What's the difference between design and development?

Design decides how the website looks and how it's used — structure, visuals, layout, fonts, colours. Development turns that into a working website. I do both, so nothing gets lost in between.

Can I order just the design?

Yes, if you have someone to build it. But in most cases there's no point splitting them — a design made without thinking about how it will be built leads to compromises when it is.

Do you redesign just the look?

Yes, when the structure of the site is fine and the problem is only how it looks. But if the content is confusing, a new look won't fix anything — it'll just make the confusion prettier.

How many design options do I get?

I work with one direction that we agree on first, and we refine it together. Three ready-made options look generous, but they usually mean nobody understood the brief and the choice comes down to taste.

Will it look good on a phone?

The mobile version isn't a shrunk-down desktop — it's thought through separately and often first, because that's where most visitors come from. It's checked on real devices before launch.

I have a logo and brand colours. Will you stick to them?

Yes. If you have brand guidelines, we work within them. If you only have a logo, I build a palette and typography around it so everything looks like one whole.

Web design

Design has a job to do, not just a look. The job is for visitors to understand straight away what you offer and to reach, without effort, the action that brings you a client.

A beautiful website and a working website aren't the same

Some websites look great in a screenshot and don't bring in a single enquiry. Usually it's not a lack of taste but a lack of purpose — the design was made to impress the owner, not to guide the visitor.

Someone arriving for the first time has three questions and about ten seconds of patience. What do you offer? Is it for me? What do I do now? If the design doesn't answer all three quickly, nothing else matters.

So here design is measured by results, not by whether someone likes it. The number of enquiries before and after a redesign is a more useful measure than any compliment.

Structure comes before visuals

The first step isn't choosing colours, it's organising the content. What's the most important sentence on the page? What should someone read before you ask them to get in touch? Where is the proof that you've done this work before?

When that skeleton is right, the visuals are the relatively easy part. When it isn't, beautiful fonts just make the confusion more refined. That's why I start with the structure even on projects where the client ordered “just a new look”.

Design that loads fast

Design and speed are often treated as opposing sides — supposedly the prettier it is, the heavier it has to be. That's not true. What weighs a page down is unoptimised photos, five different fonts and animation libraries added for a single effect.

Because design and development go through the same person, visual decisions are made knowing exactly what they'll cost in loading time. There's no effect that looks good in the mock-up and then wrecks the speed of the finished website.

What's included

Page structure

What visitors see, in what order and where they end up. This is decided before a single box is drawn.

Typography

Font, sizes and spacing chosen for reading, not for effect. Long text at the wrong size doesn't get read, however good it is.

Colour system

A main colour, an accent and neutral tones with enough contrast. The accent colour is saved for one thing — the action.

Mobile version

Thought through separately, often first. Buttons have to be hit with a thumb, not a mouse.

Accessibility

Readable contrast, visible focus for keyboard navigation, meaningful alt text. People with poor eyesight are clients too.

Consistency

The same button looks the same everywhere. A small thing at first sight, but it's exactly what separates a professional website from a patched-together one.

Accessibility isn't an extra

Light grey text on a white background looks elegant on a designer's monitor. On a phone, in the sun, for someone who's fifty-five, it simply can't be read — and that's exactly the client with money.

So contrast is measured, not judged by eye. Focus is visible when navigating with a keyboard. Images have meaningful alt text. Animations stop if the person's device is set to reduce them.

This doesn't make the project more expensive or uglier. It just means the website works for more people — including Google, which reads a page in much the same way a screen reader does.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between design and development?: Design decides how the website looks and how it's used — structure, visuals, layout, fonts, colours. Development turns that into a working website. I do both, so nothing gets lost in between.
Can I order just the design?: Yes, if you have someone to build it. But in most cases there's no point splitting them — a design made without thinking about how it will be built leads to compromises when it is.
Do you redesign just the look?: Yes, when the structure of the site is fine and the problem is only how it looks. But if the content is confusing, a new look won't fix anything — it'll just make the confusion prettier.
How many design options do I get?: I work with one direction that we agree on first, and we refine it together. Three ready-made options look generous, but they usually mean nobody understood the brief and the choice comes down to taste.
Will it look good on a phone?: The mobile version isn't a shrunk-down desktop — it's thought through separately and often first, because that's where most visitors come from. It's checked on real devices before launch.
I have a logo and brand colours. Will you stick to them?: Yes. If you have brand guidelines, we work within them. If you only have a logo, I build a palette and typography around it so everything looks like one whole.

Show me your current website

I'll tell you what I think is putting visitors off — specifically, not in general terms. Even if we don't work together, you'll know where to start.

Free consultation