WordPress Web Designer
Freelance WordPress designer creating bespoke themes and easy to use WordPress websites
Hi, I’m Sofi.
A freelance WordPress web designer based in Exeter. I can help you create a website that works for your business, brings in leads and is easy for you to manage.
Most of my sites are built on WordPress which is a Content Management System (CMS) giving you the freedom to update your own website content and imagery, plus add extra pages or amend the navigation etc. I specialise in WordPress and most people find it very easy to use, hence why it’s the most widely used and extensively developed CMS available. All my websites are also responsive and adjust automatically to different screen widths, and displays (i.e mobile and tablet).
The design of a site both aesthetically and from a user experience point of view is particularly important which is why I develop custom themes uniquely designed to fit your brief and budget that use interchangeable page templates which makes it quick and easy to create new pages and reduces the chance of error when changing images or text. In some cases it might be slightly more expensive than buying a pre-made theme off the shelf and customising it but it reduces the time spent making the theme look like your brand plus reduces time in the future upgrading the theme and any dependencies which could cause issues or become discontinued and ensures you get exactly what you’re hoping for from design through to development.
Functionality wise it really is up to you what you feel you need or want so we’d plan this into the quote should you wish to provide me with some more information on this.
This being said, if you’d really rather just use a pre-made theme I do offer this service and can install, customise and populate this for you.
How a project might run…
Research + Planning
Firstly we work together to establish the main goal(s) of the site and a list of areas that would be required in order to achieve this. This will inform what pages we might need and give us a more solid idea of the structure and content we might need.
Now we have an overarching strategy or plan for your website we outline what pages we’ll have and how navigation will work – this stage will be presented for review, iteration and approval through sitemaps and wireframe visuals. We may also run through a discovery phase of mood boards to uncover what styles and inspiration should be followed when developing the website look and feel.
It’s then up to you (the client or your team) to collate any content such as copy and imagery required for each of the pages outlined in the research and planning process, I’ll send you a list of things I need to make it as easy as possible.
WordPress Design
Once the new website structure and direction is agreed on, we’ll progress into high-fidelity design that shows exactly how each page or area of the website will look.
Initially I like to create a set of design options for review. Based on your feedback we iterate until we have a concrete final design before rolling out that design style to other areas of the site or devices.
Once all areas and templates are designed, we review and make any final changes in this stage before signing off and beginning development.
WordPress Development
When our design has been agreed and signed off, we’ll then develop the website on WordPress CMS in line with the agreed designs. The development stage is where we build your working website. At this point you can sit back and relax while we get on with the work!
When the initial build is complete I will provide you with a preview link to test and review the site on a staging server. It’s at this point that any additional content can be added should you need or want to.
Costing
I work on a time and effort basis. So the more pages / areas / complex features included in a site, the longer it takes and therefore, the more it costs. In order to ascertain how much time and effort might be required can you please provide me with a brief if you have one, otherwise we can have a chat to run through your ideas and current situation to give me a better idea of what you’re hoping to achieve.
Working with me
I run projects from start to finish from briefing, through design and development, to putting the site live. Working closely with you I can help generate initial ideas and site goals which allow us to outline the structure, pages and functionality you might need to create a website that works right from the word go. An added bonus is that I can deliver design and build the site so there’s no nasty surprises when the developer hands you the website and it doesn’t look quite like the lovely designs you got sent initially.
WordPress Experience
With over ten years experience in the field including six years senior level Agency experience in Brighton I have had the pleasure of producing work for clients all over the world including CERN, the NHS, Rizla, Santander, Lexus and Amazon. In previous positions as Creative Director I have run a variety of design projects start to finish and can ensure that your website creation process runs smoothly. So, if you’re looking for a new website, would like a quote or just have some questions – say hello or scroll down to look at some recent work.
Got questions or looking for a quick project estimate? Send me a rough brief
What is WordPress
WordPress is one of the most popular Content Management Systems as it’s so easy to use and there’s pretty much no upfront cost to use the system, you only have to pay to host the site.
Using a CMS like WordPress allows you to change the content and imagery on your website with ease. My focus is to build sites that are super easy to edit, just select a template and populate the content and image fields. I find your average user that uses something like Elementor or WPBakery (your classic drag and drop visual builders) tend to break layouts and pages and it’s not easy to keep a consistent template style. I will build sites with these editors if it’s a requirement and it works for you, but I have found building custom templates and using custom fields makes it much easier for my clients to run and update their site without worrying about breaking anything.
WordPress themes
WordPress uses ‘themes’ to give you the look and feel or functionality you want for your website. You can either purchase an off-the-shelf theme, or work with a developer and create a custom theme (like me). Off-the-shelf themes are a quick way to get started but sometimes it can mean spending a lot of time setting everything up, reading the instructions and some rather fiddly tinkering to get your site looking how you want.
I’m here to take the stress out of WordPress and design modern, beautiful websites that are easy to use and update, with everything you need and nothing you don’t. My websites are responsive across tablet and mobile devices, lightweight, fast-loading and secure, they also include SEO modules to get you found on Google (other search engines are available…). I can offer advice on best practice for usability and conversions, plus provide technical support or take care of content and image updates.
