Today we launched the new NYIT.edu site. After nearly two years of work — beginning when I was pretty much hired — it’s finally done. From the hiring process of a design firm, to the countless meetings discussing design and functionality, to the editorial staff combing through the thousands of existing pages and cutting the fat, to our writers creating new copy, to our freelancers producing new videos and photography, to the coding by our IT department, and to the implementation of all the new stuff and the subsequent beta testing by my web team and me, I’m very proud of our new product. Moreover, I’m very thankful to our team who collaborated together and created such a fine, brand new site worthy of awards (hell, I want to finally win a legitimate award for design).
I’m so happy that the hard work that my team and I put into the site — sacrificing our vacation days, weekends, and working extra hours — finally paid off. As for me, personally, I’m happy that the art direction — from beginning to the very end — and the image creation I’ve contributed has received positive feedback and is well-appreciated from both my co-workers and university colleagues. Throughout this entire process, I felt like a boss. Like I was important. Like my voice was heard and respected. I’m sure there are haters out there who will nitpick the site or even friends who’ll try to undermine this accomplishment, but I feel invincible for all the work I’ve done. I’m overcome by this alarming pride that something I put my heart into transformed from a mere concept to actual reality. It feels good. Watching and helping the new site evolve is a lot like watching your kid go off to college: the time and effort you put forward into something that started so small has matured into something greater.