Michael Baugh: Expressing a composer’s personality through story-led design

The story of how I helped composer Michael Baugh express his personality through a distinctive website.

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The challenge

Michael Baugh is a British composer and multi-instrumentalist whose work spans film, television, and concert music. He wanted a website that reflected the quality of his work and the personality behind it.

As we talked, our conversations moved beyond music. Michael spoke about the relationships that helped build his career, his love of science fiction books, and his admiration for Isaac Asimov. My challenge was to design a website that introduced the person behind Michael’s music while giving visitors an engaging way to explore his work.

My approach

The most memorable creative portfolios begin with a personality. Michael’s enthusiasm for classic science fiction opened the door to a visual language that immediately felt distinctive. I explored the bold typography, dramatic colours, and graphic illustrations found on vintage science fiction book covers. This inspiration gave the project a direction that felt unmistakably Michael.

The solution

Michael’s website combines bespoke illustrations, ambient animations, and carefully considered interactions which together create a portfolio with a personality all of its own.

Inspired by classic science fiction, I drew a series of illustrations based on amplifier parts, guitar components, and other musical equipment. Together they formed a playful visual identity that celebrates Michael’s interests while remaining completely original.

Small details reinforce Michael’s personality. Colours gradually change during the day, becoming lighter in the morning and darker in the evening. The website feels alive without distracting from the content.

Behind the scenes, I developed an HTML and CSS prototype before integrating it with Eleventy, the content management system which makes it easy for Michael to update his portfolio every time he releases new music.

Behind the design

Projects like this begin with conversations, and the more I learned about Michael’s interests, the clearer his creative direction became. I studied vintage science fiction book covers, explored typography from that era, and created illustrations which together form Michael’s visual identity. Layout played an equally important role. Rather than relying on a conventional twelve-column grid, I developed a compound grid which adds a more interesting rhythm to his pages.

The result

Michael’s finished website feels every bit as individual as the composer behind it. Visitors can explore Michael’s work through a visual identity which was inspired by his interests. Original illustrations and thoughtful interactions combine to create an experience that’s unique to Michael.

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I searched long and hard for a web designer to create something unique, that stands out, and is more than a website. Andy delivered precisely that. If you’re looking for attention to detail, collaboration, quality, seamless execution, and maximum creativity, look no further.

What this project demonstrates

The strongest portfolio websites introduce the person as naturally as they present their work. By channelling Michael’s interests, I created a website that that could only belong to Michael.