Future-Proof Design for Mudbowl Pottery
Megan Gianakouros
Future-Proof Design: Creating a Growth-Ready WordPress Site for Mudbowl Pottery
Client: Mudbowl Pottery
Role: Lead Designer & Developer
Timeline: 2 Weeks
Tools Used: Figma, WordPress, Adobe Creative Suite, UiChemy
The Gist: Mudbowl Pottery is a brand known for its whimsical, hand-thrown ceramics. They needed a website that reflected the tactile quality of their physical products while providing a seamless e-commerce experience for customers. My goal was to build a site that felt as authentic as the pottery itself.
The Challenge: Overcoming "The Portfolio Trap"
As a new brand, Mudbowl Pottery needed an immediate digital home to showcase a portfolio of work. While the client intends to sell online eventually, she wasn't operationally ready to manage inventory, shipping, and payment gateways immediately.
The challenge was to build a site that served her current need (a beautiful portfolio) without painting her into a corner. We needed to avoid a situation where she would have to pay for a complete rebuild the moment she decided to start selling.
The Solution: A "Commerce-Ready" WordPress Architecture
I acted as a technical consultant to define a roadmap for the website. Instead of forcing an e-commerce launch before the client was ready, or building a static site with no growth potential, I developed a modular WordPress solution.
Strategic Platform Choice: I chose WordPress for its flexibility. It allows for a robust content display now, with the infrastructure to support WooCommerce later.
"Hidden" Infrastructure: I designed the product pages and site structure to mirror an e-commerce layout (using individual custom post types or product templates). Currently, these pages function as a catalog that will soon have a "Contact for Inquiry" call to action feature.
The "Flip-the-Switch" Strategy: The backend is configured so that when the client is ready, we can install WooCommerce, replace the "Contact" buttons with "Add to Cart" buttons, and launch the store without changing the site's design or navigation flow.
Key Results
Zero Technical Debt: The client has a site that fits her current business model but is technically prepared for her future business model.
Cost Efficiency: By building the foundation correctly the first time, I saved the client the cost of a future migration or redesign.
Brand Legitimacy: The site allows Mudbowl Pottery to build an audience and SEO ranking now, so there is already traffic when the store eventually launches.
Need a website that grows with your business? I build digital products that look great today and are ready for tomorrow. Whether you need a simple portfolio or a full-scale store, let’s build a roadmap that works for you.
Like this project
Posted Jan 8, 2026
A scalable WordPress foundation for Mudbowl Pottery: Designing a portfolio site today that’s engineered for seamless e-commerce growth tomorrow.
