Adapted Creative

The Scenario

After six years of steady growth, Adapted Creative wanted to take the next step. They wanted more clients and more challenging work. To supplement this step, they wanted a new website.

Previously, they had a simple Wix website. It served well as an information hub about Adapted. Now, with growth in mind, they wanted an upgrade. They wanted a website that speaks to the Adapted values and highlights the creativity and talent at their disposal.

The Relationship

Adapted was one of my first clients as a Freelancer. Since 2022, Adapted and I have partnered on countless digital display and website projects. In that time, we have built a great working relationship and trust. I was delighted to help bring their vision to life.

The Struggle

In most projects, I operate in more than one role. For this project, I acted solely as the Developer. Cheryl Goh designed the site. Adapted, as you may expect, managed the project.

Looking back, I am glad to have only had one role in this project. It was a mammoth one. Building the site took up a lot of time. Taking on any other part of the project would probably have been too much.

Until the last few weeks of the project, it was unclear what content they would use on the website. I built the site using draft content from the design prototypes. As it turned out, the final content did not align with the draft content. This misalignment meant several parts of the site did not work. I then retrofitted and rebuilt these parts to work with the final content. One major casualty from this was the CMS. To make a long story short, I had to change the CMS three times before the project ended. Read my blog post on choosing the 'right' CMS for the full story of my CMS struggles. In future projects, clarity on the website's content will be a priority from the outset.

What made this project different from most was the time difference. At various points in the project, people were travelling. I spent no time in the UK during the project. I had left to move to Australia already. Throughout the project, people logged in from Malaysia, India, Hong Kong, Denmark, Belgium and the UK. This project was a true testament to the power of remote working.

To my surprise, the workflow we created to compensate for the time difference worked very well. It allowed me the time to focus on getting my work done without risking distraction from meetings and client calls. Whilst others slept, I could build the site. Once they woke up, they could review and send feedback for me to work through the next day. The workflow was great for my work and this type of project.

The Results

As a unit, I believe we were able to create a website truly unique to Adapted. Jamie, the founder, had said from the outset he wanted to create an Adapted world. As a digital advertising studio, Adapted were keen to speak to their values. They wanted to show that creativity does not have to stand in the way of a well-considered user experience. That is the perspective from the "Adapted world". I believe we achieved this.

What I like about Adapted is their inherent desire to evolve. It's in their name, they adapt. As such, this website will likely grow over time as they identify new and improved ways to display their values and talent through their website. I am delighted to say that I am along for the ride and look forward to working with Adapted for a long time to come.