The first thing I said on camera was "Ah, press record would be good, wouldn't it?"
That's how the first episode of Vislog starts. It's our new behind-the-scenes video from the Vision Marketing studio, and my first long video as a Wix Content Leader. We build a filming corner and I explain how I ended up running a Wix agency. Then we look at three client websites at three different stages. One is ready for launch. One is turning from a wireframe into a working site, and one is being rebuilt a few pages at a time.
This is the written version, with a bit more on why each project is going the way it is.
TL;DR
Vislog is our monthly look inside the studio, and part of my role as a Wix Content Leader.
I came to websites from ecommerce marketing. A website for my wife's new business filled her calendar, and the clients kept coming after that.
Steve Saxty's new BMW M book series has a website built to BMW's official brand guidelines. It's ready for his final approval ahead of the book launch.
The Business Accelerator started with a wireframe. Next, we wire up Wix Bookings and Wix Events so people can book and pay on the site.
Lamplight Media gets four new agency pages this month, and a website that'll be 60% new by the end of the year.
What is Vislog?
Vislog is a behind-the-scenes video series from Vision Marketing, our Wix agency in Hampshire. Each episode shows what's going on in the studio: client meetings, sites in progress and the thinking behind them. The name is Vision plus vlog. It started as a working title, and it stuck.
It's part of my role as a Wix Content Leader. That means one original piece of content every month about using Wix products in real work. I've written separately about why I said yes to the role. The short version: it's going to be nearly ten years with one platform, doing only one thing. I want to set a benchmark for myself.
Someone asked me on camera how it feels to be one of a small group of Content Leaders. Pretty proud. I want us to be the agency that takes part in the Wix world at a very high level. If that inspires others to make a move, even better.
Nearly ten years with one platform, doing only one thing.
Setting up a studio to film in
If I'm going to show our work every month, people need to be able to see it. So we set up a semi-professional filming corner in the studio. The background depends on what I'm doing. Calls happen in one corner, and anything at the desk gets filmed at the desk.
Lighting was new to me. When I was asked if I knew the basics of three-point lighting, my answer was no. So I got a lesson on my own whiteboard, drawn with a pen that was probably permanent.
Three-point lighting uses three lights. The key light is the main source. The fill light softens the shadows the key leaves. The back light separates you from the background. My first idea was to get rid of shadows altogether. We were after a certain look, though, so the real job was controlling the contrast between key and fill. We settled on the fill at 40%.
How I ended up running a Wix agency
I came to web design through marketing. Before websites, I was doing marketing for an ecommerce store, and I started out in the warehouse. I worked out how to run Facebook ads and Google ads, and suddenly we were very busy. The admin that came with it moved me from the warehouse into the office.
From there I doubled down on the ads and the marketing, and learned SEO too.
My wife Anna was working part-time then. With that flexibility, I thought: what if I build her a website so she can start her own business? Her calendar filled up. It worked exactly as I thought it would.
Then I took the Wix web master course. It was a proper course you had to pass, and the certificate still hangs on the studio wall. After that there was a client, then the next client, then the next. Before I realised it, I was saying goodbye to my 9 to 5 and hello to running a business.
Anna's website mattered because it filled her calendar. That's still the test I use on every site we build: what does it do for the business once it's live?
Steve Saxty: a BMW passion project, ready for launch
Steve Saxty writes enthusiast books about cars, and in the opinion of many, they're the best motoring books around. He works in direct collaboration with BMW. We were appointed to redesign his website. Its main job now is to promote his new series of books about BMW M: the whole story behind the M-powered cars.
Steve found us through our profile on the Wix Marketplace, and a couple of other agencies pitched for it too. I've always been into cars, so I knew straight away this was the one I wanted. On a passion project, every single detail matters.
The site uses official BMW branding, so it has to follow BMW's brand guidelines accurately. While we worked, Steve's books sat on the desk for inspiration.
As of filming, Steve had sent over all the copy and updates. We added them to the desktop version for his final approval, then made sure everything lines up on tablet and mobile. Next, we share the updates with Steve and get ready for the book launch.
A project like this changes what we can show people. We've got a bigger portfolio now. It's all proof, rather than fake it till you make it.
It's all proof now, rather than fake it till you make it.
The Business Accelerator: from wireframe to working website
The Business Accelerator runs workshops and gives support to help small businesses grow. I'm working with Clare on a new website that brings her expertise and ideas to small and medium business owners. The aim is to help them scale and fill the gaps in their business.
It's the kind of work I get the most buzz from: businesses that want to grow or scale. Many of the businesses we work with started on Wix and grew. Often they come to me and say, "OK, let's start the next level."
The video shows our kickoff meeting. We started with a wireframe, a plain layout of each page that shows what goes where before any visual design. Clare loved it. Just as useful, she can now see how much content the website needs, so she can start preparing it. Next, we turn the wireframe into a design that follows her branding guidelines and logo.
That's a vital starting point for us, because it keeps the process smooth for us and for the client. If you want the full picture, here's how our website development process works.
The wireframe didn't stay a drawing for long. Our version of it is already a live Wix website. The homepage has nearly all its copy in place, ready for Clare to amend, and it's waiting on a few images. We're adding animations to polish it before we show her.
Next: wiring up Wix Bookings and Wix Events
Once the design is done, we hook on the features. For The Business Accelerator, that means Wix Bookings and Wix Events. Both get wired into the design so they work properly, and so people can make bookings and payments right there on the website.
That's the point where the site starts doing a job for Clare's business. It's why we say a finished website and a working website are two different products.
Once the design is done, we hook on the features.
Lamplight Media: rebuilding a website in stages
Lamplight Media is an award-winning advertising and media production agency. Tim from Lamplight came over to the studio recently, and while we were filming, we talked through the next steps for their website.
Tim had already sent a document showing what he wants it all to look like. He's also seen one of the new pages: "I love the TV advertising page you've built. I think it's a step above what we've got currently."
The site is being rebuilt in stages:
This month: drafts of four new agency pages.
Next month: the menu structure, and finalising those pages.
Alongside both: updating their portfolio and getting all the new content up.
By the end of the year, the website will be 60% new.
If you're weighing up a redesign of your own, we've written about how to redesign a Wix site without downtime.
Why we're showing work in progress
Most agency portfolios only show finished, launched websites. Vislog 1 shows the middle: a homepage waiting for images, drafts going to a client, features still to wire up, and a lighting setup we were still working out.
If you're a business owner planning a new website, the middle is the part you'll live through, so it's worth seeing what it looks like. If you run a Wix agency, the middle is where most of the useful lessons are.
What's next for Vislog
Wix Studio 2 is on the way. As soon as I get my hands on it, I'll share first thoughts and ideas on what we can do with it. Until then, here's what Wix has shown of Studio 2 so far.
There's plenty more to film, too. Steve's book launch, Clare's bookings and events, and Lamplight's new pages are all still to come.
If you run a Wix agency, tell me what you'd like to see in Vislog 2 in the comments under the video. And if you're a business owner wondering what working with a Wix agency looks like, book a free call and we'll talk it through.
FAQs
What is Vislog?
Vislog is Vision Marketing's behind-the-scenes video series. Each episode shows real client projects, studio life and new Wix features from our Wix agency in Hampshire. Episodes go out on our YouTube channel, with a write-up on this blog.
What is a wireframe, and why start with one?
A wireframe is a simple layout of each page that shows what goes where before any visual design. It lets the client agree the structure early and see how much content they need to prepare. For The Business Accelerator, the wireframe is now a live Wix site that we're designing on top of.
Can people book and pay on a Wix website?
Yes. Wix Bookings lets clients book and pay for services on your website. Wix Events lets you sell event tickets, with payments taken through your own site. Wix's Help Center covers getting paid with Wix Bookings and selling tickets with Wix Events.
Can you redesign a website in stages?
Yes. Lamplight Media's website is being rebuilt in stages: four new agency pages this month, the menu structure next month and portfolio updates alongside. By the end of the year, 60% of the site will be new.
How did Vision Marketing start?
Matt Konarzewski moved into web design from ecommerce marketing. A website he built for his wife's new business filled her calendar. After passing the Wix web master course, he took on more clients and left his 9 to 5. Vision Marketing has now worked on Wix for nearly ten years.
