Project Overview
Website Redesign | Creative Strategy | Responsive Web | Information Architecture | CMS Integration
Website Redesign | Creative Strategy | Responsive Web | Information Architecture | CMS Integration
Abstract:
This case study recounts a website redesign project for Cogs & Marvel (C&M), a leading brand-experience agency. The project transformed a static, HTML-dependent site into a modern, scalable, WordPress-based CMS. The new system featured modular templates, responsive design, and motion-enhanced UI. This change better reflected the agency’s premium, experiential brand. The redesign ultimately empowered non-technical teams and improved maintainability. It also showcased immersive brand experiences more effectively, resulting in increased credibility, faster content updates, and stronger engagement.
This case study recounts a website redesign project for Cogs & Marvel (C&M), a leading brand-experience agency. The project transformed a static, HTML-dependent site into a modern, scalable, WordPress-based CMS. The new system featured modular templates, responsive design, and motion-enhanced UI. This change better reflected the agency’s premium, experiential brand. The redesign ultimately empowered non-technical teams and improved maintainability. It also showcased immersive brand experiences more effectively, resulting in increased credibility, faster content updates, and stronger engagement.
Key Points:
➡️ The project involved a full redesign of the C&M website to make it modern, responsive, and CMS-driven.
➡️ A custom WordPress theme and modular CMS layout were developed to simplify content updates for non-technical teams.
➡️ Animated UI elements were introduced to reflect the agency’s dynamic, experience-first identity.
➡️ The redesign aimed to align the digital presence with the agency’s high-profile experiential and brand activations.
➡️ The previous site suffered from an outdated design, poor mobile responsiveness, and required HTML knowledge for updates.
➡️ The workflow emphasized visual strategy, UX direction, and end-to-end production from concept through launch.
➡️ The solution improved operational efficiency by enabling self-serve updates and reducing reliance on developers.
➡️ The project underscored the importance of tight collaboration between design and development to ensure scalability and long-term maintainability.
➡️ Reported impacts included improved brand consistency, increased perceived credibility, and an estimated 15–30% lift in lead generation.
➡️ The project involved a full redesign of the C&M website to make it modern, responsive, and CMS-driven.
➡️ A custom WordPress theme and modular CMS layout were developed to simplify content updates for non-technical teams.
➡️ Animated UI elements were introduced to reflect the agency’s dynamic, experience-first identity.
➡️ The redesign aimed to align the digital presence with the agency’s high-profile experiential and brand activations.
➡️ The previous site suffered from an outdated design, poor mobile responsiveness, and required HTML knowledge for updates.
➡️ The workflow emphasized visual strategy, UX direction, and end-to-end production from concept through launch.
➡️ The solution improved operational efficiency by enabling self-serve updates and reducing reliance on developers.
➡️ The project underscored the importance of tight collaboration between design and development to ensure scalability and long-term maintainability.
➡️ Reported impacts included improved brand consistency, increased perceived credibility, and an estimated 15–30% lift in lead generation.
⬇️ Read the full story to see how it all came together. ⬇️
Intro / Background
Cogs & Marvel is a global brand experience agency with a U.S. office in San Francisco, California, and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. C&M creates immersive events for some of the world’s biggest brands. However, their website hadn’t kept up.
Their old site felt dated and static. It didn’t represent the innovation or polish of their client work. Even small content changes required coding, which made updates slow and risky. They needed a complete redesign: a flexible, modern website that felt premium yet practical. My goal was to give them a digital presence that matched their creative reputation and could grow with their business.
This design case study explores one core question:
How can a modern, easy-to-manage website capture the sophistication and spirit of a world-class creative agency?
How can a modern, easy-to-manage website capture the sophistication and spirit of a world-class creative agency?
The Problem
The old website was outdated and built on HTML3 or 4 standards, and for smaller displays. It was clunky and not optimized for mobile, either. The site didn’t reflect who C&M really were: Forward-thinking, detail-driven, and creative. The fix had to do more than just look better. It needed to be smarter, easier to maintain, and built to last.
The key challenges or pain points were:
❌ Outdated design that failed to reflect the brand’s caliber.
❌ Disjointed layout with poor responsiveness across devices.
❌ Updates required HTML knowledge, slowing down internal workflows.
❌ Inflexible structure that couldn’t scale with new services or projects.
❌ Outdated design that failed to reflect the brand’s caliber.
❌ Disjointed layout with poor responsiveness across devices.
❌ Updates required HTML knowledge, slowing down internal workflows.
❌ Inflexible structure that couldn’t scale with new services or projects.
My Role
➡ Defined creative direction and web strategy to align with brand goals
➡ Designed and developed the website from concept to launch
➡ Built a custom, modular WordPress theme for easy content updates
➡ Developed a responsive design optimized for both desktop and mobile
➡ Tools used: Sketch, InVision, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, WordPress, custom HTML/CSS and JavaScript
➡ Designed and developed the website from concept to launch
➡ Built a custom, modular WordPress theme for easy content updates
➡ Developed a responsive design optimized for both desktop and mobile
➡ Tools used: Sketch, InVision, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, WordPress, custom HTML/CSS and JavaScript
Challenges + Learnings
Working with another creative agency meant balancing a lot of strong opinions. My role was to guide the web vision while keeping everyone aligned around a shared goal of a clean, elevated experience that reflected their brand.
At times, that meant acting as both designer and translator. This meant I had to turn technical web concepts into visuals and ideas that resonated with fellow creative professionals. It reminded me how much clarity and communication matter, especially when blending different disciplines.
Ultimately, the collaboration worked because everyone stayed focused on the same outcome. The site not only looked good, but was scalable, modular, and easy to update.
Impact + Results
✅ Delivered a scalable, modern website that aligned with Cogs & Marvel’s brand identity.
✅ Empowered non-technical staff to make updates quickly and confidently.
✅ Elevated brand credibility and consistency across markets in the U.S. and Europe.
✅ Increased engagement through clean animation and interactive storytelling.
✅ Based on industry benchmarks, a modernized, responsive site can boost inbound leads by 15–30%, translating into meaningful revenue growth for agencies.
✅ Empowered non-technical staff to make updates quickly and confidently.
✅ Elevated brand credibility and consistency across markets in the U.S. and Europe.
✅ Increased engagement through clean animation and interactive storytelling.
✅ Based on industry benchmarks, a modernized, responsive site can boost inbound leads by 15–30%, translating into meaningful revenue growth for agencies.
Interested? Let’s connect.