Dutch Digital Agencies

September 2024 - januari 2025

Redesign the DDA website - the dutch bond of digital agencies

During my final year at FDND, I worked on this project with two classmates. It was a collaboration with De Voorhoede, who developed the actual new website for Dutch Digital Agencies. We had the chance to work directly with their team lead, Declan, an expert in his field. Each sprint review, he gave us valuable feedback, which really helped me grow as a developer.

The Challenge

We were tasked with building the new design of the DDA website. While we had their design as a base, we also had creative freedom to improve and reimagine parts of it.

The main challenge for me was working with SvelteKit and Svelte 5 which had just launched. We were still learning about JavaScript frameworks, so jumping into the latest version was challenging, with lots of unknowns and new concepts to master.

My Solution

Declan encouraged us to make creative decisions, and I really took that opportunity.

One of my main focuses was the banner carousel on the homepage. The original design made several logos nearly invisible. I designed our version to ensure better contrast and layout, and honestly, I still prefer ours — it’s more consistent and accessible.

For the menu, I moved it from the header into a sidebar. The original site used a tiny font size (~12px) to fit everything in, which compromised readability. I prioritized accessibility and usability, and restructured the layout to support that, using a sidebar gave me more space and flexibility. I also think that this gives it a more distinct look.

The Result

We were able to deliver a new and improved DDA website, and explore different solutions to problems in the original site and design. It was a fun and exciting project, and I learned a lot about working with a new framework, working with other developers, and working with a real client.

Reflection

I learned a lot about working with frameworks, SvelteKit, and Svelte 5. I also learned about working with new and unfamiliar technology, and reading and using the documentation.

Working with a real client was also a great learning experience.

I finished this project with stronger skills in development, problem solving, accessibility, and collaboration.

It’s also fun to compare our version with the official one. I still stand behind a lot of our choices (even though now, just a few months later, I already see some improvements), and I’m proud of what we built.