Case study · Personal Websites & Portfolios
This website, from brief to launch.
The clearest example of the website service is the site you are reading. Here is how heatherrussellwriting.com was planned, written, built and launched — every step as it happened.
From start to launch
Six stages, each one finished before the next.
- 01
The brief
It began as a written brief, not a template. The site had to feel editorial and discreet, serve clients from first job to boardroom, and never read like a generic CV shop.
- Audience: early career through executive and board level
- Tone: precise, human, quietly confident
- One firm rule: every word specific to this practice
- 02
Identity & direction
Before any page existed, the visual language was fixed so every later decision had something to answer to.
- Cormorant Garamond for headings, Manrope for reading
- Warm ivory, charcoal, stone and a restrained bronze
- The HR monogram carried into the icon and search logo
- 03
Page plan
The structure was mapped around what each reader needs to find, not around a standard menu.
- Six service pages, each explaining fit, scope and deliverables
- Chapter pages for boards, executives, founders and academics
- Insights, Resources, Portfolio, FAQ and policy pages
- 04
The writing
Copy was written and then rewritten against house rules agreed in writing during the project.
- Writing-led process: no calls or meetings implied
- No invented credentials, reviews, numbers or awards
- Investment always agreed in writing, never a price list
- 05
The build
Words and structure were built together, then tested on desktop, phone and with motion switched off.
- Short films on key pages, still images when motion is reduced
- Private file uploads for CV reviews and project requests
- A client portal, private feedback and an approval inbox
- 06
Launch
The site went live on its own address, with the groundwork for search and email in place.
- Custom domain: heatherrussellwriting.com
- Verified with Google Search Console, sitemap in place
- Branded email alerts from the site's own domain
The finished site
What was delivered.
Screens taken from the live site.
What a client receives
The same process, applied to your story.
Your site follows the same six stages: a written brief, an agreed direction, a page plan, writing in your voice, a tested build, and a launch on a domain you own. Scope and investment are agreed with Heather in writing before work begins.
Begin in writing
Ready for an address of your own?
You do not need the perfect terminology. Write what is happening and what you are working toward.