My Year-End Wrapped: Website Edition
This year has been really cool. I’ve designed websites that I’m super-proud of and met clients who have turned into pals. Take a little walk down memory lane with me as I list some of my favorite website projects this year.
New Website: Marguerite Farms
Nicole Haney, owner, head flower farmer, and florist, needed a new e-commerce website to prepare for the 2025 season. In our first conversation, Nicole said she wanted the site to feel like a clean, but lush Parisian apothecary. I said, “Like the ‘Practical Magic’ kitchen?” She agreed and we were off to the races. She offers several products and services, so it was imperative that the site clearly define each, removing the potential for confusion. The new site does it all while letting folks know how to book her for private events and where to find her at summer markets.
New Website: Daniel Van Kirk
Comedian, actor, & writer, Daniel Van Kirk needed a new website that was short, sweet, and got right to the point. It had to be a one-stop-shop where fans could find tickets to upcoming shows, watch his new comedy special, buy merch, and tell him which cities to visit next. The colors used in the site design are a nod to his hometown of Rochelle, Illinois, and the content strategy makes it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for quickly.
Landing Page: Hub City Comedy Week
This summer, Daniel Van Kirk produced & hosted his first-ever Hub City Comedy Week at Lincoln Lodge in Chicago. The new landing page listed the show lineup and ticket links. Plus, hubcitycomedyweek.com forwarded to the page to make it easy for comedians on the show to promote it. While the main goal was to create a page where people could buy tickets, the design goal was to make sure the landing page corresponded to the homepage while standing out on its own.
Events Page: Bloom Women’s Wellness
Bloom spent its first three years in business growing quickly and sustainably, which is hard to do and something to celebrate. I’ve been pretty ecstatic to be along for the ride since the beginning. Even then, one of the goals Bloom’s owner, Madison Sweet had was to create a place that provided support and promoted a sense of belonging in the community. While there have been many important updates to the site this year, one of the pivotal additions has been its page listing peer support and group therapy sessions. This new page helps parents find upcoming events and groups hosted by Bloom counselors as well as partners outside of their office.
New Team Members: Cognizant Counseling
Andrea Vignovich, of Cognizant Counseling, added two counselors and a second office location this year. This meant a little reworking of the “Meet Your Counselors” page was in order. It also meant making it clear that there are now two office locations, of course. The priorities were to make the additions of the new team members seamless (especially necessary when adding team members to a page that previously had only one team member) and include details on how to contact them.
New Website: Pots & Shots
While one of my favorite designs would never be launched (the business closed before it got the chance to go live), I like it so much, I’m including it here. Pots & Shots was a cocktail lounge and plant shop in West Des Moines. Since they offered so many specials and events, keeping site navigation and content clear and concise was the priority. Design-wise, it was all about the cozy kickback feel. This was a good one and I’m bummed it didn’t fully see the light of day, but you can check more details on its “Project Spotlight” by clicking the button below!
Looking Ahead
I don’t love when someone says, “I have some big things coming up” so I’m not going to say that. What I will say is that I’m happy to report that I’ve felt exponentially more excited about this little business each year and the upcoming year is no exception. I’m grateful for the work and ready to keep it going!