Second Order
Website Redesign & Migration
Overview
Second Order, a strategy and performance consultancy, needed a complete rebuild of their website after moving hosting platforms. The project involved transferring and reorganizing content from a legacy WordPress site, refreshing the user experience, and implementing SEO-ready, responsive layouts on a new Squarespace platform. My role spanned from information architecture and UX wireframing to full site development, testing, and domain migration, ensuring the new site aligned with their brand and communicated their value clearly across services.
The website redesign focused on creating a modern, credible, and easy-to-navigate digital presence that reflected the company’s forward-thinking approach and streamlined client experience. The new design emphasized clarity, structure, and usability to better communicate complex service offerings with confidence and simplicity.
Role
Sole Designer
Tools
WordPress, Squarespace,
Note: some changes in content and layout may have been made by client post-project completion
Wireframing & UX Design
The site’s wireframes were designed to guide users toward exploring the company’s full range of capabilities and services. The primary user flow encourages discovery; learning more about the company and what it offers, while the secondary goal is to drive consultation bookings. Every layout decision prioritized simplicity and clarity, keeping the focus on information over visuals or decorative graphics. The result was a streamlined, exploration-driven experience that balances curiosity with clear conversion paths.
Execution & Launch
Content Migration & Technical Implementation
The Squarespace setup included the transfer of visual styles, structure, and domain. Because of technical issues and deprecations in WordPress, the old site’s front end was inaccessible, so content had to be retrieved directly from the back end via Namespro’s hosting panel. This process ensured that essential elements, including blog posts, bios, and service descriptions, were preserved and integrated cleanly into the new site.
Responsive Design & UX Testing
Responsive design focused on maintaining the project’s modern, minimal aesthetic while optimizing for quick comprehension on all devices. Each page was tested across screen sizes to ensure usability and consistency. Third-party testers were brought in to interact with the site as prospective clients, identifying potential pain points and navigation friction. Throughout testing, comparable sites in similar industries were reviewed to benchmark what drives engagement and clarity, further refining the site’s interaction flow.
Domain Transfer & Launch
The final phase involved transferring the Namespro-managed domain from the old WordPress host to Squarespace. During this process, backend access through Namespro was maintained so the client could still retrieve any legacy content if needed. Post-transfer, SEO configurations and Google Search Console setup were completed to ensure proper indexing and a smooth launch. The transition marked a clean technical reset, positioning the site for long-term stability and self-managed updates.
Hero Animation Exploration
As part of the visual exploration phase, I developed a 3D logo animation concept designed to introduce motion and depth to the site’s hero area. The subtle rotation and lighting shifts created a modern, screensaver-like rhythm, balancing calm sophistication with immediate visual impact. While this direction was ultimately not implemented in the live build, it reflected the brand’s focus on simplicity, innovation, and contemporary digital expression.
3D logo developed in Illustrator
Animation developed in After Effects
Hero Animation Exploration
As part of the visual exploration phase, I developed a 3D logo animation concept designed to introduce motion and depth to the site’s hero area. The subtle rotation and lighting shifts created a modern, screensaver-like rhythm, balancing calm sophistication with immediate visual impact. While this direction was ultimately not implemented in the live build, it reflected the brand’s focus on simplicity, innovation, and contemporary digital expression.
3D logo developed in Illustrator
Animation developed in After Effects