Our Approach
Creating or updating a website should be fun. The approach should be creative and collaborative, open to change and ready to change course if needed. This was Dave’s vision almost a decade ago and it’s what drives our team today.
We are creatives, but we’re also designers, coders, scientists and IT pros. We know that structure and discipline are critical for planning and delivering Squarespace web design projects.
Our approach combines the art and the science of web design, allowing us to create beautiful websites that are on time and on budget. Our process combines consultancy, design, project management, development and training.
This list isn’t prescriptive or definitive. Already got your photography sorted? Great. Know which colours and fonts you want? Fantastic. We’ll never sell you what you don’t want and will work as closely as required with your team to make sure you get everything you need.
Consultancy
We are consultants, and all web design projects begin with an in-depth conversation with your team. This is less of a fact-finding mission and more of an opportunity to understand what your aims are and how we can help to work with you to best achieve them.
Not sure exactly what you want from a project? Not a problem. Made by Dave may be small in number but we’re big on ideas. We’ve worked with clients in diverse markets, including art and design, finance, entertainment and media, and travel and lifestyle. We also have significant experience in the church and nonprofit sectors. We communicate with clients at every stage of a project to generate ideas that’ll deliver on objectives.
Consultancy also means never shying away from critical questions. As well as, ‘What do you need? What are you hoping to achieve?’ we’ll also ask, ‘How much time have you got? …and how much money!?’ We believe in transparency and being open about all costs involved in web design projects – from initial outlay and subscription charges to day-to-day site management and future-proofing.
Budget shouldn’t limit ambition, and we’re committed to helping businesses grow, improve and better manage their digital brand.
Project management
We are planners, and we understand that successful website projects require structure and organisation. Consultancy, design, development and training may be happening in tandem, and communication between our team and your team will be ongoing throughout a project.
We’ll manage these moving parts and keep things on track and within your budget and time needs.
Structure and organisation are important. However, we also know that a successful website project requires agility and flexibility. We’re always on hand to answer questions, respond to feedback and implement changes, with zero disruption to a project.
Development
We are designers. We write and manipulate code – the building blocks of any web project – and make sure the results are beautiful, intuitive and achieve your aims. If we add in any custom code it will likely sit in the background and you won’t be aware of it. If we use a plugin, we’ll teach you how to use it.
We develop websites using the Squarespace platform, which allows for a collaborative process from day one. We’ll design the site behind the scenes while you watch your website build and track developments as we go.
As a Squarespace Expert we have access to a ton of tools and a suite of plugins to transform your site. As a Squarespace Circle member we interact with the developers creating these tools and gain access to the latest releases and kit.
We’re part of the community directing the future of web development, and we use our learning, techniques and toolkit on all of our projects.
Training
We are educators, and offer comprehensive training to ensure teams can manage their websites.
The role we play in web design is only ever a small fraction of any project. We’re hands-on in the design and development stages but understand the importance of being hands-off post launch. Via Zoom calls, technical training and demos, we enable teams to easily manage, adapt and update their sites.
Post project, should you need us, Made by Dave will always be on-hand to answer questions, provide guidance, and offer reminders and tips for using your platform.