Little Blue Studio builds websites the way great authors craft stories: by starting with the heart of the narrative.
Speaking with Website Planet, Creative Director Elaine Hennessy explains how her team begins every project with deep listening to uncover the emotions, values, and history that define a brand. From there, they shape a digital experience where design, content, and interaction all serve a clear narrative purpose.
The result is a website that doesn’t just look intentional, it feels alive — a true extension of the organisation behind it.
How do you translate a client’s story and values into the strategy behind a bespoke website design?
At Little Blue Studio, every website begins with a story, the client’s story. We believe that storytelling is the foundation of impactful design, transforming a website from a digital brochure into a living expression of a brand’s purpose and personality. Our process begins with deep listening: through immersive workshops and collaborative discovery sessions, we learn what truly defines the organisation, its history, people, values, and ambitions. From there, we shape a digital narrative that unfolds naturally through visuals, content, and interaction.
We avoid templates and generic frameworks because no two stories are alike. Instead, we craft unique digital environments where design decisions are guided by emotion, intent, and strategy. Our creative team uses storytelling techniques similar to film or literature, pacing, tone, and visual rhythm, to guide users through an experience that feels authentic and memorable.
This approach ensures that every project becomes a genuine reflection of our client’s brand and values. The outcome is not just a beautiful website, but one that inspires engagement, builds trust, and leaves a lasting impression on every visitor.
What is your process for designing and building a website that reflects it?
Our process for designing and developing a website is both creative and strategic, blending deep brand insight with outstanding execution.
It begins with discovery and research through stakeholder interviews, brand workshops, and audience analysis. We uncover the organisation’s tone, purpose, and personality. This foundational stage informs every creative and technical decision that follows.
When it comes to design, we work in Figma to create interactive prototypes, allowing clients to experience the flow and structure before a single line of code is written. Our UX and UI designers collaborate to balance aesthetics with usability, ensuring intuitive navigation, accessible layouts, and cohesive branding across every screen size. Each design choice from the hierarchy of content to the placement of calls-to-action is intentional, reinforcing the brand’s visual and emotional language.
To bring that story to life, we collaborate with best-in-class photographers, videographers, and content writers who capture the essence of the brand through authentic imagery, compelling narratives, and immersive media. This ensures that every element of the website, from the visuals to the voice, tells a consistent, engaging story.
Once the design is approved, our in-house development team builds the site using custom-coded WordPress frameworks powered by PHP, HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. The result is a fast, secure, and flexible website that performs beautifully across devices.
By the time a site goes live, it doesn’t just look like the brand — it feels like the brand, extending its personality and purpose authentically into the digital realm.
How do you approach accessibility (WCAG) and performance when delivering responsive websites?
Accessibility and performance are central to every project we deliver. We believe a truly great website should be inclusive and accessible to all users, regardless of ability or device, while also delivering seamless, high-speed performance. All of our websites are built with accessibility best practices in mind, and we offer full WCAG 2.2 AA compliance and Universal Design integration as an enhanced service for clients who wish to meet this higher accessibility standard.
From the coding stage, we structure content with semantic HTML, ensuring screen readers and assistive technologies can interpret it correctly. We apply best practices such as descriptive alt text for images, clear focus states, appropriate ARIA roles, and keyboard navigability. During testing, we validate compliance using accessibility evaluation tools such as WAVE and Axe, alongside manual testing with screen readers to ensure real-world usability.
Performance is equally important. We host our websites on optimised LiteSpeed and cloud servers configured for WordPress, enabling sub-three-second page load times and a smoother browsing experience. Our code is lean, responsive, and tested across browsers and devices for consistent display and interactivity.
This dual focus on accessibility and performance not only improves user experience but also strengthens SEO and long-term maintainability. The result is a site that performs beautifully, reaches a wider audience, and aligns with the latest digital standards for inclusivity and excellence.
What distinguishes your custom-coded web solutions from templated or off-the-shelf designs?
The difference between our work and a templated website is the difference between a tailored suit and something bought off the rack. At Little Blue Studio, every website is designed and coded entirely in-house to meet the exact needs of the client, both functionally and emotionally. We don’t rely on pre-made templates or off-the-shelf products that limit creativity or scalability.
Our development team builds each site from the ground up using PHP, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and WordPress, ensuring it’s unique, flexible, and secure. This approach allows us to craft dynamic, high-performance experiences that evolve with the client’s business rather than constraining it. Because our sites are custom-built, we can integrate advanced functionality such as booking systems, e-commerce, accessibility features, and interactive maps without compromising on design quality or speed.
More importantly, our bespoke solutions enable brands to express their individuality. We translate their story and design identity into a digital platform that feels truly their own. By avoiding generic templates, we ensure each client stands out in a crowded digital landscape while maintaining the reliability and manageability of a CMS they can control. The result: websites that not only look exceptional but perform seamlessly, grow sustainably, and deliver a measurable return on investment.
Who are your typical clients (e.g., SMEs, government, education), and how does your workflow differ across sectors?
Little Blue Studio works with a diverse range of clients from SMEs and tourism businesses to public bodies, educational organisations, and cultural institutions. Each sector brings its own objectives, audiences, and digital challenges, and our workflow adapts accordingly to deliver the most effective outcomes.
For tourism and experience-based clients, such as the Shackelton Experience, Cliffs of Moher Retreat, Doolin Cave or West Kerry Brewery, our focus is on immersive storytelling, visual engagement, and clear booking pathways. For government and education clients, like Oide and KWETB, our approach prioritises clarity and structured navigation to meet compliance and public service standards. Corporate clients like Monaghan Peace Campus and Beds of Silk, often benefit from integrations, brand differentiation, and conversion-focused UX design.
Despite these variations, our methodology remains consistent: research, collaboration, design, development, testing, and post-launch support. Every project begins with a discovery phase to define strategy and objectives. From there, we create tailored UX prototypes, conduct user testing, and manage the full development lifecycle through a collaborative project management platform.
This adaptability, combined with over 20 years of experience and a deeply client-centred approach, allows us to deliver websites that are not only visually compelling but strategically effective, no matter the industry or scale.
How do you support clients post-launch in terms of maintenance, hosting, or ongoing digital growth?
Our relationship with clients doesn’t end when a website goes live; in fact, that’s when it truly begins. We see ourselves as long-term digital partners, providing continuous support, maintenance, and consultancy to ensure every site performs at its best and evolves alongside the organisation’s goals.
All Little Blue Studio websites are hosted on our private cloud servers, optimised for WordPress and managed entirely in-house. This means we can respond instantly to client needs, update configurations, and maintain uptime without relying on third parties. Our WordPress Support and Maintenance service, free for the first three months post-launch, includes core and plugin updates, database backups, malware scans, speed optimisation, and technical monitoring. Clients can contact us directly for support, and most issues are resolved within minutes during business hours.
Beyond technical upkeep, we also provide training, analytics, and strategic support. Clients receive detailed CMS training sessions and ongoing advice on content strategy, SEO, and digital growth. By blending proactive maintenance with creative consultancy, we help ensure our clients’ websites remain secure, high-performing, and aligned with their evolving business goals. This long-term commitment to service and partnership is one of the hallmarks that truly define Little Blue Studio.
Find out more at: www.littlebluestudio.ie
