Designing and Developing KFS Website as a Freelancer
Project information
- Category: Front-end
- Project's company:khowutzun Forest Service
- Project URL: https://khowutzunforest.com/
Our project for Khowutzun Forest Services (KFS) focused on creating a modern WordPress website that communicates their services, values, and community commitment while remaining simple for staff to update independently. I designed the layout in Figma and developed pages in WordPress with clear navigation, responsive design, and brand-aligned visuals.
Working as a three-person team, we collaborated closely with KFS through regular meetings to refine content and direction, delivering a cohesive product that met their goals. The finished site highlights their services, history, and mission in an engaging format, strengthening their online presence and giving their team long-term control and usability.
My Role
As the Web Designer and Front-End Developer for the Khowutzun Forest Services website, I collaborated with a three-person team to design and deliver a professional and accessible online presence for this forestry and environmental services company on Vancouver Island.
What I Did
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Planned the User Experience:
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Developed the Website:
Enhanced Usability and Branding:
Collaborated and Delivered:
I designed the site layout and page structures in Figma, focusing on intuitive navigation, clean presentation, and clear pathways for visitors to explore the company’s services, mission, and history.
I built several pages in WordPress, ensuring the site was fully responsive across devices. I applied brand-aligned visuals, structured content for readability, and selected imagery that reflected the company’s values and community focus.
I contributed to the content structure and visual identity, balancing informative copy with a professional aesthetic. The goal was to create a site that was easy to update internally while maintaining long-term usability.
I worked closely with teammates and KFS staff through regular meetings, refining the design direction and ensuring the final site captured their vision. Our collaboration resulted in a polished, functional website that strengthens their digital presence and connects effectively with community members and potential clients.
Persona
For the Khowutzun Forest Services project, I created the persona Claire Thompson, a Regional Forestry Project Manager with 15 years of experience. Her goals include hiring reliable contractors, staying within budget, and maintaining strong relationships with Indigenous communities, while her challenges involve strict regulations and coordinating with multiple stakeholders. This persona guided key design choices such as highlighting certifications, case studies, service breakdowns, and clear contact options to ensure the website addressed real user needs.
Prototyping and Designing
The Khowutzun website design balances professionalism, Indigenous identity, and functionality to showcase the company’s forestry services. The homepage opens with a powerful hero section featuring native forest imagery and clean typography, immediately conveying Khowutzun’s connection to land and stewardship. The layout emphasizes the company’s main service areas including planning, silviculture, harvesting, and fire protection, each presented clearly with strong visual hierarchy.
The color palette uses natural earth tones such as greens, browns, and neutrals to reflect the forestry theme, while accent colors highlight important calls to action like “Get a Quote” and “Contact Us.” Navigation was designed to be simple and intuitive so that users like Claire Thompson, the persona I created, can easily find information on certifications, service details, and community initiatives.
The design also highlights trust and credibility through features such as safety certifications, project highlights, and an “Our People” section that reinforces community values. Because many visitors will access the site on mobile devices, the layout was carefully planned to remain fully responsive, ensuring important features are easy to use on any screen size.
The designs are shown below, and you can also explore the project directly:
