Web design questions, plainly answered.

Yes. Performance is part of the design, not just the build. Image sizes, font choices, and interaction decisions are made with real-world connections in mind, including the patchier mobile signal across rural Norfolk and elsewhere. On modern JS builds especially, sites stay fast even on slow networks.

Yes. The design phase shapes the things SEO most cares about: page structure, heading hierarchy, content priority, image handling, and Core Web Vitals. The Grow pillar covers the ongoing SEO work (technical, onsite, AEO, AI-augmented), but the design itself gets the foundations right.

WCAG 2.1 AA basics are handled by default on every project: colour contrast, focus states, reading order, type sizes, and keyboard navigation. This isn't an add-on; it's built into the design phase rather than patched in later. Charities and public-sector clients sometimes need more thorough compliance work, which we'll scope as part of the project if needed.

Yes. Every site we design is built mobile-first and tested across breakpoints. More than half of most websites' visitors arrive on a phone, so mobile isn't an afterthought; it's the starting point.

Yes. Most of our clients are right across the UK, with a few further afield. We're based in north Norfolk, but the work happens remotely for most projects. Local clients we'll often come to; everyone else gets a proper video call that runs to time.

Yes, occasionally. We can deliver a design as a self-contained package (concepts, design specs, and any assets you'd hand to another developer). It's less common than the full end-to-end work, but we'll do it where it makes sense. The discovery call works out whether design-only is the right shape.

It depends on the approach and the scope. Single-page sites start from £350. Standard WordPress sites (up to 12 pages) start from £550. Custom WordPress sites start from £750. Modern JS framework sites start from £600. WordPress e-commerce starts from £1,000. Bespoke design pairs with the build it's chosen for, so pricing follows the relevant build tier. Full detail lives on the Build page, and every project is fixed-quoted before any work begins.

The discovery call works it out. The short version: WordPress is best if you want to add to the site yourself with familiar tools and the breadth of the plugin ecosystem. Modern JS is best for speed, security, and longevity. Bespoke is best when the design itself is part of how the business presents itself. Single page is best when one page is genuinely enough. We'll walk through the trade-offs honestly and tell you straight if one of them doesn't fit your project.

We work in three main design approaches plus a simpler single-page option. Bespoke Web Design is fully custom, typically paired with modern JS or custom builds. WordPress Web Design is bespoke design tuned for WordPress with Divi, easy for clients to extend themselves. Modern Web Design uses Astro or Next.js with Payload CMS, fast and lighter to look after. Single Page Web Design sits alongside these as a smaller-scope, lower-price option for sole traders, side projects, and holding pages. Each approach has its own page with full detail.

No. Every BrainWeb design is custom. On WordPress builds we use a custom Divi child theme built specifically for your design, not a purchased Divi theme that thousands of others run. On modern JS builds (Astro or Next.js) there's no theme system at all; the design is the design.

A site designed from scratch for your business, not adapted from a theme. The structure, typography, photography, and small interactions are all chosen for you specifically. We don't start with a generic template and customise it; we start with a blank page and design from there. A bespoke design can be quiet, restrained, or classical, it doesn't have to be flashy. The point is that every decision is deliberate, made for you, and not running on thousands of other sites.

Most of the time it's Ric, the founder. The same person who took the first call, wrote the proposal, and will oversee the build. No briefs lost in translation between a strategist, a designer, and a developer in different rooms. Where a project genuinely benefits from another pair of hands (a specialist illustrator, a copywriter), we bring in a trusted collaborator and tell you who.

Tell us straight. The First Look step exists specifically so you can react honestly and early, before we've built anything. We don't take design feedback personally; the goal is to land on the right direction for your business, not to defend the first sketch. The earlier and more honestly you tell us what isn't working, the better the next round will be.

One concept for the homepage and one key internal page to start with. Multiple competing concepts up front would be a waste of your time and ours. We'd rather invest properly in one direction we believe in than spread thin across two or three. If the direction isn't right, we'll talk about what's not working and rework it.

One concept for the homepage and one key internal page to start with. Multiple competing concepts up front would be a waste of your time and ours. We'd rather invest properly in one direction we believe in than spread thin across two or three. If the direction isn't right, we'll talk about what's not working and rework it.

After the initial conversation and the Groundwork (where you send us logos, copy, photos, and anything else we'll need), we put together an initial design concept, typically the homepage and one key internal page. You give us your reactions, we work through revisions together, and we sign off on a direction. Once that's agreed, the build phase starts. The design phase usually runs 2 to 3 weeks from start to sign-off.

This is one of the reasons WordPress with Divi is the right call for plenty of clients. The Divi editor lets you make meaningful design changes yourself once we've handed over. Modern JS sites with Payload CMS give you content control rather than layout control: you can change copy, swap images, and add pages, but you can't redesign the homepage. Bespoke and custom builds sit further along that spectrum still. The discovery call works out which level of editing control fits your needs.

Yes. Every site is designed from scratch around the business behind it, so two BrainWeb sites should look as different from each other as two well-designed sites by any small studio. There's a thread of editorial sensibility that runs through our work (typography doing the visual work, generous whitespace, real photography, restrained colour), but the visual language, palette, and tone of each site comes from the client's brand and audience, not from a house style we paste onto everything.

We can do it, with judgement. Animation and interactivity used sparingly can make a site feel considered; used heavily, they age fast and slow the site down. We tend to design with a few well-placed moments rather than animations everywhere. If the brief genuinely needs heavy interactivity (an interactive tool, a configurator, a custom data visualisation), we'll talk through whether a Bespoke or Modern approach is the right fit.

Where the project genuinely needs them. The brand style leans heavily on real photography rather than illustration, but custom icons, hand-drawn diagrams, or editorial illustrations are a fit on some projects. We'll talk through whether it's right for yours and quote any custom illustration as part of the project, or recommend an illustrator we trust if the work warrants a specialist.

Yes, by default. If you've got an established brand (logo, colours, typography, voice), we'll design the site to feel like a natural extension of it. If you want us to refresh or rework part of the brand for the web specifically, we'll have that conversation openly and price the extra work clearly. We won't quietly redesign your brand under cover of redesigning your website.

Bring what you've got. If you've got a logo, brand colours, and a photo library, we'll work to that. If you've got a logo and not much else, we can build the rest. If you've got nothing yet, we can help with photography (commissioned or sourced) and basic brand setup. Real photos of your actual business will almost always outperform stock, so it's worth investing there if you can.

Not necessarily, but the more we know about what you want to say, the better the design serves it. If you've got copy, send it in the Groundwork stage. If you don't, we can help: we offer copywriting and AI-assisted writing as a separate service, with editorial oversight. Even a rough sketch ("here's roughly what each section should cover") is enough to start the design.