10 Years, 10 Lessons: What I’ve Learned as a Web Developer at New Perspective Design
By Juan Preuyt, Lead Developer at New Perspective Design
New Perspective Design is a full-service digital marketing agency based in South Africa. We started out mainly with logo and graphic design — that’s where we cut our teeth — and then moved into website development. From there we evolved into marketing and eventually into AI-driven systems.
New Perspective Design has been around for over ten years now, and I thought it would be good to share some of my journey — what I’ve learned, what’s changed, and some of the things that have really stood out to me over this decade of developing websites and working with clients from all walks of life.
So here are the top 10 things I’ve learned as a web designer and developer at New Perspective Design.
1. Communication is Key
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that communication between the client and the agency is everything.
I’ve seen a lot of digital marketing agencies draw very strict lines — “the marketing experts handle marketing,” “the developers handle the websites.” But if you look at how things have evolved, especially with Google’s algorithm updates and the introduction of E-E-A-T — Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — you realize that Google actually rewards real expertise.
At New Perspective Design, we’ve always believed that while we’re experts in development, UX, web design, and SEO, the content itself — the message, the insight, the subject matter — needs to come from the client. They’re the experts in their field.
We might understand how to build a site for a plumber, but we don’t know plumbing. So we guide the structure and user experience, and the client guides the knowledge. The collaboration between those two perspectives produces far better websites, stronger marketing, and ultimately better results than if we just said, “Leave it all to us, we’re the website experts.”
2. Websites and Marketing Are Never One-Size-Fits-All
In both design and marketing, people love rules — “always use video,” “never use too many animations,” “avoid parallax scrolling.” But the truth is, it depends entirely on who you’re building for.
At New Perspective Design, we’ve built websites for industries as different as law firms, engineering companies, medical clinics, and consumer brands — and each has a different expectation and audience.
A lawyer or a technician might prefer a minimalist, data-heavy design. But a youth-oriented brand, like a soft drink or fashion label, needs something brighter, bolder, more dynamic. The same goes for marketing: what works for one brand could completely fail for another.
There’s no black and white in this field. The real skill lies in reading data, observing audience behavior, and constantly testing. We plan, we test, we adjust, and we reassess. Nobody starts with a perfect formula that’s guaranteed to work from day one — and that’s what separates a real digital agency from a cookie-cutter service.
3. Don’t Trust Everything You Read on the Internet
This one’s important. People tend to treat the internet like it’s a textbook — as if every blog post is gospel truth. But anyone can post anything online — and a lot of it is either outdated, incomplete, or flat-out wrong.
Over the years at New Perspective Design, I’ve had clients who’ve read things like “websites should only cost X amount,” or “this plugin will triple your traffic,” or “SEO is dead.” Those kinds of statements usually come from affiliate marketers trying to push a product, not real professionals working with real data.
That misinformation creates unrealistic expectations about pricing, functionality, and results. That’s why it’s so important to work with a team that’s actually in the field — learning through experience, not just repeating what’s trending on social media.
4. Everything Always Changes
This industry never stops moving. When I first started building websites over ten years ago, we were coding in pure HTML, CSS, and sometimes PHP. Back then, even a simple content change meant opening a code file.
Today, most of what we build at New Perspective Design runs on WordPress and CMS systems like it — tools that allow clients to edit and grow their own sites easily. That shift alone changed how we design, structure, and maintain websites.
The same is true for marketing. Think about how much has changed just in the last few years — TikTok emerging as a major video platform, AI tools reshaping content creation, and of course, Google’s evolving algorithms.
We’ve lived through Penguin, which penalized spammy backlinks; Panda, which tackled thin content; BERT, which brought contextual understanding to search; and now the Helpful Content Update, which focuses on authentic, expert-driven content.
At New Perspective Design, staying ahead of these shifts is a full-time job. You can’t just set it and forget it — the landscape changes under your feet every few months.
5. Every Client Teaches You Something
One of the best parts of my job is how much I’ve learned from the people we’ve worked with. Over the years, I’ve collaborated with clients like Magwa Tea, Busy Bee Bookkeeping, ZwavelStream Clinic, Spirit Amenities, and Bakgat Boma — each from a completely different industry.
Working with such diverse businesses has taught me how people think, how they approach marketing, and what challenges are universal. A corporate team thinks very differently from a small guesthouse owner — but both can teach you something valuable.
If you listen carefully enough, clients often hand you the insights you need to build better systems, design better experiences, and market more effectively. It’s not just about giving them what they ask for — it’s about understanding what they mean when they ask.
6. Balance Risk and Planning
In this industry, things move fast. You can plan forever and never launch anything, or you can rush into things without a plan and burn time fixing mistakes. The trick is to find the balance.
At New Perspective Design, we’ve learned that a good balance between experimentation and structure is what drives growth. You can’t afford to play it completely safe, because by the time your plan is “perfect,” the market has already shifted. But you also can’t build recklessly — because rebuilding costs more time and money than getting it right the first time.
We’ve learned to plan just enough to act, test quickly, and adapt fast.
7. Every Market Is Different
This one surprised me early on. When I started building websites, I assumed they’d all work pretty much the same across different cities or countries. But they don’t — not even within South Africa.
In Johannesburg we design alot of Johannesburg bases ecommerce websites, clients are quick to adopt online systems — they use PayFast, they expect live chat, they want clear pricing and reviews upfront. In East London, many clients still prefer EFT payments, and they’re far more interested in who you are — the brand story, the personal touch — before they buy.
And then Cape Town has its own flavour entirely — strong design focus, creative storytelling, and lifestyle-driven branding often take priority over anything else.
Those regional differences changed the way I design. It taught me that understanding local behavior is just as important as mastering code or SEO.
8. Simplicity Beats Complexity
After ten years of designing, I’ve realized that most clients — and even designers — want to overcomplicate things. More effects, more animations, more “wow.” But what actually performs better is clarity.
The best-performing websites at New Perspective Design are usually the simplest: clear structure, intuitive navigation, clean visuals, and focused calls to action. Simplicity isn’t about doing less; it’s about doing what matters most, with purpose.
9. SEO Is Part of Design
Search optimization isn’t something you “add later.” It’s in the structure of your headings, your content hierarchy, your load speed, your image names — everything.
At New Perspective Design, we treat SEO as part of the design process from day one. A website that’s not built for discoverability might look great, but it’s invisible. The design has to serve the function — and the function is being found.
10. Never Stop Learning
If there’s one thing the last ten years have taught me, it’s that the moment you think you’ve mastered this industry, it shifts again.
From new frameworks like React to AI-driven design tools and evolving content strategies, the learning never stops. And honestly — that’s what keeps it exciting.
At New Perspective Design, we don’t just build websites; we evolve with the web. That’s the difference between staying relevant and being left behind.
Closing Reflection
I’d really like to take a moment to thank all the businesses that have worked with us over the years. You’ve been an integral part of my learning and of the growth of New Perspective Design. It’s been incredibly rewarding to watch so many of those businesses succeed — to see them thrive beyond just the projects we built or the campaigns we ran. That kind of success gives what we do a deeper meaning, far beyond earning a salary.
There’s an interesting story behind that. When I first started this company, I came up with a slogan for the website: “Shaping the world, one design at a time.” At the time, it was just something that sounded cool — I didn’t think much of it. But as the years went by, and I began driving around East London seeing businesses we’d worked with — logos we’d designed, websites we’d built, brands we’d helped grow — it hit me: we actually are shaping the world, one design at a time.
That realization has been one of the most meaningful parts of this journey for me — seeing how design, development, and digital strategy can help people build something of their own, improve their livelihoods, and grow their communities. That’s been tremendous for me, both personally and professionally, and it’s why I still love what I do at New Perspective Design.
Written by Juan Preuyt
Lead Developer, New Perspective Design
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