Last year I wrote a post about how we streamlined our design process into fewer, more focused phases. I said I’d also post about how we’ve changed our development side too. Since then it’s all changed somewhat again and in the mean time we rebuilt our own site, so it’s finally time to write that up. So here it is, over a year late: how we build a site today, September 2026 edition:
1. Design in Figma
After the kickoff, after the research and discovery phase, we start the design process. A year later and we’re still starting our designs in Figma – A static design tool (that’s how we use it at least) for designing out the home page, and any interior pages the project requires.
Figma has replaced Sketch, which replaced Illustrator, which replaced Photoshop over the years. We even tried designing in browser for a while but Figma is the fastest, most efficient way for both Gabi and I to work. It also keeps the design ours – it’s the start of each custom site we build.
Designing in the browser was too slow for the part that needs to be fast: moving things around while the bigger decisions get made.
What you see: Nothing quite yet. We’ll share it with you in the next phase.
2. HTML Prototype
This is a new step for us – transforming a static design into a working HTML prototype. Once the Figma design is settled, we build it as a real web page. One HTML file built on our design system’s styles. No WordPress yet.
Why bother with a prototype at all, instead of going straight to WordPress? Because a mockup is a picture of a website. And a prototype is a website. You can resize it, tap around it on a phone, see real type at real sizes, check out hover states. Every “well it will do this when we build it” conversation is covered, when making changes is easier.
It also becomes the starting spec for the development phase. All of our systems and rules already in place, ready to slide into WordPress.
What you see: A real link you can open anywhere and send to anyone you want. This is where your feedback starts.
3. WordPress + Bricks
Yes we still build in WordPress. Yes, we still believe it’s the best system for owning your own website content, and for managing an effective dynamic website. And yes, even now when you can prompt an agent for a ‘website’.
We use Bricks, with Core Framework underneath, using the same tokens (colors, spacing, typography) the prototype used, so we’re porting direct, not an interpretation.
Bricks is a page builder, which we’ve had… issues with in the past. But the facts are clear: it’s the best way to build a site that can both fulfill the rich layout needs of modern websites, and be manageable by our customers. Gone are the days of bloated markup or locked down content. Bricks generates clean HTML, uses the classes we define, and – importantly – leaves your content in WordPress. We’ve worked with several of these over the years, especially through Cinch, and this is by far the best I’ve ever come across, and the only one I’d trust today on my own site.
This is also where you come into play: feedback and review as we build out the entire rest of the site: inner pages, blog, forms, etc. that your business runs on. We’ll have a full feedback system for easy review and notes that don’t get lost.
What you see: the full website on our development server with your content in place.
4. Launch
The site launch is mostly pure logistics: move the site to its real home (I recommend Cinch hosting), point the domain, test the email settings, clear the cache and go*. Well, there are a few other logistical steps but that might be a post in of itself…
But for you, it should feel undramatic. All the hard parts were done in the prior phases.
Your site lives on WordPress because we still believe in owning your own content, and WordPress is still the best place to do that. And it’s best hosted and looked after by Cinch: daily updates, backups, security scans, and a person who answers. I wrote about that last month.
What you see: a live site, and then us, via Cinch, for as long as you want us.
What changed, what didn’t
The thing we keep working towards is streamlining the process. Making it easier – for you and for us. Building a prototype, using Bricks – these are better systems for everyone involved.
What didn’t change: We’re still building custom websites on WordPress, built for a single business, that we keep looking after long after launch. Same as it’s been since 2006, just a bit smoother than before.
If you’ve got a project in mind, let’s talk.
