CMD Studio – Custom WordPress Website Design & Development

A custom-designed and developed WordPress website for an Australian modelmaking and specialised fabrication studio showcasing projects, capabilities, and services.

Services Provided

  • WordPress
  • Custom Theme
  • ACF Flexible Content
  • HTML to WordPress
  • Responsive Design
  • Performance Optimization

Final Results

  • Dynamic Project Management
  • Modern Visual Presentation
  • Fully Custom CMS
  • Scalable WordPress Build

Overview

CMD Studio is a Perth-based modelmaking and specialised fabrication studio delivering high-quality physical models, sculptures, and custom installations for museums, exhibitions, architects, builders, and public art projects. The client required a modern and flexible website to showcase their extensive project portfolio and wide range of fabrication capabilities.

The project involved designing and developing a fully custom WordPress website from scratch. The website was first built using HTML/CSS to establish a strong visual foundation and then converted into a custom WordPress theme using Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). This approach provided a scalable and easy-to-manage CMS, allowing CMD Studio to update projects, services, and content efficiently while maintaining a clean and professional online presence.

The Goal

The goal was to create a modern, professional, and fully responsive WordPress website that effectively showcases CMD Studio’s modelmaking and fabrication capabilities, highlights their diverse project portfolio, and strengthens their online brand presence.

Key objectives for the new website included:

  • Design & Develop the website with a clean, professional, and visually driven look.
  • Showcase completed projects to build credibility with clients and partners.
  • Highlight all services and fabrication capabilities clearly.
  • Provide a responsive and fast-loading experience across all devices.
  • Enable easy content management using WordPress and ACF Flexible Content.
  • Support scalability for future projects and content updates.
  • Optimise for SEO to increase search visibility in Australia and beyond.

Research

To define the direction for CMD Studio’s new website, we researched multiple modelmaking, fabrication, and creative studio websites across Australia. Competitor analysis focused on design trends, project presentation, service highlighting, and client engagement strategies.

This research helped identify the best ways to present CMD Studio’s diverse capabilities, showcase high-profile projects effectively, and create a visually appealing, user-friendly, and professional online presence.

Target Audience

The website was designed to appeal to a diverse audience, including architects, builders, museum curators, exhibition designers, event planners, and public art coordinators. The target audience also includes international clients seeking high-quality modelmaking, fabrication, and large-scale installation services.

By understanding the audience, the site was structured to clearly showcase CMD Studio’s capabilities, highlight completed projects, and provide an easy way for potential clients to enquire or collaborate.

Needs & Requirements:

The CMD Studio website needed a solution that could effectively showcase its wide range of modelmaking and fabrication capabilities while remaining easy to manage for the client. Key requirements included:

  • A fully custom WordPress theme tailored to CMD Studio’s branding and project portfolio.
  • Flexible content management using ACF to allow dynamic project and service updates.
  • Responsive design for optimal viewing on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
  • Optimized performance and fast page load times for a professional user experience.
  • Clear presentation of projects and services to attract potential clients and collaborators.
  • SEO-friendly structure to increase visibility in Australian and international markets.

The Solution:

We recommended building a fully custom WordPress website from scratch with a flexible CMS structure using ACF Flexible Content. The solution focused on presenting CMD Studio’s services and capabilities clearly, showcasing their diverse project portfolio, and providing an easy-to-manage backend for the client.

The website was designed to:

  • Highlight all modelmaking and fabrication services with a clear and professional layout.
  • Showcase completed projects with high-quality images and descriptions to build credibility.
  • Provide a modern, responsive design for seamless user experience across devices.
  • Enable easy content management and updates using WordPress and ACF.
  • Incorporate strong calls-to-action to generate client enquiries and collaboration requests.
  • Ensure scalability for future projects and additional content.
  • Optimize for SEO to improve visibility for both Australian and international clients.

Design

The design of CMD Studio’s website focused on visually showcasing their projects and capabilities while maintaining a clean, professional, and modern layout. The goal was to create a user-friendly interface that allows visitors to easily explore services, view completed projects, and understand the studio’s expertise in modelmaking and specialised fabrication.

Design considerations included:

  • Clean and minimal layouts to highlight project visuals.
  • Consistent typography and color scheme reflecting CMD Studio’s brand identity.
  • Intuitive navigation for smooth exploration of services and projects.
  • Responsive design ensuring optimal experience on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
  • Flexible sections using ACF to allow easy updates and scalability.

Focus on lead generation and conversion rate

The website design focused on highlighting CMD Studio’s craftsmanship, technical expertise, and diverse project portfolio. Key focus areas included:

  • Showcasing high-quality project visuals to reflect attention to detail and creativity.
  • Presenting services and capabilities in a clear and accessible manner.
  • Creating a modern, professional aesthetic aligned with the brand identity.
  • Providing an intuitive and seamless user experience across all devices.
  • Implementing flexible content blocks using ACF for easy updates and scalability.

Wireframes

The CMD Studio website was developed as a fully custom WordPress theme, converting the original HTML design into a dynamic and scalable CMS. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) were used to create flexible content blocks for projects, services, and media galleries, allowing the client to easily manage content. The development process also included responsive layouts, optimized page performance, and cross-browser compatibility to ensure a seamless experience across all devices.

Development

The CMD Studio website was built as a fully custom WordPress theme after developing the initial HTML design. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) Flexible Content was implemented to allow the client full control over projects, services, and media galleries. The development focused on creating a responsive, fast-loading, and scalable site with optimized performance, smooth navigation, and a professional visual presentation of CMD Studio’s fabrication and modelmaking expertise.

Page Speed Optimization & Performance

During development, special attention was given to page speed and overall performance. Optimized images, minified CSS/JS, and efficient coding practices were implemented to ensure fast loading times across all devices, enhancing user experience and improving SEO performance for CMD Studio’s website.

Custom WordPress Theme & ACF Implementation

The website was developed as a fully custom WordPress theme, with Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) Flexible Content integrated to allow dynamic management of projects, services, and media galleries. This ensured CMD Studio could easily update content, add new projects, and maintain a consistent, professional presentation across the website without any technical limitations.

Responsive Design & Cross-Device Compatibility

Responsive Design & Cross-Device Compatibility

SEO & Technical Optimization

The development process included on-page SEO setup, structured content, and technical optimizations to improve search visibility. Clean code, proper heading hierarchy, meta tags, and fast-loading pages ensured that CMD Studio’s website not only looked professional but also performed well in search engines, supporting both local and international client discovery.

Overall, the development of CMD Studio’s website combined custom WordPress theme design, ACF Flexible Content integration, responsive layouts, performance optimization, and SEO best practices. This resulted in a scalable, easy-to-manage platform that effectively showcases CMD Studio’s modelmaking and fabrication expertise while providing an excellent user experience for clients and partners.

Results

The new CMD Studio website delivered excellent results for the client. Key highlights include:

  • Modern and professional design, significantly enhancing user experience.
  • Clear showcase of projects and services, attracting more client enquiries.
  • Fully responsive and fast-loading across all devices.
  • Scalable and easy-to-manage WordPress backend using ACF Flexible Content.
  • Improved SEO visibility for industry-specific searches in Australia and internationally.
  • Enhanced credibility and trust among clients through well-presented projects and capabilities.

Final Thoughts

CMD Studio expressed great satisfaction with the new website. The fully custom WordPress build with ACF Flexible Content allows them to manage projects, services, and media effortlessly. The modern, responsive design has improved user engagement, clearly presenting their modelmaking and fabrication capabilities to clients. Enhanced SEO, fast loading times, and scalable architecture have strengthened their online presence and credibility. Overall, the client is pleased with the professional, easy-to-manage, and visually compelling website that effectively represents CMD Studio’s expertise.

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