Studio
The two of us, on purpose.
Northlight is not a network of contractors behind a polished sales call. Mara owns the design decisions. Dev owns the build. You talk to the people doing the work, including when a better answer is no.
Duluth, MN, remote everywhere
Who does the work
Strategy and design
Mara Chen
Mara turns a messy offer into a site with a point of view. She leads research, content structure, visual direction, and the decisions that make a business recognizable.
Development and care
Dev Ortiz
Dev builds the thing, keeps it fast, and stays available after launch. He cares about an editor being as clear as the page it produces.
How it moves
Enough process to make a decision, not hide behind one.
A small team only works when the work is visible. This is the sequence we use to keep decisions close to the people making them.
01
Get the real brief
We talk to the people answering customer questions, not just the person who approved the budget.
02
Make the site make sense
We shape the message, content and navigation before polishing screens that may never earn their keep.
03
Design and build together
The design system and the production site move in the same weekly review, so there is no handoff cliff.
04
Hand it over properly
We document the useful bits, train the team, and leave a care plan if you want one.
Things that will not bend
No templates.
Every site starts from a blank page. If you want a theme, we'll happily recommend someone cheaper.
You own everything.
Code, domain, analytics, hosting. Leave whenever you like and take it all with you.
Small on purpose.
Two people, four projects at a time. When we're full, we say so and tell you when we open up.