Custom website design services built around your customers
Our custom website design services give your business a site designed around your brand and the way your customers decide, not a theme with your logo dropped in. We start with research and wireframes, design every key page for desktop and phone, and hand you a clickable prototype to review before any code is written.
What custom website design services include
Custom website design means the structure, layout and look of the site are created for your business. We study who your customers are, what they need to see before they call or buy, and what your competitors already show them. That shapes the sitemap, the order of each page and the words on the buttons, before anyone picks a color.
A template forces your content into someone else’s layout and often carries code for features you never use. A custom design fits your content, loads only what it needs and gives your brand a look nobody else has. We then build it on the platform that suits you, such as WordPress, Webflow, Shopify or a custom Next.js site, so your team can update it without calling a developer.
Signs you need a custom design
- Your site looks like every competitor’s
- Visitors leave without calling or booking
- Your brand has changed but the site hasn’t
- The theme fights every change you want to make
- The site looks dated on phones
What’s included in our custom website design services
Research, structure and design, signed off as a clickable prototype before development starts.
Discovery and research
Your goals, customers and competitors reviewed, with the questions buyers ask before they choose.
Sitemap and content plan
Every page and the job it does, planned with search terms so the structure supports SEO from the start.
Wireframes
Page layouts in grayscale, so order, content and calls to action are settled before visual design.
Visual design
Type, color, imagery and components designed for your brand, for desktop, tablet and phone.
Clickable prototype
Linked pages you can click through on any device, ready for feedback from your team.
Design system and handoff
Reusable styles and components documented, so the build matches the design and new pages stay consistent.
Custom website design in depth
Three parts of custom design that decide whether visitors trust you and take the next step.
Designing around how customers decide
People rarely read a page from top to bottom. They scan for proof that you do what they need, that others trust you and that the next step is easy. We order each page around those questions: a clear statement of what you do, evidence such as reviews, past work and credentials, answers to common objections, and one obvious action repeated where it helps. Every page has a single main goal, and the design makes that goal hard to miss.
Wireframes before visuals
Wireframes strip a page back to boxes and words, so discussions stay on structure and content rather than colors. They are quick to change, which is the point: moving a section, cutting a page or rewriting a headline at this stage takes minutes. Once the wireframes are approved, visual design starts from a plan everyone has already agreed, and rounds of revisions stay small.
Mobile, speed and accessibility
Many visitors arrive on a phone, so we design the mobile layout alongside the desktop one. Images, fonts and animation are planned with page speed in mind, because a beautiful page that loads slowly loses visitors before they see it. We also design to WCAG accessibility guidelines, with readable contrast, clear focus states and text that works at larger sizes, which helps every visitor and lowers the risk of accessibility complaints.
How our custom website design process works
Discovery to an approved prototype in clear phases, with a progress update every week and a monthly report.
- Step 01
Discovery
Goals, customers, competitors and content reviewed, with a sitemap, a scope and a price.
- Step 02
Wireframes
Key pages laid out in grayscale and reviewed with you in short rounds.
- Step 03
Visual design
Your brand applied to every key page, for desktop, tablet and phone.
- Step 04
Prototype and handoff
A clickable prototype signed off, then a design system ready for the build.
Why Griffon for custom website design
One team designs, builds and markets the site, so the design is shaped by what we know about search, ads and conversion, and nothing gets lost between agencies. Since 2016 we have worked on more than 1,000 projects for businesses in the US and the UK.
Once the work is paid in full, the designs, the source files and the finished site are yours. We can build the site with you, or hand the design system to your own developers.
Part of our Website development ↗2 hours
our usual reply to a new inquiry, one business day at most
Weekly
progress updates, plus a monthly report with the data and the work done
One team
strategy, design, development and marketing under one roof
You own it
the design, code and accounts are yours once the work is paid in full
Questions about custom website design, answered
What do custom website design services include?
Research, a sitemap, wireframes, visual design for desktop and mobile, a clickable prototype and a design system for the build. Our custom website design services end with a design you have approved page by page.
Is a custom design better than a template?
For most businesses that rely on their site for leads, yes. A custom design fits your content and customers, loads only what it needs and sets you apart. A template can suit a short-term or very small site, and we will say so if it fits.
Can we see the design before it is built?
Yes. You review wireframes first, then full designs, then a clickable prototype you can open on your phone. Development starts only after you sign off.
Which platform will the site be built on?
The one that suits your team and goals, often WordPress, Webflow or Shopify, or a custom Next.js build for complex sites. We recommend one in discovery and explain why.
Who owns the design?
You do. Once the work is paid in full, the designs, the source files and the finished site are yours.
Get a free website proposal
A 30-minute call. No deck, no pressure. Bring the site, the numbers and the goal, and leave with a plan and a price.