Website Design for Hart & Clough Printers
Written by Peter Skitt, Creative Director of Buzz Design
Hart & Clough is one of the UK’s most distinguished fine lithographic printing companies, with over 135 years of craft heritage. Managing Director Richard Clough approached Buzz Design to create an entirely new website after a period working with a different provider. The return to Buzz Design came with a clear and ambitious brief: a site that honoured 135 years of expertise while communicating that expertise compellingly to a contemporary audience.
In addition to the web design project, Buzz Design also provides ongoing SEO and social media management for Hart & Clough, extending the relationship beyond the launch into long-term digital marketing support.
Challenges
Balancing the weight of a 135-year heritage with a contemporary digital presentation is not straightforward. There is a risk of a site that feels like a museum piece, and an equally real risk of modernising so aggressively that the heritage disappears.
The previous site under-represented the quality and variety of Hart & Clough’s printing services. Custom photography was needed to do the work justice with stock imagery entirely unsuitable for a craft-based print business, where the quality of real finished work is the primary sales argument.
The site needed to speak to both new prospects who might not yet know the company and established clients familiar with an older version of the brand presentation, without feeling like it was starting from scratch.
Design Process
Initial discussions with Richard Clough established the desired tone: prestigious and authoritative, without being stiff or inaccessible. The balance between heritage and modernity was agreed in concept before any design work began.
A custom photography shoot was planned and executed around real projects to showcase production in progress and the quality of finished lithographic work. This was non-negotiable: the photography is the most important single element of a fine print company’s website, and it had to be exceptional.
Typography, colour and layout were chosen to feel classic without feeling dated. An SEO strategy was developed alongside the content to target printing-related search terms from launch, rather than adding search optimisation as an afterthought.
Solutions
Full service portfolio pages were created with detailed descriptions and high-resolution photography of printed work, giving prospective clients a clear picture of Hart & Clough’s output and capability.
Icon-led navigation was used throughout to break up text-heavy sections, improving readability and creating a more engaging experience for visitors who might otherwise be deterred by dense copy.
A strategic social media plan was developed to amplify Hart & Clough’s brand voice and extend reach beyond the website itself.
SEO-optimised page structure and content was built throughout, targeting the specific terms a prospective print client would use when searching for a high-quality printing partner.
Results
The completed website gave Richard Clough and his team a digital platform that properly represented 135 years of craft expertise for the first time. The combination of outstanding photography and well-structured content has given Hart & Clough a site that can hold its own against any competitor in the fine printing sector.
Ongoing SEO and social media activity has continued to build awareness and reach beyond the initial launch period, extending the commercial impact of the project by generating new enquiries every day.
Lessons Learned
Companies with deep heritage often underestimate how much story they have to tell digitally. A 135-year printing history is remarkable content and the challenge is to present it in a way that feels contemporary rather than nostalgic.
Custom photography is non-negotiable for craft-led businesses. No stock library contains images that convey the quality of a specific printer’s work. The photography investment almost always pays for itself in the credibility it creates.
SEO for specialist print services requires patience, but the audience is narrower and the search intent is stronger than in most consumer markets. A well-optimised site in a specialist print niche will earn its traffic over time.
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