New Website Alert!

They say don’t work with your friends, but this new website is proof that sometimes “they” are beyond wrong. Isabel and I have been friends since we were partnered up in preschool. She was my first real friend, our moms became close friends and we’ve never been able to get rid of each other since! We now live on opposite coasts of the US, but always seem to be going through some of the same life themes at the same time. You know that gravitational pull you have with some people? That’s me and Isabel. When I’m having a bad day, I’ll randomly get a “thinking of you” text even though we haven’t spoken for weeks. And business is no different. As I was beginning my web design business, she was in need of some help to relaunch and rebrand her acting website to meet industry standards. So what choice did we have but lean into the kismet?

We talked about this new journey for a couple of months before we actually were able to take steps into fruition. She worked on her end collecting all of her media and copy as I officially launched my web design business and built my own portfolio and certifications. Finally, we both were ready to work together so I went to work! When I asked what she needed, she said “Bright, classic, clean.” I love what we accomplished together and I’m so excited to showcase her hard work in a way that works for her industry.

I quickly learned that while the acting industry has specific website standards, how those come out onto the page needs to reflect the performer themselves. An acting website does need to be searchable, but is mostly used as a centralized portfolio for her work that can be shared with casting agents and directors so they can learn more about the actor online, beyond the audition process. Because Isabel has performed a wide variety of roles, there were a million different directions to choose from, and we finally landed on a clean aesthetic that will be able to stand the test of time and future roles. Her professional pictures range in theme and style, as well, which was so fun to highlight on the Media page!

This project also came with a solid SEO component, as Isabel shares her name with another actress and large content creator who has consistently outranked her on Google when using the keywords she wanted to target. We adapted our strategy to offer more of a rebrand (adding her middle name) that would a) help with SEO rankings and b) show consistency across every platform. Consistency is always something I strive for with clients, but it’s sometimes easier said than done. I was so thrilled we were able to make some small changes and end up with big results here!

When Isabel and I chose a color palette, we worked from her Pinterest page and I got one all together, just for it to not work out for the style we were looking for. I kept one pop of color and scrapped the rest to keep it clean cut. I’m so glad I kept the dark burgundy because it goes so well with her clean (but never boring) vibe. I also really loved the lettering on the home page and her last name (Brown) looked very memorable in a brown-adjacent shade.

A small problem arose when we realized she had paid for an old Squarespace site and I’d created a brand new one. Squarespace offers a refund if you request one within 30 days…we realized our mistake on the 31st day. Luckily, since everything was already created and in a place we felt comfortable with, it only took about a day and a half to setup and transfer everything over! We did push the launch date back 3 days to accommodate this slight hiccup, but since we’re both planners, we had built in some buffer time before our hard deadline.

I’m so proud of you, Isabel. I love seeing your progress and sharing our wins - big and small!

Scroll through the gallery of what Isabel’s finished website looks like!