ABCcut When Traditional Craftsmanship Went Digital

A traditional craft business ventures into the digital age - this exciting challenge awaited me in summer 2019. When Jens Hofmann, owner of ABCcut, approached me, he had a clear vision: His extensive craftsmanship expertise should be optimally presented in the digital space without losing its traditional roots.

The Path to Digital Presence

Conversations with Jens revealed the scope of the task. ABCcut is a versatile craft business - their range of services extends from classic foil lettering to modern illuminated signage. We needed to clearly structure this diversity for abccut.de.

Structuring the Craft

After thorough analysis, I developed an appropriate structure for ABCcut's service portfolio. The main task: Presenting the various craft services in a clear and user-friendly manner.

The result was a clearly structured navigation with ten specialized service areas:

• Foil Lettering
• Vehicle Wrapping
• Digital Printing
• Embroidery
• Banners and Flags
• Stamps
• Laser Engraving
• Signs
• 3D Letters
• Illuminated Signage

Each area received its own section on the website. It was important to me to showcase the craftsmanship expertise while ensuring easy navigation.

The Gallery: Show Craftsmanship Instead of Explaining It

For presenting work samples, we opted for a classic gallery. Over the years, Jens had collected many photos of his projects - from small stamps to large vehicle wrappings. We wanted to make these accessible to website visitors.

The implementation is intentionally kept simple: A grid layout shows the projects in overview. Clicking opens a larger view with details about the respective work. The design takes a back seat - the craftsmanship quality is in the foreground.

Key points of the gallery:

• Grid view for quick overview
• Large image views on click
• Sorted by work areas
• Works on all screen sizes

Between Tradition and Innovation

I proceeded cautiously with the implementation. The existing website had its regular customers, whom we didn't want to confuse. Step by step, we updated the design and structure.

Digital Challenge: A Lesson in Crisis Management

In November 2020, the website fell victim to a larger wave of attacks on WordPress installations. Due to a missing security update by the system administrator, attackers managed to place unwanted content on the website.

My tasks in this situation:

• Identifying and removing the injected content
• Installing and configuring additional security plugins
• Checking potential SEO impacts via Google Search Console
• Installing a security plugin

Through quick action, I was able to promptly clean up the website and equip it with improved security measures. An important lesson learned from this incident: Regular security updates and proactive monitoring are essential for the secure operation of a WordPress installation.

The Result: Fast and Solid

The new website went online after a few weeks of development time. This was possible because it was clear from the start what needed to be done: I've known WordPress for over 10 years, the technical requirements were defined, and with Jens, I had a client who knew what he wanted.

What worked well:

• Weekly brief alignments
• Direct feedback on change requests
• Clear task list that I worked through point by point

Website visitors find their way around well - this is shown by the feedback from ABCcut's customers. They particularly appreciate the clear presentation of the various craft services.

What I Learned

The project showed what matters in the digital transformation of craft businesses. Success is based on three essential pillars:

• Digitalization must fit the company - not every trend needs to be followed
• Quick but well-thought-out implementation saves time and money in medium-sized businesses
• Regular updates and maintenance are essential even in crafts

The new ABCcut website shows how the connection between traditional craftsmanship and digital presence can authentically succeed.