Well… what a crazy time the past year has been. Across the various lockdowns we’ve experienced over the last 12 months or so, times have been tough but thankfully, in my case at least, pretty busy. It seems that the enforced downtime prompted a lot of businesses to review their websites and online presence in general.
During hard times, it’s often important to focus on the positives… so that’s why I decided to write this blog article. A lot of my work is for other design agencies, building bespoke WordPress sites from their supplied Photoshop visuals. Whilst this is great and work that I really enjoy, it sometimes gives me little to shout about on my own website, as it’s not work that I’m often allowed to mention.
However, I’ve worked on lots of projects recently for my own clients – several redesigns for old clients, as well as quite a few new websites for new clients. So, I thought I’d “blow one’s own trumpet” and celebrate some of the past year’s achievements.
Nene Valley Paving
Nene Valley Paving have been a client of mine for a long time. I designed the previous version of their website before responsive web design was even a thing. So yeah, it was that long ago, and in need of an update. Added to that, it was using the now-discontinued e-commerce platform of Jigoshop, so we took the opportunity to upgrade to the fabulous WooCommerce plugin.
The project involved a complete redesign and rebuild from the ground up, so it was a sizeable undertaking. Aside from updating to WooCommerce and making the website mobile responsive, my main goal was to make it easier for their customers to find the product that they wanted. The search functionality was improved and a multi-level dropdown menu was added to the main navigation, allowing customers to browse directly to the category of products they were interested in.
Finding Freedom Therapy
Bonnie got in touch about wanting a new logo and website for her work as a counselling and trauma therapist. The design needed to be calming and welcoming, yet eye-catching and professional.
I’m very pleased with the overall design solution and so was the client, which I’m grateful to say led to a follow-on project…
WS Building Services
Following the website I built for Finding Freedom Therapy, Bonnie’s husband Will hired me to create a website redesign for his building business. This too involved designing a new logo, as well as the website design. I felt that it needed to be quite strong and striking, so large bold fonts were chosen alongside a white-and-gold on navy colour scheme.
The website enables Will to advertise his building services, and also to showcase examples of his previous building projects.
Lewis T. Redpath
Trans-Euro are another of my clients with whom I have worked with regularly over the years. Following on from designing websites for their main businesses, Trans-Euro and Proactive Technical Training, the owner Steve asked me to create a simple website for his son, Lewis. The intention was for this to be a surprise Christmas present, so I needed to work to a tight deadline to get the site finished and live on Christmas Eve.
The design takes inspiration from some business cards and flyers I designed for Lewis a few years back, making the website simple yet striking with the use of bold red and black colours. The website is fully mobile responsive and provides Lewis with an online presence for his bricklaying business.
FCCFM
I was approached by First Choice Cabling and Facilities Maintenance to redesign their website. To set them aside from their competitors, I went for a fixed left-hand navigation sidebar, making it easy for their customers to navigate their various services.
In addition to the core website build, FCCFM also wanted a customer portal area – a password-protected area for their clients to login and submit support requests.
Hasina Morocco Tours
Sadiyya has been another valued client of mine for a long time. Having previously designed and built the website for her London-based bellydancing business – Hasina Bellydance – Sadiyya contacted me about creating another website for her.
The new venture would focus on providing bespoke and unique tours of Morocco. The branding and overall look-and-feel needed to be similar to the original site, making it clear at first glance that this was part of the same brand.
The project was delayed due to the significant impact that the pandemic had on the travel and tourism industry, but we got there in the end and we are both very pleased with the result.
Web Hosting and Ongoing Support
All of the above websites are also being looked after on a monthly basis, as part of my annual hosting and support service. It is important to me that both the website and the client are properly supported in the future, after the new website has been launched.
Every month, each website is fully backed up and any pending WordPress updates are processed. This is important in ensuring the security and stability of any WordPress site. In addition, an allocation of time is set aside each month for any “bits and pieces”, so that all those little tasks are taken care of.
Get in touch
If you need help with your own website, please drop me a message and I’d be happy to help.