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FEATURED ARTICLE
From Scattered Ideas to Standout Websites: Meet KC Designs
Web Designer
10/1/26, 1:46 PM
Photographer Credit: KC Designs
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FEATURED ARTICLE
From Scattered Ideas to Standout Websites: Meet KC Designs
How Vancouver Island designer Kristy Cline combines creativity, strategy and a love of small business to build websites that work.
10/1/26, 1:46 PM
Before we dive into the fun details, give our readers a snapshot of your business: who you are, the work you do, and how your services help the clients you work with.
I’m Kristy, a graphic and web designer based on Vancouver Island, and the founder of KC Designs. I’ve been designing since 2007 and started KC Designs in 2022 with a focus on working closely with small, local businesses.
A lot of my work centres around websites, branding, graphic design and local SEO. I love taking those scattered ideas that often come with starting or growing a business and turning them into something clear, cohesive and built to work.
For me, it’s really about finding the balance between how something looks and how it actually functions. My clients are busy business owners, so I want their website to represent them well, be easy for their customers to use, and be something they can actually manage without feeling overwhelmed.
I work pretty collaboratively, too. I’m not coming in with a one-size-fits-all solution. I spend time understanding the business, figuring out what’s actually needed, and then building a design around that.
Tell us about the early days: your first Wix site, why you decided to build on Wix, and how your business model or services have shifted as you’ve grown more experienced.
My first Wix website was actually my own portfolio site when I was first getting into website design. I was already comfortable with graphic design, but I was newer to building websites, and Wix immediately made sense to me. I’m a very visual designer, and coding has never really been my thing, so I loved being able to see the design come together as I worked.
I also found the platform really intuitive. I could focus on the things I enjoy most, like layout, typography, imagery and creating a good user experience, without getting bogged down in the technical side of building a site. It felt like a natural extension of how I already worked as a designer.
As KC Designs has grown, my services have evolved quite a bit too. I started out doing more general graphic design, and websites gradually became a much bigger part of what I offer. Now I work with small businesses on everything from custom websites and local SEO to branding, social media graphics and ongoing website support.
The biggest shift has probably been realizing that I’m not just designing a website. I’m helping a business owner figure out how they want to show up, what their customers actually need to see, and how to bring all of that together visually. Every project is a little different, and I really enjoy that problem-solving side of the work.
What would you say makes your business unique? And for those who think Wix is “just templates,” what’s your take on why Wix is actually a strong platform for professional, custom sites?
I think what makes KC Designs unique is that I’m really focused on the balance between good design and real-world practicality. I’m not designing just to make something look nice. I’m thinking about how a customer is going to use the site, what information they need, what action the business wants them to take, and how the owner is actually going to manage it once it’s live.
A good example is a client I worked with who was coming from WordPress and was paying a developer to make even fairly simple updates. One of the reasons we moved the site to Wix was to give the business owner more control. I could still take care of the bigger design decisions and make sure everything looked polished and worked properly, but they could log in and change their own text, images and basic content whenever they needed to. That flexibility is a big part of why I like working with small businesses.
And when people say Wix is “just templates,” I think they’re often thinking about Wix in a very different way than I use it. A template can absolutely be a starting point, but it doesn’t have to determine the finished design. With Wix Studio, I can build custom layouts, create responsive designs and make the site feel very specific to the business and its brand.
For me, the real value is that I can spend my time solving the design and communication problems rather than fighting with the technology. I get the creative freedom to build something custom, and my clients get a professional website they can actually understand and manage. For a small business, that combination is pretty powerful.
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Photographer Credit: KC Designs
Tell us more about your core services. Do you have any projects that were especially challenging or rewarding? What did they teach you?
My core services are website design, graphic design, branding, local SEO and ongoing website and social media support. But the part I enjoy most is figuring out what a business actually needs and then turning that into something clear and cohesive.
One project that stands out is Cowichan Valley Roofing. They’re an established local business, so the challenge wasn’t creating something flashy just for the sake of it. It was about communicating their experience and services clearly, building trust, and making sure people in the Cowichan Valley could quickly understand what they offer and how to get in touch. I focused on straightforward navigation, strong calls to action, local SEO and a project gallery that helps potential customers see the quality of their work.
Then there was Selah Pottery Studio, which was a completely different kind of challenge. It’s a very creative business, and the website needed to feel just as creative and personal while still making it incredibly easy for people to find classes, workshops and booking information. We used Wix Bookings and built the design around the personality of the studio, while keeping the practical side of the site simple.
I think those projects really reinforced something I’ve learned over the years: there isn’t one formula for a good website. A roofing company and a pottery studio might have completely different audiences and visual styles, but both need the same thing at the core: a website that feels like their business and makes it easy for the right people to take the next step.
That’s probably my favourite part of the work. The design changes from project to project, but the problem-solving process is always there.
Tell us about your niche — or lack of one! Do you love working across many industries or honing your craft in one specific area? And why does that approach work for you?
I’d say my niche is less about a specific industry and more about the type of business I love working with. I primarily work with small, local businesses, and I’ve worked with a pretty wide range of industries, from electricians and roofers to pottery studios, counsellors and health and wellness practices.
I actually really enjoy the variety. It means I’m constantly learning about different businesses, different audiences and different ways of solving a problem. A website for an electrician might need to focus heavily on local service areas and making it easy to pick up the phone, while a pottery studio might need to put more emphasis on visuals, personality and online booking. The design approach changes, but the process of figuring out what that particular business needs is what I enjoy.
There are also a lot of common threads between small business owners. They’re busy, they don’t necessarily have a background in design or marketing, and they want someone who can take all those scattered ideas and turn them into something that makes sense.
That’s where I feel like I’ve found my sweet spot. I get to work across different industries while still working with clients who have a lot in common. And because I’m a small business owner myself, I understand that the website needs to be practical, manageable and worth the investment, not just look good.
This has been such a great conversation. Before we wrap up, can you share three pro tips for anyone building a website on Wix — and let our readers know how they can connect with you?
Absolutely. My three biggest tips would be:
1. Make it obvious what you do.
Someone should be able to land on your homepage and quickly understand who you are, what you offer and who you’re there to help. You don’t need to say everything on the homepage. You just need to make the next step clear.
2. Design for your customer, not just yourself.
It’s easy to get caught up in choosing fonts, colours and images, but step back and look at the site from your customer’s perspective. Can they find what they need? Is the navigation intuitive? Can they easily book, call, buy or get in touch? And make sure you check the mobile version, because that’s where a lot of people will experience your site.
3. Don’t treat your website as a one-and-done project.
Businesses change, and your website should change with them. Update your photos, services, content, links and calls to action as things evolve. Even small updates can make a site feel current and more useful to the people visiting it.
If you’d like to connect, you can find me at kc-designs.ca or on social media at KC Designs. I’m always happy to chat with small business owners who have an idea for a website, need some help with an existing one, or just aren’t sure where to start.
Kristy Cline
Website Designer
KC Designs
Bio
Kristy Cline is a Vancouver Island graphic and web designer and founder of KC Designs. With nearly two decades of design experience, she helps small businesses turn scattered ideas into clear, cohesive brands and websites that work. She specializes in custom Wix websites, local SEO and graphic design.
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