Resources
Find a curated list of my favorite tools and resources to grow personally, be more productive and rocket-launch any new web-project like a thriving Online Portfolio.
Thrive Online
1. Siteground – Webhosting
Any new Website starts with Siteground! That is true, at least for me. The start of a website should be built upon a solid foundation which allows growth and flexibility and in my experience, Siteground is the perfect fit. Before I created archiitect.io, I took the time to compare many hosting companies referring to price point and performance. More specifically digging deep into the key performance indicators of uptime, speed, reputation, service, and security.
Finally, I decided to create archiitect.io with Siteground and my experience is amazing: Totally reliable and fast with a remarkable price point. Certainly, Siteground comes with a super easy WordPress auto-installation for a quick start.
Learn how to set up a WordPress Website in no time with our Step by Step Guide on how to create your Online Portfolio.
2. Themeforest – WordPress Themes (Website Templates)
Themeforest is the leading Marketplace for WordPress Themes! If you are in search of a new design for your website or portfolio – Themeforest will bring you always to the cutting-edge. On their platform, they provide more than 10.000 WordPress Themes for every kind of website and they are adding up more items every single day.
The specialty: Themeforest operates as a marketplace which means that professional web-developers are offering their designs on the platform. The marketplace character ensures that you have an enormous variety from the best designers out there while being bang up to date with the latest trends in web design.
Themeforest is always my first starting point when I am on the lookout to find a new design for a WordPress Website. However, the search for your perfect theme can quickly become like finding the needle in a haystack. For that reason, we provide your shortcut and put together some careful selections of the best WordPress Themes for Architects.
3. Namecheap – Domain Registration
If you need a domain to create a website or any new web project, Namecheap is the place to go. It is my favorite place to find and buy new domain names. Their intuitive and super easy approach to domain registration got me hooked right away. Namecheap’s service makes it very easy and enjoyable to find the perfect domain name and then, register it in a few simple steps. The whole process is completely relaxed and stress-free. Personally, I love it when a great service is wrapped up in a smooth design with a pleasant user experience. Registering a new domain is always an exciting feeling since it is the definite start of a journey and Namecheap is the place to kick-off.
Personal Growth
4. Audible – Audiobooks
Audible is the perfect tool for everybody who wants to read but doesn’t find time to actually sit down with a book. Audible offers the largest supply of audiobooks, covering nearly everything that can be found as a hardcover book on Amazon. During the last two years, I already listened to more than 30 books on my commute to work and while walking in the park. Feel free to check my booklist for some first ideas on what to read. If you want to learn and grow on the go, Audible is the tool you will never want to miss out on anymore. It allows you to integrate personal growth seamlessly into the daily routine.
Just recently I published an article about the power of reading and how stimulating your mind with new ideas will unleash a powerful boost for your architecture career.
5. Udemy – Online Courses
Advanced training and improving skills are key in a world where change becomes more dynamic than ever. Simply learning a craft and then sitting with it for years isn’t appropriate anymore. The web and e-learning open up an inexhaustible source of knowledge which is accessible for everybody. Udemy offers the world’s largest selection of courses with new additions published every month. Improve your Photoshop skills, learn 3D-Modeling or simply level up your soft skills for presenting and communicating your ideas. I used Udemy a couple of times, for example, to grow my skillset in Digital Marketing and love the opportunity to get better at everything.
6. Blinkist – Big Ideas in small Packages
Blinkist takes reading and growing on the go to a whole new level by compressing a book into “15-minute discoveries”. In that way, they manage to make complex knowledge accessible to everybody within a few minutes. You want to learn more about one thing but you have no time to go through a whole book?
“Almost none of us have the time to read everything we’d like to read. Yet we lose countless hours to activities that bring us little joy such as commuting, chores and staring at our phones. What if we could turn these little blocks of unallocated time into precious and rewarding moments for learning and reflection? Founded in 2012 by four friends, Blinkist now connects 6-million readers worldwide to the biggest ideas from bestselling nonfiction via 15-minute audio and text.” (Blinkist)
Productivity
7. iA Writer – The Focused Writing App
Whenever I need to focus on deep thinking and writing I open iA Writer to get my thoughts in the right order. The essentials are a monospace font, a gray background, and a blue cursor, that’s it. Being a person who loves the consistent reduction to what is really necessary, I appreciate the elimination of noise and disruptions to a soothing plain surface. For every piece of content I create, I use iA Writer.
8. todoist – To-Do List App & Task Manager
Every Project consists of a system of smaller and often times heavily fragmented single tasks. Whether you are creating architecture or whether you plan to graduate or even simple things as the organization of the weekly grocery shopping. Keeping everything in mind costs a lot of energy and causes stress. Todoist provides the opportunity to keep all your tasks in one place, accessible on all devices. It is possible to share To-Do Lists with employees, colleagues, and friends. I use it to structure all my tasks at archiitect.io, distribute tasks to employees at work and organize my errands.
9. Graphicriver – Graphics, Presentations, Print Templates
Graphicriver is an amazing source for all kinds of hand-reviewed graphic assets from a large community of designers. What makes it so interesting for Architects and Creatives is their large supply of amazingly crafted Indesign Brochure Templates and Powerpoint Presentation. You will find ready-to-print Portfolios, all kinds of Brochures and professional Powerpoint Presentation Templates that will boost your next Project Pitch.
10. Moleskine – Notebooks
The whole concept for archiitect.io and so much more started in my Moleskine and became reality through the resources mentioned above. As an Architect, I really love Notebooks to write down all kinds of ideas and thoughts that come to my mind during the day and sometimes even at night. Despite having all the digital products around me, I love taking notes with a pencil. A notebook gives me the perfect freedom to sketch around, get all the messy thoughts out of my head and collect ideas in one place.
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