As the Christmas holidays approach I thought I’d spend a few minutes documenting some of the projects undertaken this year.
I returned to self-employment in March and quickly found myself involved in a number of new website design projects. I’ve really enjoyed catching up with customers who I’ve worked with for years, as well as forming new partnerships and supporting an ever-increasing number of Whitby’s small businesses.
Below I’ve highlighted a number of the stand-out projects. Alongside these I’ve continued to provide website hosting and ad-hoc technical support services. It’s been a busy year!
Website Design
Cee King Fishing Trips
Steve got in touch in the spring to discuss building a website for his charter fishing business, based out of Whitby harbour. Steve had recently purchased Cee King, a very capable fishing vessel, and needed a website to help him attract anglers for his regular fishing trips.
Whitby Tanks
Whitby Tanks were keen to update their website and offer a better experience to their manufacturing equipment customers. I developed a bespoke WordPress theme as well as a couple of plugins to support the ‘wish list’ functionality and improve the product search feature.
Harry’s Lounge Bar
Harry’s is a popular bar and restaurant with rooms on Whitby’s harbourside. Julie got in touch to discuss improving their website, which hadn’t been updated for years. We developed an eye-catching design which reflects the interior design of the bar, building a second similar website for the accommodation business shortly after.
Ladycross
I’ve worked with Kieran and Lisa since they moved to Ladycross in 2010. Together with their business development consultant we worked on a major overhaul of their website, with the intention of attracting more visitors to the site as well as those interested in owning a holiday lodge in North Yorkshire. The site continues to be improved as we add more information about the woodland lodges.
Bagdale Hall Hotel
Bagdale Hall Hotel is one of Whitby’s most historic buildings. I worked with Mike and Kris to develop a new website for the business which highlights their different accommodation options as well as the recently re-opened restaurant.
Hadley’s Fish & Chips
Hadley’s is a Whitby institution, and another long-term customer. Chris wanted to simplify their website, whilst also bringing the design in line with their updated menus and signage. I developed a single page website with online table reservation system, which makes it easy for visitors to book a table in the fish & chip restaurant.
Hello Wellness
I’d worked with Sonia earlier in the year, helping resolve some technical problems with her Native Wisdom website. Then, in October, I was again asked to help with the re-development of her Hello Wellness website. I built the site on the Shopify platform, which has given Sonia far greater control over the content and an improved order-management system than the previous website offered. 2025 is set to be a big year for this natural supplement brand.
Made in Whitby
Having been part of the Made in Whitby project since its inception I was delighted to be able to support the project by building a user-friendly website to help advertise the festivals and promote the businesses involved in the project.
Graphic Design
Whitby Lit Fest Logo
I was invited to design a logo for Whitby Lit Fest. This is an exciting new project for the town, launching in November 2025. I worked through a number of design ideas, referencing Whitby’s historic landmarks, before arriving at the Abbey as a suitable icon for the logo. Designed to look like a selection of books on a shelf, the logo also references the colours of historic hard backs, but in a way which feels fresh and modern. I also built a simple website to help the project begin to establish itself online.
Web Development
Dashboard for Wheeliams
I’ve worked for Wheeliams for years. The business is based in Scarborough and run by a good friend of mine. Will asked me to develop a dashboard for his team which would help them manage their processes. Over the year this project grew and in the autumn we built a suite of HR tools to help Will manage his team more efficiently. This project continues to be ‘work in progress’ and we’ll be adding plenty more to it in the coming months. I’ve also helped Wheeliams with Shopify development and SEO, which has contributed to their continued growth.
MOT Reminder Database
Earlier in the year one of Whitby’s garages got in touch to ask about an old computer which was no longer running reliably. It was used to help manage MOT reminder notifications for their customers. I recommended moving the system online. This ensures that the data is regularly backed up and available from any internet-connected device. Staff have told me how much easier it is to use than the previous system, helping them send out letters in an efficient way.
Personal Projects
Hello Church
In October I began work on a new personal project called Hello Church. It is a communication tool for small churches, which will be launching in 2025. It includes various tools aimed at streamlining administration and communication processes. I hope to complete it early in the new year, and launch in the spring following a period of testing. It will be the first time I’ve launched a project of this kind, and I’m excited to see how the tool will be used and how it might be developed based on user feedback.
Books & Podcasts
This year I’ve made time to read a few books and listen to podcasts which I thought might help my return to self employment and my abilities as a designer and developer. Here are the ones which are worth a mention:
Deep Work – Cal Newport
This was a helpful read. I guess I’ve always understood the value of ‘deep work’ but it was useful to hear a bit more about the topic. I’ve made a few adjustments to how I work in order to maximise the amount of time I spend doing ‘deep work’. It’s a tricky thing to master, especially when working from home and having to accommodate ad-hoc support requests and so on. I hope to spend more time doing ‘deep work’ in 2025, and see my productivity continue to increase.
Atomic Habits – James Clear
This book had been on my list to read for ages. There was maybe a little less to it than I imagined their might be, but some helpful ideas nontheless. I found the idea of strining habits together a good one, using a particular process to trigger a variety of tasks. The concepts in this book paired with ‘deep work’ would be useful to anyone, but I think especially those who are self employed and need to optimise their output.
Range – David Epstein
I really enjoyed this book. For years I’ve wondered if my ‘Jack of all trades’ approach has been a help or a hinderance. There’s been so much hype around particular areas of web development in recent years that I’ve often felt that continuing to be a generalist was likely to end up being a problem. This book encouraged me to think differently about my broad skillset. As a generalist with a breadth of experience across a wide range of skills I’m able to offer my clients more, and that’s a helpful and valuable thing.
37 Signals Podcast
I’ve followed DHH for years, and heard him speak at WeAreDevelopers in Berlin, in July. I’ve been listening to the 37 Signals podcast since then which is hosted by David and co-founder Jason Fried. They discuss a wide range of business and software development related topics in a refreshingly candid and down to earth way, which I appreciate. They speak a lot of sense and I find their conversations encouraging and informative.
Personal Highlight?
Attending WeAreDevelopers World Congress in Berlin in July. I can’t wait to go again next year, where I’ll also be competing in the live finals of the CODE100 competition. More on that in the new year!
What’s Coming in 2025?
Well, plenty more website design and development! I’ve already got a pretty full ‘to do’ list for January and February, with various projects being discussed and planned for the first quarter of 2025. And, as mentioned above, I’d love to get Hello Church launched and see how that develops.
For now I’m seeing out the week getting a couple more websites finished off, which I hope to launch soon. And then it’ll be time to relax and unwind for a few days over Christmas.
I’ll be closed from Friday 20th December until Monday 6th January. See you next year!