The short answer is yes…
But it’s not easy.
You already know your website should be a reflection of who you are and the values you and your company represent. The second someone clicks on the link to your site, they should be able to know the type of company you are without even reading a single word of copy. You want to hook them right off the top with your visuals – not just your project photography, but your logo, colors, fonts and brand patterns, plus how it’s all laid out on your site’s pages.
But that’s just one layer of how you want them to experience your brand on your site. From there, you need copy that fills out the picture of what you’re all about – what services you offer, what you value when it comes to design and what it’s really like to work with you.
And most importantly (you may not know this already), they need to see themselves in your copy.
That’s right. I said “see themselves.”
Because while your project images represent something aspirational for them (how they want their homes to look and feel), your copy needs to tell them you see them, understand them and care about them just as they are. It needs to communicate in a voice that will appeal to them; to reassure them that they really are in the right place.
But that’s waaaayyy easier said than done.
Let’s be honest, there are a lot of mediocre interior design websites out there. Which doesn’t actually mean those designers haven’t put their time, effort and even their hard earned cash into trying to get a great site. How many times have you heard designers tell horror stories about how their website projects took 6 months or longer, drained their time and energy, frustrated them like crazy and yet they STILL ended up with “just OK” results?!
It doesn’t have to be that way. It SHOULDN’T be that way. You really can get an amazing website that represents you in all the right ways and appeals to your ideal clients.
I’ve recently finished working on a website for a client who knew she needed branding, a website and copy that would properly introduce her design firm to potential clients. Her name is Janelle Photopoulos, and working with her on her site was such a pleasure. I’m not even going to pretend to hide how excited I am about this project! My collaborative partner, brand designer Katie Saunders of Pop & Grey and I, worked hard on this project and we’re both thrilled that it turned out to be everything we hoped it would be and more. I believe it truly offers a fantastic experience of Janelle’s vibrant personality, passion for her clients and skill as an interior designer.
What I got from working with you went far beyond the physical logo or website. You created a feeling around our company’s brand. The tagline you came up with along with the entire new brand and website will have MASSIVE impact on the direction of my business. It was a great experience!
Janelle Photopoulos
The Key Question
From the start, the key question for Janelle’s project was, how could Katie and I take her vibrant personality, boundless creativity, and huge vision for her business and make it all tangible on a website? How can we make the 2D visuals and words on the screen make her site’s visitors feel as loved and inspired as they will when they eventually meet Janelle and her team in person?
The First Step
As is always the case for these projects, the first thing we wanted to do was get to know Janelle better. We had her fill out our project questionnaire, then we spent time with her on video conference. It’s important that we not only hear the tone of our clients’ voices, but also see their facial expressions and demeanor as we talk with them, and even add to the picture with how they dress and what their office environment is like. This adds so much to our understanding of who they really are and what their clients experience when working with them.
Here, Janelle absolutely excelled. This is a person who knows how to make a first impression! From the very first moment we met her, we could instantly feel her warmth and energy. It was clear she doesn’t just give lip service to her work. She and her entire team throw themselves into everything they do. They truly care about their clients and pour their hearts into making every project completely unique and an overwhelmingly positive experience for the client.
Rather than simply sit there and speak with us during our first meeting, Janelle completely delighted us by picking up her laptop and taking us on a visual tour of her incredible office in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. We were able to see not only the creative, collaborative space she built for her team, but also how she surrounds herself with bold colors and patterns on a daily basis (oh, that incredible hand-painted agate wall!). This sent us a big message about what inspires and energizes her. More importantly, it filled out the picture for us of the experience Janelle creates for her clients, making them feel inspired and energized, too!
The Design
Ultimately, that first meeting planted the seeds for the colorful brand and “Live Vibrantly” marketing message we created for Janelle.
Katie and I worked closely with her to nail down her brand’s visuals and language. The idea was (as it is with all our clients) to not only reflect Janelle’s preferences, but to run those preferences together with information about her ideal clients through the filter of our marketing expertise to generate a distilled representation of her company in website form.
Even though may seem counterintuitive to interior designers, it’s important not to get lost in “style over substance” when it comes to your website. So for Janelle, we wanted to make sure we crafted content that would be as meaningful as possible for her ideal clients. I crafted copy to match her fabulous images, pulling forward our message about what it’s like to work with Blakely using carefully curated language and a strategically defined tone of voice.
With Janelle’s creative output, it wasn’t difficult to put all the pieces of her site (her new branding, her copy and her images) together beautifully. You can tell from one quick look at the stunning photographs of her work what kind of results you’re in for when you come to Janelle for interior design help. There are tons of examples of the projects she’s worked on, including shots of her own design studio that I spoke about above (honestly, check them out, it is SUCH a cool space!).
Janelle’s entire process is highly collaborative, so we also wanted to shine a spotlight on Janelle’s entire team. On her Our Team page, you can see group shots of everyone together, as well as matching headshots for each team member. There is also lots of engaging copy written about each person to make sure that visitors can get to know more about who will be working on their projects, and to give anyone thinking of applying to work at Blakely an idea of what the team is all about.
In the end, we gave Janelle something that she loves and is proud to have represent her. It not only speaks volumes about Janelle herself, but also allows her clients to see themselves in her brand and copy, making them say, “I need Blakely!” And of course, our SEO help will give her a nice boost to help them find her in the first place.
I really want to stress that Janelle’s positive experience working with us is what we strive for with every single one of our clients. We’ve built our streamlined, efficient processes around making that happen every time. When you need a new site build from the ground up, we’re here to help you best represent your brand online with exceptional copy and beautiful branding. Contact us today and we can get started building an interior design website that says, “You!” but also makes your ideal clients say, “You get me. I’m in!”
