Not every project needs a big launch moment to be meaningful. This quarter has been full of thoughtful, behind-the-scenes work, the kind that improves how things function, feel, and last over time.
Taigh Chearsabhagh; Faodail | Found – WordPress & Vimeo Integration for a Multilingual Video Archive
One of the projects we’ve been quietly working on this quarter is Faodail | Found, a multilingual digital archive led by Taigh Chearsabhagh and UistFilm in North Uist.
At its heart, it’s about preserving and sharing social history through film, bringing together community-submitted footage and stories into a living archive of the Outer Hebrides. It’s the kind of project that reminds us why we do what we do: digital used carefully, to hold and share something deeply human.
From a build perspective, this has been a rewarding challenge. The platform centres around video, using Vimeo as a stable home for the films, while WordPress brings everything together, from searchable collections and interactive maps to structured metadata like locations, themes, and time periods.
Gaelic and English translation, structured video content, and bespoke WordPress training
We’ve also built in full Gaelic and English multilingual functionality from the ground up, ensuring both languages feel equally considered. Behind the scenes, that structure allows the experience to feel simple and intuitive for the people using it.
Alongside the build, March also saw Paul deliver bespoke training sessions, supported by tailored video guides embedded within the WordPress dashboard. These are designed to build confidence and independence, so the team can continue to grow and shape the archive long after launch.
Officers’ Association Scotland – Building a Connected WordPress & CiviCRM Membership Platform
This quarter we’ve been working with the Officers’ Association Scotland on a new website and membership platform, supporting people as they transition from military to civilian life.
The organisation offers career support, financial advice, events, and grants, but their existing digital setup was no longer able to support that breadth of work. This project is about bringing everything into a single, joined-up system.
WordPress and CiviCRM Integration for Membership Platforms
At the centre is a combined WordPress and CiviCRM platform, supporting both public-facing content and more complex membership journeys.
A key decision has been to separate the website and CRM into two connected environments, keeping the public site fast and accessible, while allowing the membership portal to handle data, events, and user interactions more securely and flexibly.
A big part of the work has focused on simplifying a complex data landscape. By structuring this within CiviCRM, we’re enabling clearer reporting, better communication, and more meaningful relationships with members.
We’re reaching the close of this project and aim to be launching in April/May.
Dorothy Dunnett Society – Using Colour in Website Design to Strengthen Brand Identity
The Dorothy Dunnett Society is a membership organisation dedicated to celebrating the work of Dorothy Dunnett, best known for the Lymond Chronicles. With a global community of readers, the Society connects people through events, publications, and shared exploration of her work.
One of the most interesting parts of this project hasn’t been technical, it’s been the conversations around colour.
How thoughtful colour choices shape user experience, accessibility and recognition
Working closely with the team, we’ve explored how colour shapes not just the look of the site, but how it feels to use. These decisions aren’t about trends, they’re about clarity, accessibility, and longevity.
A particularly meaningful thread has been around a specific shade of blue, associated with a key character in Dunnett’s work. It acts as an anchor, creating an immediate sense of recognition when readers arrive, a quiet signal that they’re in the right place.
These kinds of decisions might seem small, but they shape every interaction with the site. They’re a reminder that good design isn’t about quick choices, it’s about taking the time to understand what truly fits.
Museum Nord – Website Codebase Refresh vs Full Redesign
Museum Nord is a network of museums and heritage sites across Northern Norway, sharing the stories of coastal life through exhibitions, collections, and historic locations.
This has been one of the most noticeable visual changes we’ve made this quarter, even though much of the work has happened behind the scenes.
Improving performance, usability and flexibility without rebuilding from scratch
Rather than starting from scratch, we’ve focused on evolving an existing, content-rich platform. That’s meant updating the codebase, modernising the theme structure, and removing legacy elements that were starting to hold things back.
On the frontend, those changes are beginning to show. The site now feels more open, more intuitive, and better able to showcase Museum Nord’s incredible imagery. Small shifts in layout and navigation have made a big difference to how the site feels to use.
This is the kind of work we encourage organisations to consider every few years, not a full redesign, but a thoughtful refresh that keeps things running smoothly and ready to grow.
For Museum Nord, it’s extended the lifespan of their theme, and dramatically helped reduce costs by amalgamating separate websites into their parent website.
Cotswold Canals Trust – Cost-Effective Booking Systems Using WordPress Plugins
We’ve also been working with Cotswold Canals Trust on evolving their bookings and online systems, a great example of building effectively on top of existing tools.
The Trust is a membership charity dedicated to restoring and preserving the historic canals of the Cotswolds, supporting wildlife, encouraging outdoor activity, and reconnecting communities with these landscapes.
Combining WooCommerce and CiviCRM for flexible, scalable bookings
Rather than reinventing everything, the approach has been to extend trusted WordPress plugins in the right places. By combining tools like WooCommerce and CiviCRM, we’re bringing bookings, payments, and supporter data into a more joined-up system, one that reflects how the organisation operates day to day.
It’s a reminder that with the right structure, open-source tools can go a long way, delivering something flexible, robust, and cost-effective.
Humanist Society Scotland – Improving Website Accessibility Through Better Design
Some of the most impactful work we do isn’t always the most visible. And that’s quite literally the problem here!
With Humanist Society Scotland, we’ve begun addressing a small accessibility issue within a full-width image call-to-action block, where text over imagery wasn’t as legible as it needed to be.
Designing more legible, consistent and user-friendly content blocks
We explored a series of alternative designs to improve contrast, clarity, and consistency, while maintaining flexibility for the team. The goal wasn’t just to fix one instance, but to create something that works reliably across the site, and helps content editors stay Accessible every time.
It’s a small change, but it reflects a bigger idea: accessibility isn’t a one-off task. It’s an ongoing process of thoughtful improvements that build up over time.
Moving from Mailchimp to CiviMail for Cost-Effective Email Marketing
A quieter but impactful strand of work this quarter has been helping organisations move from Mailchimp to CiviMail, including the Scottish Poetry Library and Regional Screen Scotland.
As contact lists grow, email platforms like Mailchimp can become costly, while also sitting slightly apart from the rest of an organisation’s data. That separation can make it harder to build a clear picture of audience engagement.
Bringing email campaigns and supporter data into one integrated system
By moving email activity into CiviMail, everything lives in one place — campaigns, contact records, engagement data, and reporting. This simplifies day-to-day workflows while enabling more meaningful communication.
It also brings significant cost savings, freeing up budget to be reinvested elsewhere. A small shift behind the scenes, but one that can have a lasting operational impact.
Supporting Digital Improvements Across WordPress, CiviCRM & Email Marketing
This quarter hasn’t been about big reveals, it’s been about thoughtful progress.
The kind of work that improves how things function, supports the people using them, and creates space for organisations to grow cost-effectively.
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