Model the content
Define content types, relationships, taxonomies, templates, and ownership before visual decisions lock in the wrong structure.
Institutional and complex website design
Custom WordPress development for complex websites.
Custom website design and WordPress development for institutions, associations, museums, and organizations with extensive content. From our Norwalk, Connecticut studio, we help teams plan navigation, search, migration, integrations, and a backend that makes publishing manageable.
Architecture / Migration / Systems / Training
Public audiencesMembers and customersPartners and pressEditors and administrators
Make the right information easier to find and maintain.
Institutional websites often grow for years before anyone steps back to design the system. Audiences overlap, labels become inconsistent, old content competes with current priorities, and internal teams develop workarounds.
We audit what exists, decide what to keep, and map content into a structure that visitors and editors can understand. Search, filters, page relationships, editor permissions, redirects, and training are planned before launch. Our museum and complex catalog work shows how different audiences can share a substantial website without losing their way.
Make a large website easier to navigate and manage.
We start with your audiences, the questions they need answered, and the actions that matter to your organization.
Improve discovery
Use navigation, search, filtering, related content, and strong page hierarchy to help different audiences find their way.
Plan the migration
Inventory, clean, map, redirect, and validate content so years of history do not become a launch-day emergency.
Support your editors
Build a custom WordPress backend around the content your team maintains, with appropriate roles, reusable page layouts, documentation, and training.
From planning through launch
Content architecture, custom WordPress development, and migration.
Deliverables, integrations, and ongoing support are defined in your project proposal.
Technical discovery
Platform constraints, integrations, content inventory, search needs, permissions, privacy, and launch risks.
Content modeling
Structured content types, metadata, relationships, taxonomies, navigation, filters, and reusable page patterns.
System design
A flexible visual and component language that supports many page types without creating visual disorder.
Development + migration
Custom WordPress implementation, data mapping, integrations, import tooling, redirects, and staged quality assurance.
Governance + growth
Editor experience, role planning, documentation, training, performance measurement, and ongoing support.
Selected website design projects
See how these clients present their services, programs, products, and experience online.
Complex catalog and e-commerce website
Elizabeth Eakins
Custom website design with an employee backend for uploading patterns, managing collections, and building new pages within a consistent design system.
View project
Museum and institutional website
New Canaan Museum & Historical Society
Exhibitions, research, historic buildings, events, membership, and giving organized for visitors, researchers, supporters, and staff.
View projectBuilt into the work
Quality beyond the homepage.
- Responsive web designNavigation, search results, and directory listings designed to remain usable on small screens throughout a substantial content library.
- Search-ready contentStructured content and clear URLs support discovery. Redirect planning and content mapping help protect existing search visibility during a migration.
- Accessibility reviewShared templates, components, and representative user journeys reviewed against agreed accessibility criteria, with editorial guidance for maintaining accessible content as the site grows.
- Website performanceCaching, image handling, and database queries planned around content volume, search, and filtering, with performance targets checked before launch.
- Straightforward WordPress updatesRole-based editing, structured fields, and governance documentation help multiple teams maintain their sections within agreed publishing permissions and layouts.
Common questions
Before we begin.
What makes a website ‘complex’?
Complexity may come from content volume, relationships between content, advanced search, multiple audiences, integrations, permissions, languages, migration, or the number of people maintaining the platform.
How much should we budget?
Institutional and complex website engagements commonly range from $35,000 to $50,000+, with larger migrations, integrations, custom functionality, or phased programs scoped accordingly.
Can you migrate years of existing content?
Yes. We inventory and map existing pages, images, and structured content into WordPress. Automated and manual migration methods can be combined, with content checks and redirects included before launch.
Can the project be phased?
Yes. Discovery can establish a roadmap, then content, design, development, migration, and rollout can be sequenced around budget, risk, and organizational capacity.
Planning a website project?
Make your next website easier to navigate and maintain.
Tell us about your organization, current website, and priorities. We will outline a scope for content, design, development, and launch.