I am a web designer who creates clean, minimal, image focused, bespoke WordPress websites for artists, writers and arts organisations.
Click here to see a few more examples of websites I have created.
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions:
HOW DO WE GET STARTED?
The easiest way to get started is for us to organise a video chat to discuss your aims and ambitions for the website and to agree on some key dates.
If you do not have a website yet, you will need to get a Host and Domain name for the site. I can advise on this if you like.
Once this is in place, I will install a database at your host and WordPress on your website.
WordPress is free, incredibly popular and also easy to learn how to update, so you will be able to manage your future website updates independently, after a little *training from me of course! More about WordPress.
I will then install a Theme and design and build your bespoke website based on your own desires for the look, feel and functionality.
*After the launch of your shiny new website, I will make you some training videos and ‘How To’ help sheets, so that you can manage future updates yourself.
Ta daaaa!
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
The development of your new website will be a collaboration, and therefore we will agree on a timeline for the site with key dates that suit us both. You will need to decide what it is you want the website to do, provide me with the content (words and pictures) and give me some ideas about what style you like and dislike by showing me a few examples of other sites. For some people this can take a bit of time, as the creation of a new website offers up the opportunity to examine your business in detail and decide how best to present yourself and your work to the world.
We will agree on a start date and a launch date during our first chat.
Once I know what it is you would like the site to achieve, I can crack on with the design and build. Even though I am extremely particular (I mean really, really picky about the teeniest of details and often spend far longer on my websites than I have budgeted for!) I will aim to complete the site within eight weeks.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
As I’m sure you can imagine, prices are on a sliding scale dependent on what you want the site to do.
My prices begin at 1 750 € (approximately £1,480 / $1,950) for *artists, writers and designers.
My prices begin at 3 500 € (approximately £2,960 / $3,900) for arts organisations and small businesses.
*I choose to give a whopping 50% discount to artists, writers and designers, as I know they are often on a low income and I’d like to support them in organising and promoting their creative practices, and also, quite simply, because these are my favourite types of website to work on!
Payments should be made in two instalments, the first before we start working on the site and the second after launch.
These prices include all that I have mentioned above, from setting up hosting through to providing training videos and help sheets.
These prices do not include the cost of hosting your website as this isn’t something that I do (though I can recommend a good host). This will cost you around 60€ a year ongoing (you can pay most hosts monthly).
These prices do include your theme. Themes can cost about 40€ for a decent one, but I do have an account with one company, so if you’re happy with the theme I recommend then I don’t mind absorbing this into my fee.
Additional add-ons may increase the price. These include things like logo design, mailing list plugin with stylised mailing list template, eCommerce, setting up branded sociables (Facebook, Twitter etc.), event calendar plugin… the list goes on. If your site needs some additional functions we can discuss these and I can let you know the additional cost before I write up an agreement.
WHAT ABOUT SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION (SEO)?
I am a web designer, not an SEO specialist, but here’s my answer…
THIS SOUNDS IDEAL…
WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?
If I sound like the web designer you are looking for, then let’s start by chatting through your aspirations for your website.
Please send me a message using the form on my contact page and we can take it from there.
I look forward to hearing from you!
TESTIMONIALS
Working with Julia on creating my website has been an absolute joy and a hugely positive collaborative experience. From day one Julia imposed a clear working schedule meaning there was never any confusion as to what she would do and what was needed from me. Her model of working on the project one day a week was perfect as it enabled me to live with suggestions and developments in between times. It also meant I never had to make quick decisions. This pace allowed for the natural evolution of the design and Julia’s artistic sensibilities have been central in helping me understand how I wanted the site to look and feel. Ignorant of the technical complexities that make websites function, I felt very comfortable asking even the most basic questions.
As well as providing training packages to help me learn to add/remove content, Julia reassuringly offers ongoing support and technical maintenance. And all of the above for an incredibly reasonable cost.
Thank you Julia!
I came to this project all upset and stressed about my website but it's been beyond easy, and I have you to thank for that! It's like I handed you a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle of a black puddle and you waved your magic wand and voila - a gorgeous website! I'm over the moon with it.
Julia just 'got it' as soon as I gave her a stylesheet 'mood board' for my site. She knew instinctively what I wanted that the end result feels like I designed it! She lives in another country and it felt like she was next door. She has been a joy to collaborate with on this. The site is brilliant and does what I wanted it to. Thank you Julia!
I worked with Julia to develop my existing website from a clunky, amateur site into a professional, credible online presence. I chose Julia to help because she offers an unusual mix of technical web skills along with an understanding of the artist’s perspective. I was also impressed by other great websites she’d developed. The process was seamless and organised, with work planned over a series of weeks such that I never felt overwhelmed technically or with content delivery. It also meant that there was iterative flexibility, with time to think and evolve the look gradually. With her artist’s eye, Julia was also able to propose positive aesthetic changes which I would have missed! The training packages are a great way to start learning more about my own site management, and it’s also good to have a support package available. I was a little nervous about the investment, but it’s definitely been value for money and I am getting super feedback. Thanks again Julia!
Throughout, Julia was marvellous to deal with and everything went very smoothly. I am extremely happy with the final result and have no hesitation at all in recommending Julia to anyone considering a website. Read the full testimonial
Julia was great to work with putting you at ease right from the start. Her valuable knowledge and suggested ideas gave me a better understanding of what could be achieved ... I can’t praise enough but what I found the most brilliant was through listening and intuition Julia captured the feel and look that I had been searching for. I came across Julia’s name on a search for a web designer. What a find that was! Read the full testimonial
Working with Julia on the site was a pleasure. She was always clear about what to expect, the timescale and deadlines for content. Her training videos and instructions are great and I feel confident I can make the content updates I need to the site on an ongoing basis.
I had been thinking of having a new website built for years, my former site was over eight years old and barely represented the work that I was currently making. The thought of trying to pull together all the strands of my disparate practice was preventing me from moving forward. I had heard from other artist friends about Julia and how she had helped them to build their websites through a straightforward, clear and uncomplicated process. An initial zoom call with Julia, immediately put my mind at rest. She came across as a lovely, friendly person with lots of knowledge and experience and after talking to her for half an hour I felt confident that things would work. Choosing what to show, what to say, how to put a diverse practice in to some comprehensive semblance was my biggest overwhelming concern. Julia was amazing from the beginning helping me to categorise my work and gently directing my thoughts and ideas into a coherent and uncluttered space. Working each week with Julia was very good, allowing time in between to assess and think about what she had done and how that worked for me. I was amazed at how quickly things came together and how a collection of disparate images and text started to resemble a consolidated and integrated practice. Although, Julia worked on my site one day a week, she was always around should a problem arise and I felt secure in the knowledge that she was there in the background sorting things out. I would thoroughly recommend Julia to anyone who is thinking of building a new website. As a practising artist herself she has a great understanding of how others artists “tick” what concerns they may have and takes care of things in a professional, aesthetic and sensitive way.
When I first met Julia at her wonderful writing retreat Studio Faire, I knew immediately she would be the right person to solve my dilemma of wanting to combine two different websites – one for my children’s novels, the other for my author profile – into a fresh modern site. By integrating my favourite colours with the font and illustrations from my children’s books she has managed to capture the essence of my personality as well as cleverly highlighting my various writing styles.
Working with Julia was simple and professional from our first conversation to her congratulatory email to say the site had gone live. I would highly recommended Julia’s work to anyone who is looking for help with a new website.
Working with Julia was a total delight. It was like dancing with a really good partner who knows when to lead, when to follow. Julia’s sense of color, typography, composition, balance, and organization, coupled with her understanding of the practical considerations of website design—what works best and most flexibly on the widest array of devices and platforms—make her an ideal designer especially for someone working in an aesthetic or artistic field. Though a designer myself, and though I might have found the wherewithal to design my own website, I know too well the value of having a fresh set of eyes and ideas applied to one’s work. Even had I possessed all of Julia’s technical know-how (I possess none of it), I can safely say that I would never have achieved anything like what she has done for me. At every instance where I had input, she improved upon it; nor was she shy about telling me when something wouldn’t work. Put simply, Julia is more than a skilled web designer; she is something far rarer: she is a gifted artist.
I had been putting off getting my website redesigned, as I feared I wouldn’t be able to explain what I wanted, or would be bamboozled by technical language, but the initial chat with Julia put me at my ease. I was happy to be working with someone who is also herself an artist and I felt immediately that she had a good understanding of what I needed. She explained everything fully and clearly, provided a simple framework and realistic timescale for the project, and gave me regular updates with clear explanations, great suggestions, and helpful guidance.
I am absolutely delighted with the completed website which looks beautiful, clean and professional, and I would certainly recommend Julia to anyone looking for a website designer.
Your experience, expertise and artistic eye was such a help! Even though you are based in Scotland and I in Canada, I was amazed at how convenient and simple it was to work on this project together even though we are time zones apart. Brilliant job – THANK YOU!
Julia did far more than design an interesting and dynamic website. Her design flair and insight helped me rethink how I present my work. The whole process was calm and thoughtful, allowing for ideas to emerge. Julia also gave me lots of good advice about my online profile and I am now well equipped to look after my website (with a little help if I need it). Thank you Julia.
... [Julia] came across as being very clear headed, practical and professional – and good fun too... Julia from a magic far-away place managed to nurture my techno spirit into action…it was at times for me quite challenging... Slowly but surely through email, with clear direction, realistic deadlines and an abundance of patience Julia has designed and delivered a new lovely spanking clean and dandy website... Read the full testimonial
Julia was very good at asking the right questions, listening to what I asked for and making excellent suggestions. She checked things out with me at every stage, responded quickly to my queries and met every deadline. I am very happy with my new website and cannot praise her highly enough.
Working with Julia was a pleasure, and the whole process was smooth and straightforward. Julia listened to me patiently - even when I was being vague or indecisive - and built me a site which reflects my art practice beautifully.
I am so happy with my new website. It’s just what I wanted and more.
I needed to create a new look and feel to my website, one which would reflect my evolving creative practice as an artist and researcher; I wanted a clean, reflective appearance as the images themselves are complex. Julia worked with my ideas and together we have come up with what I think is a great website. I’m delighted. The feedback I’m getting from friends and colleagues echoes this. Very pleased and very grateful. Thanks Julia!