Developing a concept
After an initial kickoff meeting with the client by video ( we were just getting into the lockdown) I got to work taking the brand guidelines and information from the meeting to develop a visual style for the site.
With a killer set of colours and the really interesting shapes the concept came together quite quickly. Some people will probably think it old fashioned but I really love working in a dot grid pad with some highlighters to develop initial ideas. It is so quick to iterate and there is no danger of the client viewing them as final mock ups. They are precious and disposable at the same time!
After sharing these concepts with Hannah, she was happy for me to develop the design, often I would go straight to the browser at this point but in this instance I built up a visual set of blocks and styles in Sketch to guide the creation of a tool to build up the content in the admin of the website.
Building a site that can scale
It is important to me to try and give the client as much flexibility as possible, ideally without resorting to Wordpress plugin page builders as they can get clunk and unwieldy and restrict the design.
I built up a series of blocks using ACF Fields so that each page of the site could be created by the client. This allows rows to be swapped and new pages created that keep the visual consistency but are not restrictive.
I also implemented a colour switch within the admin so that the client can pick the main colour for a page, this will then flow down through the design meaning the bullet points, headings and other elements take on the correct brand colour.
Making changes to this as we built out the site was really easy and would affect any page using that given part of the admin layout.
What the client said
“Sush was a delight to work with. I knew he believed in the project and was enjoying the process and that honestly made a difference. His attention to detail and commitment to see the project through to the very end was just what I needed. He was patient with me and definitely gave over and above my expectations. Thank you so much for making this fun and not just something to get done! I love the outcome - and so does everyone else! “ - Hannah Miller - Sidekick”
Exit the lockdown and prepare for launch!
Lockdown has been hard on everyone, this has been like a liferaft to cling to at times and we were flexible with each other in terms of hitting milestones as there was quite a lot going on in the world to deal with!
As things eased a little in terms of restrictions we looked forward to a launch. We had a date in mind, so as soon as we were in a good place with the development of the site we entered a phase of bug fixing and Quality Assurance to make sure everything was checked and ready to go.
This was one of those projects that just went to plan, and absolute joy to work with Hannah and Sarah and our approach, attitude and values just clicked. I am really happy with the final website and think it ties in perfectly with the new look brand and identity. It goes without saying, if you are looking for coaching either personal or, for your business get in touch with Hannah!
