TL;DR
We created a sleek, modern WordPress website for established construction company ACS Midlands, creating a dedicated space to demonstrate projects that promote the capabilities that they offer around the region.
Project Overview
ACS Midlands approached us as they were in need of a standalone website, separate from an associated company’s website, to allow them to reach and connect with prospects in the local area. We applied their requirements and created a polished WordPress website, featuring their projects that illustrate their specialist skills and expertise across four capabilities.
Who are ACS Midlands?
ACS Midlands is a construction services company that provides full construction solutions in civil engineering, project management, construction and project maintenance.
ACS Midlands pride themselves on pushing boundaries to offer innovative and cutting edge solutions, offering a personal service with traditional principles.
Project Brief
ACS Midlands did not have an existing website, and wanted a dedicated space to showcase their achievements and values. One of their goals for the website was to reinforce claims when tendering, by spotlighting experience and capabilities.
Our Proposal
Therefore, we decided to:
- Build a website using WordPress CMS, allowing website admins to easily manage content such as new projects;
- Showcase a range of projects to reinforce their capabilities and demonstrate their experience;
- Spotlight accreditations, to build trust with users;
- Create an attractive contact form to encourage users to take action or email.
Branding
ACS Midlands wanted to reconsider the colours used in their logo to set them apart from competitors. We performed in depth competitor analysis, to make suggestions for changing their brand colour palette. Our research showed that whilst red and green colours saturated the industry and blue was being used heavily, there were opportunities within unoccupied colour spaces to help ACS stand out from the crowd. After mocking up a number of colour options, ACS Midlands decided to opt for teal and grey shades.
These colours were then used across the website for brand consistency.
Grid Layout
A key theme of the website is a multi-column grid which brings to mind blueprints and the technical accuracy synonymous with the construction industry. The site expands from single column on mobile devices through to a four-column layout on desktop which scales accordingly with the size of the viewport. Every element on the website aims to fit neatly within the prescribed grid, creating seamless blocks of content.
The Technical Details
Web Development
Using WordPress, we built a custom theme implementing the design we produced for both mobile and desktop resolutions, and several intervening breakpoints. To match the design, we also created custom WordPress blocks and post types, including custom project pages, which make it easier for content management going forward.
- #HTML5
- #CSS3
- #WordPress
- #JavaScript
Content
Information Architecture
It was important for ACS Midlands to be able to showcase their project items and details across the website, to demonstrate their expertise and exhibit to prospective clients what they are capable of.
Therefore, it was paramount that content was organised in a way that made it easy to read and understand. We provided ACS Midlands with a structured diagram to help them identify how the content would take shape, as well as an actionable content plan.
Content Population
Once the content was written by our client, we added this to the backend of the WordPress website using custom post types for both projects and the capabilities pages. Going forward, this allows site admins to easily access the full list of projects for additions and edits. We also added a number of blog posts to the website, so that it did not appear ‘new’, showing the work that ACS Midlands have been involved in over the last 5 years.
Projects
Showcasing ACS Midlands projects was extremely important during the website build. We focused on spotlighting these both on the home page and on a top-level parent page. This will help when tendering, and allows prospective customers to click through and view real life scenarios and solutions that ACS Midlands have delivered.
Key Features
Accreditation Logos
As ACS Midlands have an established presence in the industry, we decided to incorporate the company’s accreditation logos and certifications, to build trust with customers and allow them to quickly identify the brand as trustworthy and qualified.
Masked Images
To create visual interest throughout the website, we used masks on a number of images. We created an SVG mask based on the accent shape in the ACS logo which appears over background images, as seen on the contact section of the homepage.
Statistics
For trust and social proof, we decided to display statistics on the home page and across portfolio items, giving ACS Midlands a space to demonstrate their experience and specialist skills. The statistic counter feature draws the user eye to these, to increase awareness.
Project Galleries
We made use of high quality images by including a slideshow on the home page, in addition to individual project pages. This feature allows users to scroll through images, being able to visualise the benefits of hiring ACS Midlands, and being able to recognise their broad range of skills.
How Can We Help?
For more information or to discuss your own project requirements please get in touch, by calling us on 0121 295 5352, or sending an email to [email protected].
Contact us
Send us a quick message and we’ll get right back to you.