Some people put off a website for years. They’re ready to launch, but don’t know how to explain their idea. In their head there’s a mood, a couple of examples, a favourite colour and a rough idea of the brand. But as soon as they think about talking to a designer, doubts come up: “What if I explain it wrong? I don’t even have references. And I’m not entirely sure yet what I want.”

That’s normal. You don’t need to bring a finished layout or a list of blocks. What we need from you is a story about your business and what you want to achieve. Asking questions, finding connections between the answers and turning scattered thoughts into a clear direction is our job.

Start with the reason

Try finishing three sentences: “I do…”, “People come to me when…”, “After looking at my website, a person should…”. The answers can be very simple. For example: “I make jewellery in small batches”, “people are looking for an unusual gift”, “on the website a person should understand the idea of the brand and figure out how to place an order”.

Such sentences tell us more than a request to “make it beautiful”. They show what to present first, what the visitor needs to learn and what to invite them to do.

Why references matter

Send a few websites that caught your eye and try to explain what exactly about them. You don’t have to say “I want the same”. Details are more useful to us: a large headline sets the mood, lots of white space, the image looks like a film still, the navigation is clear at first glance.

You can also bring counter-examples: websites that feel cold, overloaded or like a dozen others. Sometimes it’s easier to say what you definitely don’t want than to describe what you do. We won’t copy someone else’s work; references help us understand each other faster.

How to tell which website format suits you

What’s worth preparing in advance

If some materials don’t exist yet, the conversation can still start. Just note what’s already known and what still has to be decided. Then the real gaps are visible right away, and we don’t fill them with random texts or beautiful but empty blocks. Which materials we can prepare and which are better provided by you is covered in the article “Who should prepare the texts and photos for a website?”.

You don’t have to invent the whole website on your own

A project has several layers: meaning, structure, visual language, texts, how elements behave, and the technical side. You don’t need to keep it all in your head at once — that’s our job. First we figure out who the website is for and what task it solves, then we choose the format together, and only after that do we move on to the content and look.

Discussing colours and images is pleasant, but we always talk about the visitor’s journey too. What should they understand first? What doubts might they have? What will help them decide? Once these questions have answers, the design gains meaning beyond being impressive.

See what affects the stages and timeline

A good idea doesn’t have to sound professional. It’s enough that it’s yours; we’ll clarify the rest together.

Where to start

You don’t need a ready brief to start. Tell us about your business, show us what resonates with you, and be honest about what you don’t know yet. That conversation is what shapes the direction for your particular project.

If you have an idea but no clear plan yet, write to us on Telegram and briefly describe the task. We’ll suggest which questions to start with, and you can look at the formats and starting prices in advance on the “Pricing & process” page.

— SOMO STUDIO