Project Spotlight: melpennant.com
I’m really happy to be sharing some one of my latest website designs with you today. This was such a fun website to work on, and I am in love with the colours we used!
The Brief
Mel Pennant is a debut author, whose book, A Murder for Miss Hortense, is being released in both the UK and the US next year (so keep your eyes out for it, because this one is going to be big!).
Mel is also a celebrated playwright, and has written for radio, and wanted a website that could showcase all facets of her writing, but with a focus on her upcoming novel. Mel had never had a website before and was slightly apprehensive as to what the process involved, and how we could incorporate all her different writing strands in one place.
The first thing to say about Mel’s website is that she had the most beautiful headshots! So I was determined to use one front-and-centre on the homepage. I’m sure you’ll agree that they really make a difference to the design and give that warm and welcoming feel that Mel was after.
We were also lucky that she has such beautiful, colourful and bright colours on the covers for her book - so we made sure to incorporate these into the website’s design too.
Mel wanted to add a countdown-to-release timer to the homepage, which was fun, and we also made use of the beautiful illustrative elements from both her US and UK covers to add some charm and interest to the overall design.
I really loved working on Mel’s website - it was nice to be able to do something bold and bright! I’ve also known Mel for years as we did an MA in Screenwriting together many moons ago, so it was lovely to catch up with her on a personal level too.
Scroll down to see more of Mel’s website, and find out what Mel thought about our project together.
Mel’s Verdict
“I love my new site! I’m very proud of it. It captures exactly what I was trying to achieve... Because Charlotte’s an author she gets it. That’s important. As a debut author, there can be a lot of fear around the unknown and it’s reassuring to know that you don’t have to explain that to Charlotte and that she is going to get what you are trying to achieve and provide guidance as to what can be achieved. I wanted the website to complement the work around the publicity of my debut novel and Charlotte was able to collaborate with members of my publicity team to achieve that. I also wanted a space that captured my other writing spaces and Charlotte was able to achieve that. I said I wanted a countdown to publication of my debut novel – Charlotte also gave me that! I’d say as an author looking to create a website, what Charlotte offers is so unique.”
The Post-launch Q&A
Before working with Charlotte Duckworth Studio, when it came to my website I felt:
I didn't have a website before but had mulled about getting one done for ages. I debated what the value would be, whether it would be something I could embark on by myself and read a number of blogs and posts by other authors about the importance of your own webpage. I felt like I needed a space to create my own narrative about my writing world. As I've entered more into the publishing space the value of my own narrative has become more important.
What fears or hesitations did you have before deciding to work with Charlotte Duckworth Studio?
My fears were mainly around understanding how much I wanted to reveal of my personal self and trying to understand what boundaries I wanted to put in place for my private life and my public writer's life. My writer's life has been up until recently quite private. Permission was also a bit of a fear for me, like whose permission did I need to have for my website, my publishers etc. Getting all the material together was a bit of a fear - would I be able to get the right quality pictures etc, but generally Charlotte made the process very simple to navigate.
How do you expect your new site to change things for you?
It's great to have a place to direct interested parties to that I'm really proud of. The process of getting the website together has focussed me on who I think my audience is, what I think it is they might want from my website and what I can provide. It's been great to put in one place my writing journey and think about my journey in a way that I hadn't done before.
For someone on the fence about working with Charlotte Duckworth Studio, what would you say to them?
Firstly, Charlotte's an author so she gets it. That's important. As a debut author, there can be a lot of fear of the unknown, not being sure in the space and it's reassuring to know that you don't have to explain that to Charlotte and that she is going to get what you are trying to achieve and even provide a bit of a guide as to what can be achieved. For me the personal connection was also important. I did an MA with Charlotte many years ago so I knew she was the real deal. I'd say as an author looking to create a website, what Charlotte offers is so unique. The process can form part of your publication journey. The launch of my website has come at a really good time when the dial is being turned up a notch in preparation for the publication for my debut. The website now complements that process but is something I am in control of. The process also enables you to engage with really important questions - who are you as an author, what do you want your audience to see and know about you and how will you engage with them.
How do you feel about your completed website?
I love it! I'm very proud of it. It captures exactly what I was trying to achieve and I wasn't even really sure what that was before I entered the process but through Charlotte's questioning I was able to discover and articulate what my webpage now is. Because Charlotte's an author she gets it. That's important. As a debut author, there can be a lot of fear around the unknown and it's reassuring to know that you don't have to explain that to Charlotte and that she is going to get what you are trying to achieve and provide guidance as to what can be achieved. The process of getting the website together has focussed me into thinking about my audience and how I want to engage with them and it's been great to put in one place my writing journey and the process of working with Charlotte has made me think about it in a way that I hadn't done before. I wanted the website to complement the work around the publicity of my debut novel and Charlotte was able to collaborate with members of my publicity team to achieve that. I also wanted a space that captured my other writing spaces and Charlotte was able to achieve that. I said I wanted a countdown to publication of my debut novel – Charlotte also gave me that! I'd say as an author looking to create a website, what Charlotte offers is so unique.
Would you recommend Charlotte Duckworth Studio to a friend who also needed to build an author website?
Yes! Absolutely!
