PROJECT: Elli Morris stills & motion brand website
CLIENT: Elli Morris of Elli Morris stills & motion
OBJECTIVES: Migrate HTML site to WordPress; completely redesign site to deliver high impact visuals in line with a new brand positioning strategy
MY ROLES: WordPress website design and development
ADDITIONAL CREDITS: This was a very collaborative project with significant client input

“No words.” She said. “I communicate with images, I don’t want any words.“

And so began an adventure of sorts where we explored the limits of what didn’t — and did — need to be said.

Elli’s far out ideas directly contradicted nearly every aspect of conventional web design, but Elli isn’t a conventional client.

For starters we’re friends; and we’d worked together before. I’d noticed a blue Subaru topped by an orange kayak parked around the corner from my house. Ooooh, another kayaker in the hood. Being always eager to meet fellow water peeps, my fingers crossed that I’d run into the owner. And, sure ’nuff, I did.

At the time she was doing commercial photography and finishing up her self-published book, Cooling the South. She called me in to help maintain the existing book/book tour website while she was on the road. After that we collaborated on a pro bono website project promoting Chesterfield County Outdoor Programs.

Since then, Elli has made a name for herself as a bold, edgy portrait and action photographer and award-winning documentary film maker. It was time to completely reinvent her website to reflect that passion for pushing the envelope — she wanted to break all the rules, no holds barred. How often does a designer get asked to do that … by a client who means it!?!!

I am one lucky gal.

There was a lot of trial, testing and error. Beta users graciously provided feedback about how it felt to navigate a completely unfamiliar model. Adjustments were made and unmade … and a couple of times we almost lost our nerve. But with all said and done, there are only 25 distinct words throughout the portfolio section of her site — and six of them make up the titles of her book and award-winning documentary film.

The website, quite literally, speaks for itself.

full length page layouts:

photo gallery page

gallery image, lightbox view

blog entry page

gallery page with drop-down navigation activated

about/contact page

Check out Elli’s fabulous photography and videos here.