Business, Client Launches, Creative Entrepreneurs, Photographers, Website Design, Wedding Professionals
If you’re anything like me, you love a good end-of-the-year recap!
I can’t help but read them on other blogs, and every year, I create one of my own. It feels like an annual tradition to review my past website projects and select a few of my favorites to highlight on the blog.
If you’re interested in taking a walk down memory lane, you may want to jump into my favorite designs of 2020 and favorite designs of 2019 first. Otherwise, you can continue reading on to see my 2021 favorites!
6 Showit website designs I loved in 2021
2021 was a year of modern, streamlined design with an emphasis on SEO. It’s really important to me for my clients’ websites to not only accurately represent where their business currently is but also where they want to grow in the future.
Since strategy is on equal footing with design and copywriting, you’ll quickly notice some of my favorite website designs of the year were also the most strategic.
In this article, I’ll break down why I loved each project along with an inside look into each unique collaboration. Let’s get started!
Radian Photography
I find myself gravitating toward more fine art, editorial style when designing for photographers. I was able to run with my creative vision when working with Ian and Radhika, the husband-wife duo behind Radian Photography.
I also liked creating three separate Service pages, each fully outlining their three main photography offerings and the overall customer experience. This makes the website’s user experience really streamlined for each focus, giving visitors all of the information they need without getting overwhelmed by offerings they’re not interested in.
Do you know the websites that you just want to live in? That’s how I feel about Radian Photography’s site. I love the elegant, organic feel of their imagery and how it works within the larger design of the website. It happens to be one of my favorites of 2021 and any other year!
Drewes Real Estate
A few years back, I worked with Lindsey on her website for Lindsey Drewes Photography. With roots in wedding photography and interior photography, she decided to embark on a new entrepreneurial journey: becoming a real estate agent.
After founding Drewes Real Estate, she reached back out and asked if we could collaborate on a website for her new venture. I enthusiastically said yes, and the rest is history.
One of my favorite parts about her website is the beautiful video background that’s above the fold on her homepage. Instead of focusing the video on specific homes, it highlights the scenery and best neighborhoods the Santa Barbara area has to offer.
I also loved incorporating the MLS IDX integration into her Showit website, which I’ve never done before. It helped me test the capabilities of Showit outside the typical photographer and creative space. If you’re a realtor and want to read even more about this integration, click here.
The sleek, modern, and sophisticated design is the perfect fit for her luxury clientele. I always appreciate the opportunity to work with my clients on multiple projects, so this was a real treat for me.
The Abundance Group
What’s better than bringing a website to life for a dad-daughter duo of entrepreneurs? When Ashley and Dale of The Abundance Group decided to slightly pivot their niche, audience, and offer, they reached out to me in order to re-envision their website.
I loved every minute of collaborating with Ashley on the final design. They had a clear vision for what they wanted, so it was my job to make it happen while adding my strategic input.
They also hired me to write the content for the website. I was able to have a unique perspective going into the writing process because I had already gone through their 12-week team building intensive! As you can imagine, going through their program made it easier and more enjoyable to create their whole website.
If I had to describe The Abundance Group’s website in a few words, I’d say it’s friendly, warm, calming, and incredibly approachable. I’m really happy with how the design came together with their brand photography and visual branding.
Anna Delores Photography
This website project was extra special for me because it was the first time one of my Showit templates was customized! I loved supporting Emily of Anna Delores Photography by helping her create a unique site from a pre-built template.
We created Emily’s website before my Showit template shop publicly launched, making it a fun way to test, tweak, and finalize the designs for my shop. Emily chose the Hampton Lane template which is a great fit for fine art wedding photographers and vendors.
Here’s what the Hampton Lane template looks like…
…and here’s a look at the final design for Emily’s website.
Even the photography aesthetic feels the perfect fit for this template!
Since Emily is stepping into the education space as a wedding photographer, this website template allows her to grow and evolve as her business does. I’m so glad I was able to meet Emily in a mastermind group and collaborate in making her website dream a reality.
Aisle & Co
Do you know when you visit a website that has an effortlessly elegant look to it? That’s exactly what you’ll find at Aisle & Co. As a Columbus-based wedding planning company, Natasha from Aisle & Co wanted to create a sleek, sophisticated website that attracted high-end brides.
From improving her website’s SEO to incorporating beautiful visuals, this custom website is both awe-inspiring and strategic. I’m so glad we never had to sacrifice strategy for beauty!
I also loved creating the About page where we had an opportunity to highlight her growing team while giving Natasha space to talk about what her business means to her.
You can really feel how deeply Natasha and her team care about their clients by scrolling through Aisle & Co’s website. I couldn’t be happier with the final product!
Axiom Tattoo
Lastly, I want to highlight the project that was most outside of my comfort zone: Axiom Tattoo! I’ve worked with Priscilla, one of the owners of this San Diego-based tattoo shop, four times during her entrepreneurial career, so it was really fun to collaborate with her again on this website.
Even though the website design was a bit outside of my norm, I’m really happy with how it turned out. I even had an opportunity to visit Priscilla’s shop in San Diego before designing to ensure I was getting the vibe right. Talk about a dreamy vacation!
Their final website can be defined as vibrant, bold, and looks effortlessly cool, much in part to the stunning brand photography. This is why I always recommend investing in brand photography! It makes a massive difference in your overall website design.
Reflecting on 2021
I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with so many innovative creative business owners in the past year.
As I gear up to collaborate with even more entrepreneurs in 2022, I’m excited to create more Showit templates, continue designing custom Showit sites, and branch into other offerings I’ve been dreaming up. Stay tuned for what’s coming next.
Until then, happy new year!
