Forty Years,
New Website.
The Framing Department has framed pictures in Alnwick since 1986. When Callum Barnes took the business over, he wanted a website that matched the bold new logo and made it easy to send an enquiry. We designed seven directions, built the one he chose, and set up the email and tracking behind it.
- WHO — The Framing Department, bespoke picture framers
- WHAT — Design Concepts, Web Design & Build, Content Manager, Enquiry Form, Google Analytics & Search Console, Microsoft 365 Email, Hosting
- WHEN — 2026
- WHERE — Alnwick, Northumberland
- HOW — Seven clickable directions, one custom build, and a content manager the shop runs itself
New Owner,
Same Craft.
Mick and Amanda Davison ran The Framing Department from Ventex House in Alnwick for forty years. In November 2025 Callum Barnes took it over. The framing stays the same: frame making, glass cutting, mount cutting and box frames for shirts and memorabilia, all done by hand. What Callum needed was a website that showed the work properly, told people the business was in new hands, and brought in enquiries.
- Show forty years of framing in a modern way
- Tell customers the shop is under new ownership
- Make it easy to describe a piece and ask for a quote
Pick From
Real Pages.
We didn’t send a mood board. We built seven working design directions and put them on one preview page, so Callum could click through each as a real site: image-led, neon, cosmic, an editorial showroom, a minimal atelier, a bold workshop look and more. He chose Cosmic, and we kept building on it with his feedback until it became the live site.
- Seven clickable design directions on one preview page
- Cosmic chosen as the lead concept
- Each round of Callum’s feedback built straight into it
Built Around
the Logo.
The Framing Department’s logo is loud: a stepped blue, purple and pink frame corner with a retro wordmark. Instead of toning it down, we built the site around it. The palette comes straight from the logo, set on a near-black background so finished frames stand out. Poppins keeps the type clean, and the hero uses a chevron of real frame mouldings, the shape of a mitred corner.
- Violet, magenta and periwinkle taken from the logo
- Dark background that makes framed work stand out
- Poppins for headings and body text
- Chevron hero made from real frame mouldings
Four Services,
One Studio.
Each service has its own page: frame making, glass cutting, mount cutting, and shirt and memorabilia framing. The homepage carries a moving strip of what the shop frames, from photographs and watercolours to sports shirts, then a grid of the four services with a short line and a link to each. Every page ends with the same next step: make an enquiry.
- A page for each of the four services
- Moving strip of what the shop can frame
- Clear “Make an Enquiry” button on every page
Tell Us
About Your Piece.
Framing quotes depend on details, so the enquiry form asks for the ones that matter: what you want framed, its size, depth for shirts and 3D items, frame style, mount and glass preferences, and a photo if you have one. If you don’t know the size, that’s fine, the form says so. Each enquiry goes straight to the shop by email and is saved in the site’s own inbox, photo included.
- Questions on size, depth, frame, mount and glass
- Optional photo upload
- Sent to the shop by email and kept in an online inbox
- A clear “what happens next” panel beside the form
Post News
Without Us.
We built a simple content manager into the site so the shop can post its own announcements: opening hours, results-day framing, World Cup offers. Each post has a banner image that also becomes the social share picture, extra gallery photos, search keywords and a draft setting. The same login opens the enquiries inbox.
- Announcements with banner and gallery images
- Drafts, plus search keywords on every post
- Banner doubles as the social share image
- Enquiries inbox behind the same login
Straight From
the Studio.
There are no stock photos on the site. The gallery and service pages use photos of finished pieces from the Alnwick studio: signed football shirts, medals, watercolours, a hare drawing in a pale wood frame, and the walls of moulding samples behind the counter. Someone thinking about framing a shirt can see one the shop has already done.
- Real finished work, photographed in the shop
- Shirts, medals, art and photographs
- The same photos used across the service pages
Email, Tracking
and Hosting.
A new owner means new accounts. We set the shop up on Microsoft 365, moved the old mailbox across and changed the sender name from the previous owner to The Framing Department. We added Google Analytics and Search Console, submitted the sitemap and gave Callum his own access to both. We host the site and look after it.
- Microsoft 365 email, with the old mailbox moved across
- Google Analytics 4 and Search Console set up
- Sitemap, robots file and search metadata on every page
- Hosting and support from Northern
The Framing Department
A website a forty-year-old framing business can run itself.
Taking over a business and need it to look the part?
Screenshots
& Photography
Design concepts, website, content manager and setup work shown were produced by Northern Digital for The Framing Department. The logo is The Framing Department’s own. Photos of framed work are the shop’s own. Presented to demonstrate capability.
More from the Northern portfolio.
What clients say about our work
Real reviews from real businesses.
Had a website made from scratch was done within 4 days and turn around was great.
Great service overall. It's been a real pleasure working with Dave and his team. They've helped strengthen our business presence and brand identity through our website and are always on hand to offer support and go the extra mile. We're looking forward to continuing to work with Dave and the Northern Digital team on future projects as our business grows.
Very good experience, very knowledgable and trustworthy. Highly recommend.
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