Author Website & Brand Identity • Wordpress

Janette Ayachi is a Scottish-Algerian poet and writer based in Edinburgh. She is celebrated for her vivid and emotionally resonant poetry, which often explores themes of identity, belonging, and the interplay between culture and personal history. Her debut collection, Hand Over Mouth Music, won the 2019 Saltire Literary Award for Poetry Book of the Year, establishing her as a significant voice in contemporary Scottish literature. In addition to her poetry, Ayachi mentors emerging poets and participates in literary festivals across the UK and internationally​.

The focus when creating a website and branding for Janette Ayachi was to establish an online presence that showcases her work as a poet and writer. This project aimed to highlight her literary achievements, promote her published works, and connect with a broader audience through event updates, blog posts, and mentoring services. The branding emphasises her unique cultural background and poetic voice, helping to build her reputation in the literary community while engaging readers, event organisers, and potential collaborators​.

Content Management System (CMS) - Setup and configuration of WordPress as the CMS to allow easy updates to content, blog posts, events, and book listings.

Site Design - Homepage, About/Bio, Books/Poetry Collections, Events, Blog integration, Mentoring, Contact Forms, E-Commerce functionality, Contact form, SEO, Social Media Integration

Logo Design - Creation of a unique logo that embodies Ayachi's identity as a poet, which can be used across the website and other platforms.

Colour Palette - A consistent colour scheme that reflects her aesthetic and complements the website design.

Typography - Selection of fonts that align with her branding, used consistently across the website and promotional materials.

Digital Assets - Creation of banners, social media profile images, mockups and other digital assets that align with the brand identity.

Content Strategy - Development of a content strategy for the blog and social media, ensuring all communications are aligned with the brand’s voice and message.

SEO and Marketing Strategy - An SEO and digital marketing strategy that complements the branding and enhances online visibility.

Brand Guidelines - A comprehensive guide detailing the use of logos, colours, typography, and tone of voice for consistency across all digital and print materials.

The design ethos for Janette Ayachi's website and branding centres around the idea of reflecting her poetic voice, cultural heritage, and the emotional depth of her work. The design embraces a minimalist yet expressive aesthetic, using a colour palette and typography that evoke the themes of mysticism, nature, and identity often present in her poetry. The goal was to create an online space that feels both intimate and expansive, allowing visitors to connect with her work on a deeper level.

The design process began with an in-depth discovery phase, where key elements of Ayachi's brand identity were identified. This included understanding her target audience, her literary themes, and the emotions she wanted to evoke through her digital presence. Mood boards and style guides were created to align the visual direction with her artistic vision.

Following this, wireframes and prototypes are developed to outline the website’s structure and functionality. Feedback loops with Ayachi ensured that the design stayed true to her identity and resonated with her audience. The design was then refined through iterations, focusing on user experience, accessibility, and aesthetic cohesion.

Implementation involved translating the design into a fully functional WordPress site. This included sourcing and customising a WordPress theme to fully support the content and branding needs along with setting up the necessary plugins for SEO, performance optimisation, and security.

Content was carefully curated and organised, with attention to detail in how the clients poetry, events, and blog were presented. Integration of SEO best practices and performance optimisation was crucial to ensure the site is both beautiful and effective in reaching its audience.

Throughout the process, the branding elements such as logos, typography, and colour schemes were consistently applied and across all digital touchpoints, creating a seamless and recognisable brand experience. The final product is a website that not only showcases Janette Ayachi's work but also enhances her connection with readers and the literary community.