W-01 · Website rebuild · 2026
Down East Music: Wix template to real site.
Down East Music shoots Prince Edward Island’s festival summer, and the photography deserved better than a stock template. We rebuilt the site by hand—new identity, a festival hub, editorial coverage, and pages tuned for photography. Drag the divider to compare the same site before and after.
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A stock template with generic type, a borrowed layout, a logo lost in the corner, and little that said Prince Edward Island. It functioned, but it did not build recognition.
A distinct identity, a warm palette pulled from festival season, and hand-built pages tuned for photography—including a festival hub, editorial coverage, and visible publication credits.
A site that feels like the work it showcases: specific to the Island, branded down to the browser tab, and ready for festival season at downeastmusic.com.
Homepage in a desktop browser, measured September 2, 2026, template site versus rebuild: 161 network requests became 10; 82 scripts became 3; page load fell from 3.1 seconds to 1.8 seconds—with the rebuild carrying full-size photography. One measurement, not a benchmark suite.