Stuart Bicknell is a Devon-based photographer with a passion for all things nature. He asked White Heat Design to build him a website where he could house his work and offer it for sale in various formats. He had a beautiful collection of images…but nowhere to display them :(
We were happy to take on the project.
Stu came to us with an idea of exactly what he wanted and was happy to just let us get on and build it in our own time and in the way we thought best. And for that, we love you Stu!
For the main portfolio section of the site he wanted to be able to categorise his work so that people could filter through them when browsing, but also be able to click through to read more about each photo in case he ever wanted to go into more detail about where and how it was taken. He also wanted a blog section where he could record his thoughts and was keen on a contact form for people to be able to get in touch with him. The ability to upload the photos himself was, of course, essential.
From a design aspect, Stu wanted the site to be kinda rustic and aux naturelle, but to also be modern enough to keep pace with other well established photography sites. Although different concepts were discussed, Stu was happy to put his faith in us to come up with a design that incorporated everything we’d talked about and had the impact he was looking for. Fortunately, we work best when left to our own devices and Stu seemed pretty happy with the end product.
For this site to work Stu would need a lot of control over the content. Uploading of photos and creation and editing of all website content were key, so naturally we gave him a content managed system through which he could do all of that and more. But we didn’t stop there.
Not everybody is as enamoured with content management systems as us. So not everybody is entirely comfortable with using them. To get Stu started we decided to put together a series of videos explaining how to use his brand spanking new website and its admin area. From the basics of understanding the dashboard, to the ins and outs of editing his beautiful images and tying it all together. This is first for us too. The world of video editing is a complex but enjoyable one. And certainly helpful for those who learn better from seeing things in action than reading documents. I don’t think it’s something we will do by default for all clients from now on, but on request and for a small fee we could probably stretch to it ;)
All in all, this was a particularly enjoyable project to work on. Given the freedom to design the site in our own mind’s eye, and with little pressure from Stu himself, we managed to turn it around actually pretty quickly. Happy client, happy web designers.
"I have been very impressed with the level of service and communication I have had while dealing with Xavier. His professional attitude and attention to detail has contributed to a fantastic final website.
Xavier listened to my requirements and was able to suggest designs which would work well. Feedback has shown that people are impressed by the design of the website, as it is able to draw your attention to the photography. The finished article is testimony to Xavier's hard work and design knowledge. The website has surpassed expectations and the technical support received was invaluable in the creation of this beautiful website. "
