Back to portfolio

    UI/UX case study · 2025

    Pottery by Tolu

    A custom website for a Canadian ceramics studio that helps each type of visitor find the right class, workshop, or studio session, and book it.

    Client
    Potterybytolu Studios
    Industry
    Pottery & ceramics studio
    Location
    Winnipeg, Canada
    Year
    2025
    Timeline
    2 weeks design & development + 2 days SEO
    My role
    UI/UX design, WordPress development & SEO
    Pottery by Tolu “Four ways to engage” section with photo cards for classes, events, open studio and glaze lab
    Visit the live site

    The challenge

    The studio offers weekly classes, group events, open studio time, and glaze research, each for a different kind of customer. The owner needed a professional website that showcased the work, made these offerings easy to tell apart, and turned local searches into booked sessions.

    My approach

    1. 01Designed and developed a custom WordPress theme from scratch
    2. 02Structured content with custom post types and Advanced Custom Fields so the owner can update classes himself
    3. 03Organised the offering into four clear paths, one for each type of visitor
    4. 04Optimised every page for search and set up the Google Business Profile, the channels that brought the most calls
    5. 05Designed responsive layouts for mobile and tablet visitors

    Key design decisions

    what the design does and why

    Four ways in, one per visitor type

    Classes, Events & Workshops, Open Studio, and Glaze Research Lab are presented as four large photo cards. Each card has a small category label and key details, so visitors self-select the path that fits them.

    Photography that sells the experience

    Real photos of people at the wheel and in the studio do the persuading. Text sits on soft overlays at the bottom of each card, keeping the imagery front and centre.

    Warm, crafted visual language

    Terracotta accents, an elegant serif with italic highlights, and generous whitespace give the site the handmade, premium feel of the studio itself.

    Content the client can manage

    Custom post types and fields mean new classes and workshops follow the same layout automatically, keeping the design consistent as the studio grows.

    Structure and final design

    The wireframe view strips the live page back to its layout and content hierarchy, next to the finished design on mobile.

    Wireframe view of the Pottery by Tolu homepage layoutSTRUCTURE
    Wireframe view of the homepage layout
    Pottery by Tolu homepage on mobile
    Mobile · 390px

    Outcome

    • 75% increase in website traffic in the first month
    • More booked calls from local search
    • Full on-page SEO and an optimised Google Business Profile
    • Custom WordPress build delivered in two weeks
    Next case studyBTO Global FoundationGet in touch