Web Designer
Huddersfield
Hi. I’m Dan Martin, a full-stack web designer & developer from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
I enjoy family days out, playing football, and watching movies.
Here are some of the other things I have been up to…
I Honed A Skillset
With Business Knowledge & Industry Experience
I am a self-taught web developer who discovered a passion for building websites while at Uni. That University was UMIST (now just called Manchester), and I was studying Management and Information Technology. The course delivered business principles (marketing, analysis, management, etc.) and additionally computation skills.
With my degree ticked off and a basic understanding of HTML & CSS, I bought some books and started learning PHP. After a few months, I took on my first paid client.
Eight years and dozens of websites later, I took the step into the real world. I spent the next four years working for two very different agencies (both brilliant, may I add). Here, I learned more practical and technical skills (WordPress Customisation, jQuery, Agile Methodology, APIs, Digital Marketing), but I always wanted to get back to working directly with the client…
I Built A Business
Digital Agency Director Since 2018
After spending four years working in agencies, I wanted to do things differently. So with some partners, we started an agency.
I have been the Company Director and Technical Lead at Digital Collective Agency (DCA) since its inception in 2018.
At DCA I have built some fascinating, wonderful, and functional websites. All these websites benefit from ongoing support to help the businesses grow.
I Created Websites
And dreamt in HTML, PHP, & CSS
Aside from the wonderful work I have done with DCA, there are many more websites I have developed and released into the world!
Some of these sites I designed before my role with DCA, but others are local Huddersfield businesses, associates, and start-ups that needed an experienced web designer to help them grow without the full agency support.
Here are some of them!
Saving a business from the "big boys"
The Hardaker Brothers had a website that they couldn't update without a battle, and when you're on a building site all day, that's the last thing you need. I helped them move their domain over to me, built them a new website, and set them up with a proper email service.
Branding and Website for Energy Broker
I was tasked initially to create a website for RayCap, as their previous developer was unable to help with updates. We agreed on a new design, and they liked it so much, they asked me to develop a logo, business cards, email signatures and letter heads.
Feel and Experience Cleanliness
Step into a new era of cleaning with the vivenso®, a cutting-edge vacuum cleaner that redefines the standards of cleanliness and air purity. One of my DCA clients is the UK distributor for these incredible cleaning machines and they need a standalone website to help promote it through different sales channels.
Awesome Website For Print Partner
Ben has been an associate since the beginning, so when he moved to a new premise he was keen to upgrade his website so asked me to help. As Ben is a mate, he let me have some fun with the design, which hopefully shows in the funky transition, bright colours, and cool imagery.
Website For A Local Pub
The Woolpack needed a revised website that relied less on regular updates and more on a relevant presence that would be found on Google. The key searches are "Sports Pub Huddersfield" and "Function Room Hire Huddersfield". Since the new website, the pub has seen an upturn in footfall for sporting events and party bookings.
A Growing Plumbing Business
Howard was a plumber and gas engineer without an identity, so I helped him create possibly the coolest one in Huddersfield. He now has a website for emergency callouts and full service details, but through DCA, he has a fleet of vehicles that standout on any road, and modern workwear.
Top Rankings for Beauty Salon
Julie is another client I have been working with since the very early days. When I discovered her current web provider was charging her hundreds of pounds a month for guaranteed Google rankings, I stepped in to provide honest and expert advice which saved her thousands of pounds and saw her rankings sore!
A Website To Make You Hungry
Bengal Aroma is a vibrant, stylish and modern Bangladeshi restaurant in Almondbury, and I was asked to develop them a website and online identity when they opened. With my DCA partners we took some amazing food photos, set-up online profiles and created a set of posters for internal and external use.
Rebuild A Website For Wellness Centre
The guys who run Active Gold have been clients of mine for many years on other projects, so when an opportunity to came along to improve their website (previously developed in MailChimp) it was a no brainer for us to build another site.
Massive SEO Boost For Local Joiner
Ian was one of my first clients, and through my help he found himself inundated with work enquiries! After 15 years, he is still established on page one in Google for local joinery and carpentry searches.
Brand, Web, and Guidance
XL Core is a spin off from HD Plumbing, utilising their skillset and equipment to offer a specialised core drilling service. I helped with the naming, branding, website, and printed marketing.
Grow New Roots with Hypnotherapy
As well as building the website for Mind of Mine, I developed the branding from a rather specific brief - but the logo that "encompasses a tree of life and colours of the seasons" has definitely made an impact on this new start-up business.