An About page is the perfect place to learn the ins and outs of a brand. It tells you their mission, values, journey, and what others think about them.
But condensing all of this into a few paragraphs is a tall order.
You need a solid structure and a creative layout for your About Us page to leave a lasting impression on visitors — and keep them coming back for more.
I reviewed dozens of About Us and About Me pages to handpick 26 awesome examples for your inspiration. You’ll also find ready-to-use About page templates to get started in minutes.
But first, I’ll share my best tips for writing and designing a stellar About page.
We’ll cover:
Featured Resource: Our 29 Favorite About Us Pages
Download the guide to review what we love about these amazing about us page examples, plus a few tips about how to make one of your own.
What makes a good About page?
A good About page shares your unique story and gives people a glimpse into what it’d be like working with you (as an individual or company).
It should be equally fun and meaningful to resonate with the intended audience. You can document your journey of starting a business with visuals to make the page more appealing.
There’s no one-fits-all structure for About pages because they’re personal to you and your company. However, I’ve curated seven best practices after reviewing some of the best About pages.
Let’s break down the step-by-step process to design a stellar About page.
How to Write a Winning About Page: A Plug-and-Play Guide
I looked at dozens of About pages to understand exactly what goes into creating a beautiful yet functional page introducing you/your company.
I’ve condensed all my learnings from this exercise into a 7-step guide for building an excellent About page.
1. Establish your mission statement.
Your About page can and will be more comprehensive than a single mission statement.
However, to draw people in, you need to succinctly state your goals up top.
What is your business here to do? Why should your website visitors care? This information gives readers something to remember about your company long after they leave your website.
I found that the best About pages quickly tell you the individual/company’s big-picture goals. Here’s a great example from Cosmix — the About page gives you a six-word summary of their biggest goal and shares their three core values.
2. Create a narrative around your story.
Every business has a story to tell.
Even if you’re running a startup with a brief history, you’ll want to share why you started this company in the first place and how you’re planning to reach your goals.
Talk about how you reached where you are today and what you plan to accomplish next.
Miro’s About page shares a short snippet about the company’s origin story. It perfectly explains the problems that nudged their founder, Andrey Khusid, to build the tool and how it’s achieving this purpose.
💡 Pro tip: Isolate the milestones before your company’s founding and use them to give readers some backstory on your current venture.
3. Outline how you’ve evolved.
There’s no shame in admitting how your business strategy — or even your way of thinking — has evolved since you began. In fact, talking about your pivots makes your story more layered and intriguing.
An About page is the perfect place to talk about where you started, how you’ve grown, and the ideals that have helped your organization mature.
Use these moments to show people that you’re always ready to change and adapt to the needs of your industry.
Buffer’s About page shares a complete timeline of events in the company’s history — from 2010, when it was first created as a group project, to its present-day milestones.
4. Emphasize your “aha!” moment.
Every good company was founded on an idea — something the current marketplace might not yet offer. And that’s what makes your story truly unique.
Think about the idea that made all of this happen and use this “aha!” moment as a focus point when telling your company story.
What was a challenge you faced while developing your company? How did this challenge or discovery shape what you are today?
The best way to create an aha! moment is to make it personal — share the exact story of what you struggled with. Here’s an awesome example by Chutnefy where the founders wrote a personalized letter to share where it all began.
5. Talk about your audience.
Your About page shouldn’t talk only about you.
You want to share your story while also telling your audience what’s in it for them. Turn the spotlight on your audience by explaining what you’re trying to achieve to make their lives easier and better.
Think of it as a way to show prospects that you know them and that you can help them. Trainn’s About page highlights what’s in it for users, emphasizing its unique differentiator.
6. Share your brand values.
Potential employees are a secondary audience of your company’s About page.
And your About page gives them a glimpse of what it’s like working at your company. It should explain why anyone should join your team.
That’s why you can highlight your core brand values and illustrate how you work as a team. Done right, this allows you to hire job candidates who align with everything your company represents.
Your values speak a lot about your business and set clear expectations for those who want to work with you. Canva does a great job at sharing its core values with a short explanation of what each value means for your team.
7. Add social proof.
Create credibility in your About page by adding customer logos, employee testimonials, media coverage, and more. Consider giving a shoutout to your most successful clients and linking to a case study.
This social proof gives people a better perspective on your brand and creates a positive impression. Here’s how Webflow cites a few media snippets on its About page to gain people’s trust and give them more insights about the brand.
7 Tips for Designing a Beautiful + Functional About Page
A brilliant About page design goes beyond just incorporating your company color schemes. The visuals, fonts, and colors you use can make a huge difference for end-users.
Here are seven tips for designing an About page that makes people tick!
1. Choose a good color palette.
Humans have a natural response to different colors, and the colors you choose can impact your conversion rates. That’s why you need to design your About page with color psychology in mind.
For instance, blue connotes security, strength, wisdom, and trust. Both BlueCross BlueShield’s logo and web page make use of the color to reinforce that their patients are in knowledgeable hands.
2. Humanize your brand with visuals.
Your About page’s visuals can humanize your brand and resonate better with your audience. What’s even more important is to use visuals of real people, not stock photos. For instance, HubSpot’s About page has an image of our founders.
And let’s not forget the cute dog beside our CTO! This photo makes our brand warm to users and helps us show the faces behind the HubSpot brand.
Go a step further by using videos to tell your company’s story. People seek connection, and there’s no better way to connect than to appear on camera.
Here’s an example of a video from HubSpot’s About Us page:
3. Choose some awesome staff photos.
Most About Us pages include photos of staff — whether that be the C-suite, the founders, or all members of your team. If possible, opt for professional headshots on a neutral background.
Ideally, your team’s photos will have a similar color scheme to your company’s colors. Make sure both headshot backgrounds and your team’s outfits do not clash with the colors already on your site.
Literal Humans’ About page shares a great example of how you can show your team on the page — it includes each employee’s image, title, location, and a short blurb about them.
4. Use readable fonts.
Finding quality fonts is crucial when designing an About Us page. If you want to use more than one font, tools like fontpair will provide you with excellent font combinations.
Additionally, you want to make sure your font is accessible to individuals with disabilities. This ensures all your visitors have a rich experience when going through your About page.
Image Source
5. Avoid long paragraphs and sentences.
Long sentences and paragraphs make your content difficult for readers to consume. As a general rule, your paragraphs shouldn’t exceed 3-4 lines, and each sentence should be under 20 words.
Bonus: Shorter blocks of text make your page easily scannable across different screen sizes!
6. Make the page responsive.
Not everyone will visit your page on their desktop browsers. Many will visit from their tablets and smartphones. Responsive design makes sure your page looks great on all devices.
There are several paid tools to check your page responsiveness. But if you prefer free tools, this responsive design checker is an excellent option for testing the appearance of your About Us page on 26 screen sizes.
7. Improve page load time.
No matter the size of your business, you’ll want your About page to load fast. If your page takes too long to load, visitors will click away.
You can check your page speed using Google’s PageSpeed Insights. If you find your About page takes too long to load, consider reducing the size of your images.
About Us Page Templates and Examples
About Us Templates
You can easily create an About Us template for your company website. No matter your business, your About page should include:
- A mission statement. This describes the purpose of your business as it relates to the industry or market you serve.
- A vision statement. Outline the future of your business in this section.
- Your values. Core values help the reader connect with you and your business on a personal level.
- A target market summary. Your site visitors want to know that they’re in the right place and that your company can help them.
- A brief company history. Besides piquing your visitors’ interest, a brief company history can help the press describe your business accurately.
After you write a draft, you can use one of HubSpot’s done-for-you website templates to create your page layout. You can install and customize these templates in minutes.
Done-for-you About Us Page Templates
While the copy is an important element of your About page, you’ll also want to showcase your brand story and identity to the world. I’ve curated these About page templates to help you create a compelling user experience.
1. Touraza Template (WordPress)
If you want something with a little flavor, the Touraza template is a tasteful choice. With the “meet the team” section near the top, geometric designs, and striking typography, you’ll be able to showcase the humans behind your brand.
2. Logan Template (Shopify)
This template makes use of large images in a modern layout to break up the ample white space. The result: a clean and enjoyable reading experience.
The top of the page puts the brand story (or other introductory text) first, supported by a large image that speaks for itself. The pops of color can be customized to your brand style, drawing emphasis to your CTA.
3. Munchies Template (WordPress)
This theme is great for small businesses with a brief company history. You can start by explaining your mission concisely, then jump right into important links.
4. Mobirise Template (WordPress)
This visually compelling page allows you to disperse information evenly. The excellent use of white space means there’ll be no giant wall of text to impede readability for your web page visitors.
You can briefly describe your history at the top of the page. The three icons allow you to lay out your most important values. Plus, the page features a carousel, so you can include headshots and titles for your teammates.
Best About Us Page Examples
1. Yellow Leaf Hammocks
Good stories humanize your brand, providing context and meaning for your offering. What’s more, good stories are sticky — which means people are more likely to connect with them and pass them on.
Yellow Leaf Hammocks tells users about its product by describing how the hammocks empower artisan weavers and their families. The company breaks down different pieces of the story into sections that combine words and easily digestible graphics.
What I love: Yellow Leaf put their storytelling skills to work on their About page. They use descriptive and emotive copy and gorgeous graphics. I find that an About page with a story works harder for their business than a generic one.
2. Eight Hour Day
Some people think About Us pages have to sound formal to gain credibility and trust. Well, that’s not entirely correct because most people find it easier to trust not-so-formal human beings. So keep your About page friendly and real.
Take inspiration from Eight Hour Day. They humanize their brand by showcasing the people behind the company.
What I love: Introducing the founders with inviting photos on this About Us page drives home the point that Nathan and Katie are “two individuals with a passion for creativity — creativity makes us happy.”
3. Apptopia
People want to know what your business does and how it can help them. After all, if people can’t figure out what you do, how will they know they need your product or service?
So, skip the industry lingo — that’s what Apptopia does on its About Us page. Their simple but polished language effectively communicates the company’s offering while still allowing the average person to understand it.
What I love: Apptopia uses short and punchy sentences to explain complex products and ideas in a way that isn’t patronizing. I appreciate how the copy on this About Us page leads with empathy.
4. Moz
Instead of following the classic About Us script, try something different. Take Moz, for example. A lot has happened since they founded the company in 2004. This page shares the company’s milestones using a fun and clean design.
Moz’s About Us page incorporates clear headers, concise blurbs, and little graphics to break up the text.
What I love: When looking at this page, I noted the humble references to how Moz received funding, how it switched its brand positioning — and, most importantly, how it switched back to its original model.
This speaks volumes about the importance of honesty and humility for your customers.
5. Yokel Local
On its About page, Yokel Local spotlights its clients, its story and mission, and the team behind the brand.
This last element is vital because Yokel Local knows that its vibe wins over prospective clients. After all, when you hire an agency, you’re hiring its people. And people have personalities.
What I love: Because “Yokel Local” is a bit of a kooky name that gives people pause, the company pokes fun at it by providing the definition.
This leads to photos of the team at work (and at play), the agency’s story, its mission and values, and the people who make the magic happen.
I love how this page ties the banding of the page together.
6. Nike
Nike began on the campus of the University of Oregon at the hand of the college’s track coach, Bill Bowerman.
Even though he no longer works at the company, one of his beloved quotes still stands at the bottom of Nike’s About Us page:
“If you have a body, you are an athlete.” This bold sentence, referenced by the asterisked “athlete” in the words right above it, sheds important light on Nike’s audience.
The brand may be big today, but Nike is all about the rising stars whom the company depends on, according to the rest of its About Us page, to “expand human potential.”
What I love: Nike clearly knows its audience and makes its mission obvious to them as soon as they land on the About Us page. There’s no question that the visitor is in the right place and understands exactly what Nike has set out to do.
I also love that the page shows off the design of their shoes.
7. Bulldog Skincare
The best About Us pages use a good mix of colors, have personality, and stay true to a company’s unique brand voice. Let’s look at Bulldog, a skincare brand for men.
The About page is pithy and leads with a cute bulldog — fitting the name and the brand. It also states the purpose of the products — to help customers from waking up with the (admittedly adorable) wrinkly face you see when you visit Bulldog’s website.
What I love: Bulldog isn’t afraid to have fun with its brand. I find that this humor makes this About Us page anything but typical. It primes visitors for a story in a way that makes them immediately feel connected to Bulldog’s mission and vision.
8. Doomtree
Made up of talented artists with thriving solo careers, Doomtree brings these musicians together to work on creative projects as a crew.
The group “started as a mess of friends in Minneapolis, fooling around after school, trying to make music without reading the manual.”
As soon as you arrive on Doomtree’s About page, you’re greeted with big, bold photos of those friends.
As you scroll down, you get more interaction with the crew’s events and music tracks. That makes sense because it gives visitors an instant sample of Doomtree’s product.
Pro tip: Find ways to use multimedia elements. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video will be worth many times more. Consider combining your unique story with audio and visuals like Doomtree.
9. Below the Fold
Below the Fold is a company committed to “sharing news stories you aren’t hearing anywhere else.”
With that in mind, the big headline on the About page introduces the company’s purpose. Further down, you’ll find four core values, how the business generates revenue, and more details about the team behind the scenes.
What I love: This page gets straight to the point about what Below the Fold is, who it serves, and why it exists. The simple design lacks color, embellishments, and sensational imagery.
These choices make it easier for me to focus on what the company has to say — a direct nod to the mission statement.
10. Ceros
Ceros’ About Us page is interactive and engaging. As you scroll, you see a timeline of the company’s achievements since 2006.
Next, there’s the awesome design of awards the company has received. This positions Ceros as the choice brand for potential job seekers.
What I love: Ceros keeps the text on the page short and sweet, with powerful statements like “our mission is to inspire & unlock creativity.” I’m immediately drawn in without distractions.
11. Sweet Loren’s
From start to finish, Sweet Loren’s About Us page is playful, engaging, and colorful. The page starts with a 60-second video and even incorporates cookie dough-scooping gifs.
As you scroll, you’ll move through some of Sweet Loren’s impressive values, including inclusivity and refusing to compromise.
What I love: Sweet Loren’s yummy products are last on the page, ensuring you’re fully primed to purchase only after learning about Sweet Loren’s mission.
Every photo also features the product, which showcase their offerings and make me hungry.
12. TalEx
TalEx began when two women left a major recruiting firm to build their own. TalEx has since seen unprecedented growth at 4,900% in the first three years. The company’s About page captures this history and more.
What I love: The company’s emphasis on social responsibility takes up nearly half the page, making this core value clear. The statement explains TalEx’s commitment to donate 5% of its annual net profit to philanthropic organizations.
When I visit the site, I know immediately that giving back is important to the team at TalEx.
13. LoveBug Probiotics
LoveBug Probiotics’ page effectively includes all the information you’d need on the company to make an informed purchasing decision.
That includes how the founder came up with the idea, her personal ties to the vision, and the science behind her probiotic.
While the products are science-backed, the About Us page doesn’t confuse visitors with difficult-to-understand facts. Instead, the page is straightforward and helpful.
What I love: This About Us page features an image of the founder’s four young children wearing “Chief Fun Officer,” “Chief Giggle Office,” “Chief Silly Officer,” and “Chief Humor Officer” T-shirts.
There aren’t many pages with cuter introductions than that.
14. Brown and Coconut
Sometimes, simpler is better — as is the case with Brown and Coconut. This About Us page features a few paragraphs of text outlining the brand’s story and vision.
Brown and Coconut’s About page uses no-fuss language to describe the business.
What I love: Rather than ending with a CTA directing visitors to its products, the co-founders choose to include a CTA for visitors to follow the business on its social channels, thus promoting a more effective, long-term lead generation strategy that starts with brand awareness.
15. Kuno Creative
Kuno Creative’s About page effectively focuses on what makes the company different: its people.
While the first paragraph describes the origin of the digital marketing agency, black-and-white headshots of all its employees take most of the page up, along with descriptions of each member.
What I love: If you’re unsure what you want to include on your About Us page, consider noting how Kuno Creative focuses on its people, rather than its product. I find that this approach offers a great way to humanize your brand.
About Me Page Templates and Examples
About Me Template
About me pages vary, but most great pages include a few standard elements. Make sure you include the following information on your page.
- Your purpose: This describes your purpose for doing the work you do. What gets you out of bed each morning? Try using the Ikigai map for guidance here.
- Vision statement: Who are you, and where are you headed? Believe it or not, people are looking to you for leadership. Show them how you’re leading your life and what inspires you to move forward.
- Your core values: Personal core values help the reader connect with you and find common ground.
- Personal statement: Whether you share your hobbies, family life, or fun facts, a brief personal summary helps the reader relate to you on a personal level.
Next, you’ll see these elements in action in the examples below.
Done-for-you About Me Page Templates
1. Coax Template (WordPress)
The Coax template allows the typography and copy to take center stage.
This text-centric approach highlights your personal accomplishments and sells your services. Consider laying out content like a resume with big subheads on the left and descriptive text on the right.
Plus, this template is powered by Elementor, a page builder that makes customization easy.
2. One-page Portfolio Template
Instead of a wall of text, this About Me page is neatly divided into separate sections. The text at the top of the page allows you to describe your mission and background.
The icons in the next section call attention to three specific services you provide. Further down the page, you can explain those services in greater detail. You can also include photos to show what you can do.
3. Beckham Template
Your About Me page should provide a highlight of your accomplishments, as well as an overview of your service. This template can help you put your best foot forward.
The Beckham template includes a suggested place to link your resume, as well as sections to show off previously completed projects.
Near the bottom of the page, you can show off important numbers. That includes how many clients you have, how many projects you’ve completed, and how much coffee you drank.
4. Calvin Template
For personal websites, consider placing your contact information front and center. Your visitors shouldn’t have to search to see how they can reach out.
The Calvin template makes integrating your contact information and personal story seamless. This template leads with email and phone numbers, and you can outline your services before including links to your work.
Best About Me Page Examples
1. Joe Payton
The style and tone of your About page should match the services you provide. Let’s look at Joe Payton’s website as an example.
Not only do Joe’s illustrative self-portraits give him a personal brand that customers will remember, but they also show his expertise as a designer and animator. His website visitors can learn what he does in an easily digestible way.
What I love: Joe freely expresses his values as a creative professional on a well-organized page. He tells a story that guides the reader through each section, without having them scroll endlessly to the bottom of the page.
I also love the art throughout.
2. Aja Frost
All right, we might be biased in highlighting this professional, as Aja is our very own director of English growth at HubSpot. Nonetheless, the ingenuity she brings to the company isn’t lost on her website’s About Me page.
Being a data-driven professional, Aja knows her clients are looking for more than her writing skills.
They want to see how her content has performed. With that in mind, her About Me page tells a story of her career growth, which peaks — no pun intended — at an impressive line graph showing the result of an SEO strategy she implemented for the HubSpot Blog.
What I love: Aja understands the value of being personable even in a digital space like an About Me page. She closes out her About page with a personal note on what she does in her spare time — a great way to humanize yourself in the eyes of your potential customers.
3. Madison Butler
Madison Butler is an HR change-maker “committed to deconstructing the status quo and rebuilding corporate America, one organization at a time.” She does this through her DEI work and her advocacy.
Her About page, which doubles as the site’s homepage, calls this out at the very top in one bold statement: “I am here to ensure organizations know how to make space for everyone.”
What I love: Madison’s About page is effective because it stays true to her mission while being simple, effective, and to the point. The second sentence, “You belong here,” underscores the inclusivity of Butler’s mission and work.
I like how this page showcases Butler’s personality.
4. Sara Dietschy
This professional YouTube content creator has an eclectic collection of videos related to technology and culture and expresses that diversity all over her About Me page.
Besides the vibrant self-portrait at the top of the page, Sara’s first sentence tells you just how many people subscribe to her channel: 835,000.
This is an important number to know for her potential video advertisers and collaborators who want to know how much exposure they’d get by working with her or advertising on her channel.
What I love: The color text on her page highlights key information. This helps the reader navigate the page and understand what’s important for them to know.
5. ShaDrena
ShaDrena is a graphic artist whose mission is to “visually build creative rebellious brands beyond a logo.”
In three sections — about, bio, and random facts — the audience gets the full ShaDrena experience, which is more than just design. It’s also about voice and personality.
As a self-described “creative hustler,” “rule-breaker,” and “designer of dope brands,” the language ShaDrena uses on her site comes across as edgy and authentic.
What I love: ShaDrena’s About page is counterintuitive to what someone might expect from a graphic artist. ShaDrena presented most of the content in black, white, and gray, which puts all the focus on the composition of her design.
6. Marc Ensign
On his About page, Marc Ensign takes his work seriously without taking himself too seriously.
Marketers know there’s value in keeping a casual tone in the content they create, but to attract customers, you need to prove you have discipline and integrity. This often proves to be a tough balance to get right.
What I love: Marc Ensign nails the balance between friendly and formal with a confident opening statement. This draws me in and establishes Marc as a relatable partner to work with.
7. Miracle Inameti-Archibong
With an excellent design that emphasizes her copy, Miracle Inameti-Archibong’s site is a master class on how to do a one-page website well.
Miracle presents the content with large, clear images, bold colors, dynamic angles and blocks, and simple typography.
What I love: Miracle’s About Me section spans over a decade, but it’s laid out in just four sentences. I can easily understand her career span without being overwhelmed with excess information.
8. Haley Shapley
Haley is a freelance writer and editor who uses a single-page format for her website to showcase her personality, writing samples, and professional services.
The site also features a very cool animated video effect in the background, creating a sense of space and movement.
What I love: Haley leads with an important number: She can write over 100 articles a year. Starting with an impressive data point helps show her level of experience.
I also love how being strong and “shapely” are a central part of her brand.
9. Amy Blaschka
Amy Blaschka’s portfolio features plenty of white space, balanced out with a bright blue header that really pops and orange buttons for conversion actions (i.e., “Let’s talk”).
Her use of video to explain what she does also helps her stand out in a crowded space.
What I love: To showcase her creativity and individuality, Amy has a list of bullet points of things she loves and things she doesn’t love.
She also provides website visitors with three (yes, three!) different versions of her bio: a short one (under 75 words), one that’s longer (under 150 words), and her full bio, which takes up an entire page.
By doing this, she’s showing her talent for crafting messaging and educating prospective customers about who she is. Very sneaky, Amy!
10. Cathy Derus
Cathy Derus’ site features bold images and crisp text.
The site also highlights Cathy’s appearances in major media outlets and publications, like Entrepreneur and Cosmopolitan.
What I love: Cathy’s about section features a full-page image of Cathy on her laptop, with a brief text introduction directly to the right of her.
Instead of breaking up the image with text, Cathy overlays the text on the actual image, so website visitors get the feeling they are actually in her office with her.
I find that this is a great way to build credibility.
11. Matt Gray
Matt is a serial entrepreneur who now manages a portfolio of “soulful businesses.”
His website promotes the paid courses he’s developed for entrepreneurs and the one-on-one coaching he provides to those looking for a more personalized touch.
Matt’s site provides plenty of content to help visitors understand who he is and what he does. The focus of the site is very simple: to get visitors to convert by signing up for his email newsletter.
What I love: Below the bio section, Matt breaks down his offerings in a simple 1-2-3 format, providing something for everybody.
Lower on the page, I can find a mailing list sign-up form with a commitment of what subscribers will receive by signing up.
12. Iryna Fedchenko
Iryna, a digital entrepreneur and lifestyle influencer, uses her About page to share her story and successful collaborations with notable brands.
With a simple white background, her stunning images take mainstage. She offers samples of her work on the same page, along with brand logos for social proof and numbers demonstrating her reach.
What I love: This is a great example of an About page for a personal brand because the brand itself is about her.
She shows off her accomplishments while inviting website visitors to explore her work, follow her on social, or reach out to work with her.
Frequently Asked Questions on About Pages
1. How do I write an About Us page?
Here’s a plug-and-play guide to creating an About Us page:
- Establish your mission statement.
- Create a narrative around your story.
- Outline how your brand has evolved.
- Emphasize your “aha!” moment.
- Talk about your audience.
- Share your brand values.
- Add social proof.
2. What is the point of an About Us page?
An About Us page gives your audience a closer look at your brand. It shares your brand’s mission, values, and story to tell people what you’re building and why.
This page gives prospects a complete picture of your business and encourages potential employees to join the team. It’s also a good place for investors to learn more about your brand.
3. How do I write an About Me page example?
When writing an About Me page, remember to let your personality shine through and share your skills, experiences, interests, and more.
You can also add visuals to make the page more intriguing for your audience and show them both your business + fun side!
Tell the World All About You
Now that you’ve seen examples, it’s time to build your own About page. With a good story to tell, creative copy, humility, and digestible visuals, you’re on your way to an eye-catching user experience.
You’ll be standing out from a sea of About Us and About Me pages in no time. So, tell us, what makes you different? We’re eager to learn more about you.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.