Bespoke Websites
Truly unique digital expressions.
A website is a brand’s digital first impression. At Studio Smith-Cordell, we believe your brand deserves more than the ordinary. With an ocean of template-based solutions flooding the digital landscape, our commitment remains unswayed: to craft bespoke websites that genuinely emulate your brand's identity. We ensure that each digital experience we create is as distinct as your brand, tailored to echo its essence and values without the confines of generic templates.
A transparent journey from concept to launch.
Choosing to collaborate with us is choosing a journey — one that is transparent, engaging, and seamless. Below is a glimpse into our design and development process:
Discovery session
We commence with a thorough exploration phase to understand your brand, objectives, and the unique challenges you face. After this exploration, we provide a detailed quote that aligns with your expectations and our mutual vision. This session acts as a compass for the subsequent steps.
Strategy
The strategy phase is pivotal to aligning our objectives. We produce sitemaps, a file that defines the pages and their relationships to each other, acting as a blueprint for what needs to be designed. This phase is also crucial in planning content and determining who will provision it, ensuring we synchronise perfectly.
Wireframe
Wireframes are monochromatic layouts that outline the exact size and placement of page elements, site features, conversion areas, and navigation for your website. They are devoid of brand colours, font choices, logos or any fundamental design elements that detract from focusing on a website’s structure. They allow us to focus on the website’s usability and accessibility without visual distractions.
Prototype
With the structure in place, we breathe life into the wireframe. Using Figma or Adobe XD, we introduce colours, fonts and imagery to create an interactive visual prototype. This phase ensures that our shared vision for your brand is visually tangible and aligned.
Development
Our development tool of choice is Webflow for most use cases. We meticulously craft website interactions that ensure a dynamic and engaging user experience. Speed is of the essence in our digital age; we optimise your site for rapid loading and seamless performance. Additionally, we empower you by integrating a user-friendly Content Management System (CMS). This ensures you have the autonomy to manage, update, and evolve your content as your brand grows without needing technical assistance.
Test and deploy
Rigorous testing ensures your website performs flawlessly across all platforms and devices and ensures the site is delivered error-free. If the website replaces an existing site, server-side redirects are implemented to ensure no broken links. Upon final approval, the website is deployed to your domain.
A collaborative approach.
We believe in a collaborative journey with our clients. We present our work at every stage of our process for your review and approval. We only proceed to the subsequent phase once we receive an explicit sign-off, ensuring you're wholly satisfied with each step. This approach guarantees alignment with your vision and offers opportunities for revisions, refining the outcome until it perfectly echoes your brand's identity and aspirations.
Testimonials
The website Studio Smith-Cordell built for us was so successful that we asked them to do the same again for our other venues and a site for the group.
The communication and initial get-to-know-you were very thorough. All aspects were no-fuss, with a fast turnaround.
Max really listened to our wishes and created a website that was beyond our expectations.
Max took the time to truly understand our diverse business and delivered a user experience which significantly increased our conversion rate.
We're ready — are you?
With us, you don't just receive a generic website; you’re acquiring a digital asset that truly resonates with your brand's identity and values. Experience our methodical approach that places your brand's distinctiveness at the forefront. Ready to leave an indelible mark on the digital landscape?
Frequently asked questions.
Click/tap on a question below to reveal the answer.
How much does a bespoke website cost?
As with any design project, the cost of designing and developing a bespoke website entirely depends on the project scope. Some factors that can impact the price include the website’s size (number of pages and features), the complexity of the design and functionality, the number of integrations with external systems, and the level of custom branding and content creation required. By having a discovery meeting, Studio Smith-Cordell will assess your needs and provide an accurate estimate based on the project’s scope.
Can I edit my website after it’s been built?
Yes. During the development phase, a Content Management System (CMS) is set up, allowing authorised website administrators to edit the content on the page and publish new CMS items, such as blog posts or products.
How long does it take to create a bespoke website?
The time it takes to design and build a bespoke website varies depending on several factors. Of course, the project scope plays a big part, but it will also depend on how quickly feedback and sign-off are completed at the end of each phase and how quickly required brand assets are delivered.
How much input will you need from me (the client)?
Studio Smith-Cordell likes to include its clients’ input throughout the process, with regular check-ins at each phase. For example, during the strategy phase, we will determine who will provide content, and each step requires review and sign-off from the client.
Are you able to create the website’s content?
Yes, Studio Smith-Cordell can provide an initial draft of the website’s copy for the client to approve or edit. In addition, Studio Smith-Cordell can provide imagery or custom photography, such as team or product shots.
Will I get options to choose from?
No. Instead, Studio Smith-Cordell includes your input throughout the process to produce a design that suits your brand and requirements. A site’s structure is decided during the wireframing stage and signed off by the client. Once this is set in stone, the visual elements (colour, typography, imagery) are added, which will follow your brand guidelines. Revisions will be possible at the end of each phase before sign-off. Including your input throughout the design process will produce a finished website that executes your goals and showcases your brand.
Why should I choose a bespoke website rather than an off-the-shelf template?
It is possible to create a good-looking website using an off-the-shelf template; however, making a template reflect a brand’s identity can be problematic. In addition, using a template will likely make your website look identical to many others on the internet, making it harder to stand out from the crowd.
A bespoke website is designed and developed to meet a brand’s specific needs and goals. It allows for complete customisation of the design and functionality and can be optimised for a better user experience, scalability, search engines, and security. A bespoke website can provide a brand with a unique and tailored online presence better aligned with its target audience and business objectives.
Why Webflow?
Rapid Development
Webflow is a visual development tool that allows developers to build at a higher speed than traditional hand-coded solutions while still allowing the full implementation of custom code when necessary. As a result, a reduction in development time reduces the overall cost of a website build.
Fully Bespoke
Webflow doesn’t rely on templates to create a website. Instead, you can completely customise and build any design starting from a blank canvas.
The Webflow Editor
The Webflow Editor is intuitive and allows a website owner to adjust content on-page without affecting the design with ease. There is no complex dashboard to navigate.
Bloat Free Clean Code
Webflow generates clean code without excess bloat from unused functions resulting in faster-loading websites that are more SEO-friendly.
Security You Can Trust
Webflow requires no manual security updates or plugin maintenance which means a much lower risk of a malicious actor taking down your website. Instead, all security patches and maintenance are automatic. In addition, all Webflow websites include an SSL certificate providing end-to-end encryption.
No Updates, No Worries
Webflow doesn’t require regular manual updates and doesn’t require the use of third-party plugins. As a result, there’s no risk of updates breaking third-party code and crashing a website, thus removing potentially expensive maintenance costs when something goes wrong.
World-Class Hosting
Webflow provides lightning-fast, ultra-reliable hosting without the hassle of maintenance. Built using Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Fastly’s networks, Webflow-hosted websites take advantage of enterprise-grade scalability and security. While processing over 10 billion page views a month, Webflow hosting had 99.99% uptime in the last 12 months*.