Client: Sue
Business: Great Lakes Flower Guild
Project: Website Design + Setup

What I Heard in Your Intake Meeting

From the very beginning, this project was about building a system that could take a complex set of moving parts and make them feel clear, organized, and manageable — for you, for flower farmers, and for florists.

You used the word workhorse, which became a guiding idea throughout the project.

The website needed to function as a reliable operational hub — supporting applications, communication, product listings, scheduling rhythms, and key details — so that you and Morgen could depend on it as a partner, rather than something requiring constant daily attention.

The intention was not to create something fragile or overly complicated, but something steady. A structure that holds information, manages flow, and reduces the amount of manual coordination required to keep things moving.

At the same time, this system needed to be built within the realities of a startup budget.

Resources were intentionally distributed across multiple areas of importance:

• planning and strategic structure
• brand direction and design
• photography
• social media foundations
• coaching and decision support
• technical education
• operational setup
• flexibility for unexpected needs that arise during the build process

This meant choosing tools that are accessible, cost-effective, and practical for real-world use — platforms that can be confidently used by people who do not necessarily have deep technical training.

Alongside the operational strength of the system, it was equally important that the site feel crafted with care.

The design direction needed to communicate quality, thoughtfulness, and intention — visually reflecting the level of care that you take in your own work, home and life.

You described a look and feel that is elevated but creative:

quiet

bougie but grounded
natural but distinct
influenced by Nantucket tones, vermilion accents, and the visual language of flower farms

Because while the system itself is a workhorse, the experience of using it should still feel beautiful, calm, and aligned with the values behind the work.

Ultimately, the goal became:

to create a dependable operational partner that manages the details and supports coordination — allowing more time and energy to be spent in the farms, in the gardens, and in the relationships that make the work meaningful.

A workhorse system — supported by thoughtful design — that makes participation easier for everyone involved.

What This Website Needed to Do

This site is designed to be:

A hub that makes it easy to do business together.

Not complicated, overwhelming or overly technical for the users (including you and Morgen).

Just:

• a clear place to list what’s available
• a simple way for buyers to purchase
• an organized system for managing orders
• a structure that keeps everything moving without constant oversight so that you can relax knowing it’s supporting you

It’s a solution that understands:

good design matters
clear communication matters
and ease matters

The Tech Stack

• Squarespace

  • Domain Hosting

  • Website Hosting

  • Email Marketing

  • Automated Customer Service Emails (when available via tech)

  • Customer Forms

  • Flower Farmer Hub

  • Florist / Registered Business Information and Ordering

  • Shop

  • Invite / RSVP to Opening Party

• Stripe

  • Online checkout

• Square

  • In-person checkout

• Google

  • Company Inbox

    • 2 Templates set up for ease of communication

  • Forms

    • Farmer Application

    • Business Registration

    • Party RSVP

  • Spreadsheets

    • Farmer Application

    • Business Registration

    • Financials

    • Inventory

  • Operational Documents / SOP’s

    • Website Operations

• Canva

  • Marketing

• Zoom

  • Video Conferencing

• Pixieset

  • Your photos are presented here so that you can really see how they all feel together and what story they tell

  • Please download them in 30 days because I do not offer long-term storage ;)

Optiona Tech:

• Dropbox (for storing photos)