Carl Hoffman
In six weeks, I designed and built a WordPress site for award-winning author Carl Hoffman, ready in time for his new book’s launch and press tour.
- Role
- UX / Front-end Development
- Team
- Me
- Engagement Length
- 1.5 months
- Tools
- Figma, WordPress, Google Analytics
- Carl Hoffman
- Carl Hoffman is the author of the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller’s Tragic Quest, which was a New York Times “Editor’s Choice,” a NY Times best seller, one of the Washington Post’s 50 notable books of 2014, a Kirkus best book of 2014 and the number one non-fiction book of 2014 on Amazon.com. The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes, was one of the Wall Street Journal’s ten best books of 2010. He is a former contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler and Wired magazines and his narrative pieces have also appeared in Smithsonian, Outside, Men’s Journal, National Geographic Adventure and many other magazines. He has traveled on assignment to eighty countries and is the father of three young adults. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Challenge
Carl Hoffman needed one place where readers could learn about his books and buy them, and a site he could keep current without much upkeep.
Outcome
I analyzed his audience, built the information architecture and layout, and developed the site in WordPress with Google Analytics. It launched on time, in step with the book tour.
Why are we doing this?
Business Side
Carl Hoffman sought to minimize time spent on website maintenance by creating a centralized platform where fans could learn about his work and purchase his books.
Customer Side
Readers get one place for his books, reviews, interviews, blog posts, events, and links to buy.
Discovery
I audited and organized his assets, built the information architecture, and compared WordPress themes on cost, upkeep, branding flexibility, and room for custom components.
Once he approved a theme, I planned milestones around the book launch and press tour and kept him updated at every stage.
Content Layout
Each book got its own layout, with images, quotes, video, and scannable copy that reflect its themes.