ANNOUNCEMENT: WEBSITE DESIGN
By now you’ve probably gleaned from some of these blog posts and emails that I’ve been going through a shift professionally, which, let’s face it, is also personal. I suppose that comes with the territory after you’ve been working for yourself for 10+ years. So here it is, the official announcement…
RB Collaborative will now solely operate as a full-service Squarespace website design company.
So, how did we get here?
The first website I ever designed was my own, long before RB Collaborative became a thought. I was a freelance communications specialist and journalist, and used that first website as a place to showcase a few clients and select articles I had written for various publications across Long Island. Then, a small local business on the North Fork asked if I would design their website. Then they told a friend, and so on. Before I knew it, website design had become one of my top offerings.
In 2019, I decided to pack it up on the North Fork and move to San Diego. Overwhelmed and uninspired, I gave up journalism to focus solely on public relations and marketing for nonprofits and small businesses. I was incredibly fortunate that when Covid hit that I was still able to maintain part of my client roster, though that style of work shifted, too. Suddenly working from home became the standard rather than the exception. I ultimately moved back to New York that August, but what I learned was that I could work from anywhere, without question.
I’ve picked up a few new clients along the way, both in communications and website design. I’ve always loved helping smaller organizations find their voice and share their stories with the communities that need to hear them most, and am incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish through the collaborative process that is at the very heart of my business. It’s in the name, after all.
The pandemic’s lesson continued, and, as I’ve found with many friends as well, I began to ask, what’s next? Over the past two years, I’ve been dwelling on just that.
While there are aspects of communications consulting that I absolutely love, the industry has changed as society has shifted its values and how and where it receives information. Some modes no longer offer the same value as they once did, and to be frank, it’s become disheartening to see the sensational prioritized over the valuable. Smaller organizations fight harder to have their voices heard, yet drown under the weight of what fleeting trend floods our news feeds.
One thing that has not changed is the value of the website. Your website shares who you are, what you do, and how your service or mission makes a difference. Your website converts individuals from having an interest to being a supporter or a customer. Your website helps you form meaningful connections in your community by creating a digital space that engages your current and prospective audiences and affirms your brand identity.
The goal with shifting RB Collaborative from a full-service communications consulting and website design company to specializing in one field is to elevate the client experience. From concept to completion to post-launch, our goal is to ensure clients leave with a website that tells a story, connects with users, and achieves their goals. We also want our clients to feel empowered to independently maintain, update, and monitor their websites post-launch.
Just as with journalism, many of the communications practices apply to RB Collaborative’s work in website design. This background, coupled with continuing education as the Squarespace platform continues to evolve and exemplify website development broadly, gives this company a unique edge.
So while this moment is bittersweet in many ways, I know there’s still a place for communications in our work today.
Thank you for sticking with me on this journey. I’m excited to show you what’s next!
— RB
