I'm Jay — an executive chef turned web designer. You work directly with me, not through layers of account managers, and you get a site built to earn its keep.
A call or an email, not a pitch deck. You tell me about the business, who you're trying to reach, and what isn't working right now.
I map the pages, the content we'll need and what the site actually has to make happen. You sign off on that before I design a thing.
You see real design, not wireframes, and you give notes while changes are still cheap. Nothing on this site gets built twice.
Turn-key either way. I can hand over the keys and show you how to run it yourself, or stay on as your web partner — keeping it updated, monitored and current, so it never lands on your to-do list.
Selected projects
A made-to-order jewelry shop where customers pick their own colors, strand by strand. Launching soon.
Brand and storefront design for a small-batch chocolatier, built to make a handmade product feel as good online as it does in the box.
A dental society founded in 1894, with a members area, a scholarship application and a historical archive to hold together.
Send me your website address and I'll send back the top three things I'd fix. Works on any site, whatever it was built with. No charge and no sales pitch — just a straight answer.
I started out in local restaurants and worked my way up to executive chef for the world's largest food service company. Then I moved from the cutting board to the keyboard, to help the industry I love — and plenty of others — grow from behind the scenes.
A busy kitchen and a design studio are not as different as they sound. Organization, imagination, collaboration and presentation decide whether either one works. That's what I bring to a project, and it's why I'd rather talk to the owner than the committee.
More about how I work →Tell me about your business and what you need. I read every note myself and usually reply the same day.
Websites and brands for small businesses and nonprofits — designed and built one to one, not handed down a chain of account managers.
info@mahnacreative.com