels like a serious broadsheet/poster rather than default Bootstrap.
  • Give the homepage a more intentional first impression in index.qmd: preserve the substantive content, but arrange Neil’s role, research/writing links, portrait, and key actions with the hierarchy of a sharp printed handbill.
  • Add idiosyncratic details tied to the site’s existing “Semantic Werks” character: zine-like rule treatments, compact labels, deliberate asymmetry, and visual accents that suggest punk print culture without copying a specific copyrighted image.
  • Keep the tone acceptable for conservative academic and corporate audiences: no gimmicky animations, no illegible distressed fonts, no loud color overload, no marketing hero copy, and no changes that obscure publications, teaching, or contact paths.
  • Render the site with Quarto and review the generated result for layout regressions on the homepage and common content pages.