Here’s what’s been going on with Carline Design recently.
It’s not so often that I get an opportunity to take a step back but as it happens, times are really strange at the moment with countries the world over coming to a grinding halt due to the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic. One of the many by-products of this awful situation is that many small businesses will be fearing the worst in terms of their future.
In the UK, the government has begun to outline how it plans to support its businesses and their employees over the coming, uncertain months, but for some the help may not be enough. Others may not even be eligible for the support at all. It’s an unprecedented scenario that will undoubtedly affect hundreds of thousands of people in this country alone.
Both lives and livelihoods are at risk during this pandemic so there is clearly an untold amount of negative fallout from the situation. That being said, it does provide even more reason to reflect on the recent positives and to look ahead, beyond this mess, to what the future has in store. The only other alternative, currently, is to risk getting crushed by the sheer weight of all the bad news filling our feeds at present.
Staying productive (and positive) during the lockdown
So, at the time of writing, we’re in week one of what is so far a fairly poorly adhered-to lockdown in the UK. From a personal standpoint, not a great deal has changed in my day-to-day life as I already operate Carline Design from my home office, only really go out for a walks with the family and most of my other excursions involve popping to the shops. I’m on Boris’ good list by default. I am, however, watching zero football like all other fans which has afforded me some much-needed spare time to work on my Web Design business, rather than working in it.
What have I been up to then? Can Carline Design get through this lean period? The answers to those questions are ‘plenty’ and ‘just about’, thankfully. I’m very grateful that my list of clients has continued to grow since I re-branded the business last year and I’ve had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of small to medium businesses in that time. In the here and now, there has been a few, understandable postponements on projects while business owners figure out how to navigate through this period. There is still some exciting stuff in the diary, though, and I’ll share that shortly.
First and foremost, let me point you to my newly updated portfolio of web design, print design and logo design projects. There you’ll find links to all of my work as well as details of where to find out more about my fantastic clients. If you want the abridged version, keep reading.
Recent Web Design Projects by Carline Design
In the time since I last updated my portfolio en mass, I have completed another 10 web design projects of various sizes. I’ve highlighted a few of my favourites below for you to take a look at.
New Look Windows
This website for Rochdale’s New Look Windows is my most recent and one that I’m particularly happy with.
Due to the nature of the business, the site is very image heavy to show off the various styles of Windows and Doors but I feel I pulled it off with a design that looks fresh and modern.
Rochdale Occupational Health Service
The team at Rochdale Occupational Health Service needed to modernise their website in order to effectively promote their Health Surveillance services and First Aid Courses.
The resulting website design is an informative resource with a modern edge that gives users all the details without being overly text-heavy at first glance.
King William Pub – Turton
Based in Turton, The King William Pub asked me to re-model their website to properly show off their beautiful interiors, showcase their menus and allow them to post regular events.
I provided all of this within a classy design that compliments their branding and the pub itself.
Kwickill Pest Control
Kwickill Pest Control have been providing professional solutions against pest infestations in the north west since 1985 and were in need of a more detailed website that befitted them as a local leader of their trade.
With the help of some new promotional images from local photographer, Maddie Farris, I think the final result truly sets them apart for their competition.
Print Design, Branding and a Podcast
It hasn’t all been flat out web design here at Carline Design HQ. I like to keep myself busy with other types of work to break things up and challenge myself, even if the web stuff is the main focus. The variety that comes from taking on the odd print design project, creating logos and developing branding ensures that my skill set is growing month by month, something I hope is starting to show in the quality of the work I’m providing for my clients.
Some of the most enjoyable projects in among my recent work have been the ones that involve a bit of each of my services, like the work I have completed for FuseFit and Easy Prep. Both of these entailed designing the websites along with creating promotional material such as leaflets, social media graphics and for Easy Prep, a logo and branding style. For more on these, click on the images to visit the project pages.
You may also have seen that my wife, Rachel alongside Andy at La Calavera College have started an Embalming & Mortuary Science Podcast called The Eternal Debate which seems to be going down very well within their industry and beyond. My part in this venture has been to handle the branding direction, create the website and even produce the damn thing!
Again, this isn’t something I’ve ever really done before but I’ll never let that stop me giving it a go. In truth, I did have a bit of recording experience from years gone by and launching the podcast has drawn on those skills. There is plenty to work on in terms of my audio production skills but it’s definitely a rewarding learning curve. You can listen to the latest episode below if you fancy!
What about the future?
Okay then, so what’s next for Carline Design?
Well, I’m currently working on my third website for the people at Richard Whittaker Ltd. Having done their main site a few years ago and the Yeung’s Chinese Foods website last summer, they have now asked me to re-design the website for their Pure Gluten Free brand. The project is an e-commerce website for selling their popular gluten and allergen free food products. Work on that starts next week and it is set to be launched at the end of April 2020.
After that there’s another e-commerce website and branding project for a range of CBD products before I tackle my biggest assignment yet. I’m really happy to say that I’ve had the green light to take on the mammoth task of completely re-modelling the British Institute of Embalmers website.
The new site will feature a whole new members-only area and provide its 2000 plus membership with the facility to pay their fees online, book tickets to national events and advertise their services. There will also be a public-facing side to the project that give prospective embalmers details on how to train in the profession and become a member of the BIE. You can see candid, unseen footage of me getting news of the go-ahead below…
Anyway, I think that brings you up to date with all things Carline Design. In the meantime, if you see a small business that you like posting about their services or products, you should definitely think about sharing it. They will appreciate it now more than ever.
