Website Brief
Introduction:
The website I am developing, designme.ie, will serve as a platform to both offer my services and showcase my design work. My experience spans a wide range of disciplines, including logo design, websites, brochures, lighting design, and lighting control systems. Until now, I have not had a personal website to present this work. The name designme.ie was chosen to allow flexibility for future expansion beyond lighting design. As a starting point, however, I am focusing the site on lighting design to clearly define my expertise.
Project Objectives
- To create a professional website that showcases my lighting design skills and experience.
- To establish designme.ie as a clear and focused platform for offering lighting design and lighting control services.
- To present my design process and projects in a visually engaging and structured manner.
- To build a strong personal brand that can expand into additional design services in the future.
- To provide an accessible point of contact for potential clients and collaborators.
Target Audience
The primary target audience for designme.ie consists of:
- Architects and architectural practices
- Electrical wholesalers
- Interior designers
- Property developers
- Commercial business owners
- Residential clients seeking bespoke lighting solutions
- Electrical contractors and lighting installers
- Design studios or agencies seeking lighting design collaboration
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
| KPI Category | Measurement Focus | Measurement Method | Objective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Engagement | User interaction with the site | Page views, session duration, bounce rate | To evaluate user interest and content effectiveness |
| Portfolio Performance | Engagement with lighting projects | Project page views, scroll depth | To assess the strength and clarity of the lighting portfolio |
| Enquiries | Level of client interest | Contact form submissions, direct email enquiries | To measure conversion from site visitor to potential client |
| Brand Clarity | Understanding of services offered | Navigation behaviour, relevance of enquiries | To ensure lighting design services are clearly communicated |
| Site Usability | Overall technical performance | Page load speed, mobile compatibility | To maintain a professional and accessible user experience |
Functionality
The website header will include a dedicated Contact page, along with a dropdown navigation menu containing additional pages and relevant website information. A “Call Now” floating plugin will be implemented to follow mobile phone users as they navigate between pages, ensuring immediate and easy access to contact options at all times. The company email address and phone number will be prominently displayed on the right-hand side of the header and repeated in the footer for consistency and accessibility.
The footer will also display the business address and include direct links to the company’s social media platforms. Additionally, a Google Maps icon will be incorporated, allowing users to generate directions from their current location to the business address via Google Maps. A sidebar will be integrated into the site layout, along with a push button located in footer column four to enhance user interaction and navigation.
The website will be developed as a fully functional e-commerce platform, secured with SSL certification and operating under HTTPS to ensure safe, encrypted transactions for all users. The logo features a clean, simplistic design that aligns well with a lighting designer brand aesthetic. For google identification the website will have its own site title and logo so it appears professional and not clearly resembling a word press site.
Inspiration Sites & Competitors
The first website that inspired my design is Wink Lighting, located at www.wink.ie. Wink provides an exceptional level of service in lighting design and lighting control systems. The company has won several industry awards and has been involved in numerous high-value projects, including features on Dermot Bannon’s Room to Improve.
I feel their website effectively reflects the quality of their services. The homepage features a visually striking image slider that immediately draws the user in and creates a strong first impression by showcasing completed projects. This approach is both engaging and visually appealing, and I decided to adopt a similar concept for my own website.
The use of black text combined with orange hover effects creates a warm and inviting atmosphere, which closely mirrors the feeling of illuminating a cosy room through thoughtful lighting design. The website also makes excellent use of contact forms and offers clear, intuitive navigation, enhancing the overall user experience. I believe I have drawn significant inspiration from this website in both design and functionality.
After reviewing the website structure, including the /wp-admin directory, it is evident that www.wink.ie is built on WordPress, demonstrating the potential of a well-designed theme to deliver a high-quality, professional website.
Copyright: www.wink.ie
The second website www.willieduggan.com opens with a dimly lit restaurant image, which immediately creates a strong atmosphere and sets the tone for the brand. Although the site uses a single main image rather than multiple visuals, it remains highly impactful and engaging. The designer’s choice of orange typography further reinforced my own colour selection, validating its effectiveness in creating warmth and visual interest.
The website also prominently showcases the designer’s awards, which inspired me to highlight my own lighting association qualifications and nominations. In addition, the inclusion of a projects page aligned well with the services I intend to offer and reinforced the importance of demonstrating experience through completed work. The website content is very inspiring and the choice of images showcasing their work is top class.
However, the absence of a home button made navigation slightly less intuitive, which provided valuable user experience insights. This observation influenced my own design decisions by highlighting the importance of clear and accessible navigation for all users.
Copyright: www.willieduggan.com
The final website I reviewed for inspiration was www.nationallighting.ie. The company is owned by Robus LED and provides lighting solutions across design, control systems, and lighting products. While the website felt less inviting due to its limited colour palette, it clearly established a strong and consistent brand identity. The use of a single background colour paired with one text colour created a sense of uniformity, which contrasted positively with the previous website that lacked consistency in its layout. In addition, the website made effective use of visually appealing imagery, and the inclusion of a search bar enhanced usability by allowing users to navigate the site more efficiently. This was something I felt I would very much want along with as mentioned earlier a home button for smooth user experience.
All images that are not referenced used on the website are copyrighted to the owner or legally licensed through Adobe Stock.
