A New Website for The Little Design Studio Pet Portraits
I qualified as a Graphic Designer way back in 2003. Painting and illustration was a huge part of the course and extra money was earns throughout college years by painting pet portraits.
Until recently digital work took priority, in 2006 I decided to be the captain of my own ship and set up The Little Design Studio, offering graphic and website design services to businesses large and small and in the UK and beyond. When Covid hit, it allowed me time, to reassess where I was at. As creative and innovative as I wanted to be for my clients more and more they wanted something that they had seen someone else with and I had started to find this quote soul destroying.
So as the world ground to a halt and my business slowed down, I was able to spend time doing the things I loved again. I spent endless hours with my daughter Lil, her ponies and our dogs and then started to draw them.
These pictures also became gifts for friends and family as I was getting into the swing of things again, word of mouth started to mean that I had a few commissions coming in and things just took off.
So here I am, designing another website for The Little Design Studio but this time for Pet Portraits. Again an important lesson… when designing for others you forget the time it takes to gather your information, to pitch your tone just right, to take on jobs that you don’t normally do if you don’t have a copywriter or a social media expert and these thing take time so here is a quick guide for anyone thinking of starting up a new business and designing a brand and web presence.
PLANNING YOUR WEBSITE
BUDGET
Set a realistic budget and work wit your designer to make sure you have an allowance for amendments
The number of pages you need will affect the cost
What sort of functionality will the website need? Will you need membership levels, do you need to sell on-line?
Do you want to update the website yourself? Will you need a Content Management System?
THE DESIGN – WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Strong headers and clear branding
High quality imagery
Clear and concise layout of information
Excellent, easy to follow navigation
Use of visually appealing design elements
TEST YOUR SITE BEFORE LAUNCH
Your site should be hosted on a test server so that you can view each page, check each element to ensure that the website works correctly, is responsive and works on all browsers (not just Google). Test your contact forms and ensure that all links work.
HOSTING
Will you host the website yourself or outsource to your developer?
I have found that Heart Internet have been a great company to host with and super helpful if any problems arise.
LAUNCH
Away you go… if you are updating the website and are using WordPress Content Management System, you can’t go far wrong!
If you are looking for a new website… contact Sarah o 07834 468131