water & sword

I specialize in websites for artists, writers, creative entrepreneurs/ small business owners, and mission-driven professionals. But don’t worry, if none of these categories apply to you, I still would love to hear from you to see if we’d be a good fit!

Please fill out the website inquiry form at the bottom of this page and I’ll get back to you shortly to schedule an intro call.

Most websites feel like resumes — a stagnant collection of accolades and distinctions lacking personal voice and story. And most designers build websites like they’re building a model airplane.

How many times have you seen that same author or business website, with that familiar top-to-bottom user flow, those overused navigation titles, and a third-person speaking voice that doesn’t seem to belong to any real person?

That’s not what I do.

Inspired by half a decade of interviewing hundreds of people over the course of my journalism career, my web design revolves around a 1.5 hour strategic storytelling session where we mine the depths of of your interests, projects, dreams, beliefs, and aesthetics to distill the core elements of your creative or professional story into a distinct narrative and visual direction that allows your voice, personality, and sensibility to shine through.

Over the course of working together, your website becomes an extension of your internal world, first through colors, fonts and images, but later through the style of the writing, the structure of the website (how people move through the flow of information on a website), and of course the unique offerings at the core of your unique web world.

My website service begins at a flat fee of $999 for the entire project but is custom-scoped based on your goals, needs, and budget.

Whether you're looking for a focused one-page website or a more expansive, multi-page website with original copy for your body of work, we'll determine the right scope together during the free, 30-minute discovery call.

Yes, absolutely! I understand that a website project is an investment, and I’m happy to work with you to establish a payment schedule that makes sense for your project and timeline.

All clients are required to pay an initial portion of the project cost before any work begins. The remaining balance can then be divided into installments throughout the rest of the project, with the specific payment schedule outlined in your proposal and contract.

We’ll discuss payment timing before the project begins so you know exactly when payments are due and can plan accordingly.

Building a website can take as little as 4 weeks and as long as two months.

Based on the established scope of your project, we’ll determine a proposed timeline that makes sense for us. If you need a website completed by a specific date, we can discuss if that timeline is feasible before we agree to work together.

I primarily build websites on Squarespace. I chose Squarespace because it allows me to create highly customized, polished websites while still giving you the ability to easily update and maintain your site after we’re done working together. You won’t need to know how to code or come back to me every time you want to swap an image, update your bio, add a project, or make a small change. As part of the process, I’ll walk you through your new site and provide a maintenance guide so you feel confident making updates on your own.

Because each website project involves dedicated time, strategy, and creative work, I don’t offer refunds for work that has already been completed.

That said, I understand that circumstances can change. If you decide you need to end the project before it’s complete, you won’t be responsible for paying for work that hasn’t yet been completed. We’ll simply review where we are in the process, settle any outstanding balance for completed work, and wrap up the project from there.

You don’t have to write your website copy from scratch. Copywriting support is available as part of my web design process, and it starts with the same thing that drives the rest of the project: getting to know you and your work.

During our strategic storytelling session, we’ll have a deep-dive conversation about your work, ideas, experiences, values, offerings, and the bigger story connecting everything you do. I’ll also spend time researching your existing work and materials so I can understand not just what you do, but how you think, what you care about, and how you naturally communicate.

From there, I translate what I learn into website copy that is clear and purposeful while still sounding like you.

No, you do not need to live in or physically travel to Philadelphia to work with me.

I work remotely and communicate with clients over Zoom and email.

The vast majority of the work on the website will be completed by me, but occasionally I may request assets (i.e. pictures, work samples, links, etc.) from the client via email.

There will also be a handful of virtual meetings I will need to request from the client, including but not limited to a strategic storytelling session, feedback sessions, and a handoff session. I am flexible and always accommodate the client’s schedule.

The best way to get in touch is to fill out the website inquiry form at the bottom of this webpage. Please include any additional questions you have in the “Anything Else?” section of the form and I’ll reply within 48 hours.