By Design
Web design insights, branding strategy, and no-fluff advice from San Francisco’s boutique digital studio. We write what we wish every client knew before they called us.
By Design · The 11:11 journal
Good design starts with better questions.
Field notes on websites, brands, and the decisions that make them work—written for people building something that matters.
Start reading ↓Free worksheet · Start here
The 11-Point Website Story Audit
Is your website telling your story, or getting in its way? Eleven yes-or-no questions help you check your message, your visitor experience, and the details that keep your site working.
Download the free worksheet ↓Fresh from the studio
Ideas worth stealing.
Questions worth asking.
Practical advice, contrarian takes, and lessons learned while designing for real businesses—not imaginary case studies.
Your Website Isn’t Losing Traffic. It’s Losing Its Audience.
Google no longer sends visitors; it sends answers. AI Overviews now sit on roughly half of searches and cut clicks to the top result by 58 percent. Your rankings did not change. The delivery system did. Here is what zero-click search means for a small business, why the traffic that remains converts better, and how to build a website that AI actually cites.
Your Brand Is Aging. Your Anniversary Is the Perfect Excuse for Change.
There’s a quiet kind of drift that happens to brands and websites — subtle shifts in tone, content, and design that go unnoticed until your digital presence feels dated or out of step with who you are today. Milestone anniversaries are more than celebrations; they’re opportunities to pause, reassess, and realign your brand with your current story. When John and Snyder reached their 10th year in business, a decade of deep relationships and evolving expertise called for a thoughtful refresh rather than a dramatic overhaul. This anniversary became the perfect reason to refine their brand with precision — proving that small, intentional updates can have a meaningful impact on how your company is perceived online.
What a Medical Practice Website Actually Needs
Patients visit a practice website to answer three questions: do you treat what I have, do you take my insurance, and how do I get in. Most practice sites answer none of them above the fold. Here is the checklist we use, from HIPAA-adjacent form handling to provider bios and the reviews schema that is worth doing honestly.
What a Law Firm Website Actually Needs
Most law firm websites are written for other lawyers. The person actually reading one is scared, on a phone, and deciding whether to call. Here is the checklist we use: bar-compliant disclaimers, intake that respects confidentiality, bios a referring attorney can trust, a referral path that works, and the technical basics that keep a firm out of trouble.
What a Coaching or Consulting Website Actually Needs
You are the product, which makes your website harder to build than most. Here is the checklist we use for coaches and consultants: one clear offer, proof without inflated claims, booking and payment that do not require an email thread, a lead magnet that is actually useful, and what the FTC now says about testimonials.
What an Author or Speaker Website Actually Needs
An author or speaker website has two customers: the reader who might buy the book, and the event planner who might book the talk. Most sites serve neither. Here is the checklist we use: a speaking page with real topics and fees, a press kit, an email list you control, book pages that link everywhere, and the podcast plumbing nobody mentions.
What a Small Business Website Actually Needs
A small business website has one job: make it easy for the right person to decide you are the right company and reach you. Here is the checklist we use: the five questions every visitor is asking, local search done properly, forms that reach a human, the hosting and security that keep the lights on, and the features you do not need yet.
What a Nonprofit Website Actually Needs
A nonprofit website serves donors, funders, volunteers, and the people you exist for, and they all arrive with different questions. Here is the checklist we use: a donation flow that does not lose people, the disclosures state regulators require, the transparency page program officers look for, accessibility as a mission commitment, and stories told with consent.
What an Artist or Creative Studio Website Actually Needs
The work is the point, and the website’s job is to get out of its way while still doing business. Here is the checklist we use for artists, photographers, and studios: a portfolio that loads fast and looks right, a CV curators can scan, licensing and image protection that are honest about what is possible, inquiry flows for commissions and representation, and selling without a marketplace’s cut.
What an Interior Design Website Actually Needs
Interior design clients hire on trust and taste, and they decide both from the website. Here is the checklist we use: project pages with a before, an after, and a story; a process page that filters out the wrong clients; an inquiry form that asks about budget without apology; photographer credits and usage rights; and a trade or press page that saves the studio hours a week.