Tessa Elwood

Tessa Elwood – Web Developer

Story-focused print and site design, along with website maintenance and social icons .

Overview

In a society that googles everything, a website is a must—and a good website lends credibility and professionalism. More, it makes it easy for a potential client or reader to find the information they need to choose this book or that service. My designs are all about my clients, translating their likes and goals into a visual interface. Classy, professional, dark, whimsical, image-intense or highly minimal—everything from look to function is tailored to your tastes.

The process is easy. We'll discuss what you’d like in a site—style, mood, and function—and I’ll mockup some designs. These will grow and change as you provide input. Once the site is finished and live, I will walk you through how to update your content yourself.

SERVICES

Websites include:
• Built on Wordpress, Squarespace, or Shopify
• Branding
• Custom design
• Full initial content setup
• SEO
• Social media inclusion & contact forms
• The standard bookstore icon set for authors
• Setting up an online store if needed

On Wordpress:
• For authors with series or multiple books: auto updating setup to make adding new books easy
• Custom mobile theme (Squarespace has a mobile theme by default)
• Full content control, including design-specific elements update via custom fields

Current site refresh:
Want to update your site without overhauling it? Sometimes a site needs fresh graphics or organization within its current framework to really shine. Or maybe it's simply time for a change. Either way, we can work with what you have to give you what you need.

Maintenance
Need updates to your current site? I can help!

Social Media
This includes themed branding across all your socials, newsletter, and/or book promo images to use on your favorite sites.

Print Design
Logos, bookmarks, postcards, business cards, posters, coloring pages—I've designed everything from book covers to CD cases to oracle cards. If you need print materials, I can provide you with digital files you can use anywhere or take to the printer of your choice.
Services
Non-Fiction
Art
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Middle Grade Mystery & Crime Picture Books Romance Women's Fiction Young Adult
Works with
Shopify Squarespace Wix WordPress

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2010 — Present

Designed and coded websites and Wordpress templates to spec, for both individuals and organizations. Took preexisting or packaged content and reformated it for new designs and their archive base. Developed CMS tutorials and troubleshot errors. Designed business cards, bookmarks, brochures, flyers, booklets, book covers, CD covers, and t-shirts.

The Little Fig

Jan, 2017 — Present

Laid out books for print, designed catalogues, logo and branding. Built and maintain the website. General troubleshooter for anything image or coding related.

Jennings Social Media Marketing

Jan, 2009 — Mar, 2010 (about 1 year)

Designed and coded websites, blogs, landing pages, and CMS templates to spec. Troubleshot issues across all Jennings sites (10+), upgraded SEO practices, addressed client issues/worries and kept a detailed log of all work.

Projects

Book focused sites

Sites built around particular series or titles, including Kingdom of Souls and Nearly Gone.

Bookmark Designs

NYT Bestsellers

Site designs for bestselling authors, often with large back catalogues. Includes Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff, Meagan Spooner, and Kathryn Purdie.

YA & MG Projects

Site and print designs for YA authors, including two books-focused sites: Kingdom of Souls and Nearly Gone.

Adult Projects

Site designs for adult authors in a mix of genres, including romance, poetry, upmarket fiction, and western.

Picture Book Projects

Site and print designs for PB authors, including Jenn Bailey, Jody Jensen Shaffer, Sue Gallion, Maryann Mcdonald, and Ann Ingalls.

Beyond Author Sites

Projects for artists and businesses. Kourtney and Natosha needed something to showcase their work, while Condie needed to provide a lot of information in a clear/easy to access way.

Tessa has 19 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Wendy N.

Wendy N.

May, 2023

I have found Tessa Elwood to be the soul of professionalism. She quickly understood what I required; quickly accomplished the task; and has been unfailingly efficient and friendly.
Janet H.

Janet H.

Nov, 2022

Tessa allowed me to hire her to update and provide feedback on certain pages of my existing website as I prepared for a book launch. She gave great advice, guidance and make my pages more professional and clean. I really appreciated Tessa's enthusiasm and spirit in the work. It was a great relief.
S S.

S S.

May, 2020

Tessa is the best partner for someone like me, a new entrant to writing and publishing. She guided me through the aspects of web design and hosting. She is generous with her time and very professional in her work. I am lucky to have my website developed by her.
Sherry D.

Sherry D.

Mar, 2020

Working with Tessa has been fantastic! She is responsive, clear, and patient.
Dan C.

Dan C.

Mar, 2020

She did a phenomenal job on my author website, and beyond that I really I loved working with her. I couldn't be happier with the result. She knew how to bring to life all of the many scatter-brained ideas I had for it, and do it in an impressive, cohesive manner. She never tired of new thoughts or requests I might have. I feel very fortunate to have found her, and would highly recommend her...
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