Case study · 05
Anne Newgarden
A legacy author site rebuilt as a static-first editorial platform.
- Role
- Product design, content migration & development
- Stack
- Next.js 16 · React 19 · TypeScript · Tailwind CSS 4 · Vercel
- Status
- The redesign is deployed on Vercel; the original WordPress site remains on annenewgarden.com
Project brief
From a legacy publishing template to a distinctive author platform.
The existing WordPress site held years of books, essays, appearances, and community material. I turned that body of work into a focused editorial experience built around Anne’s voice, current books, and Soul Salon.
The rebuild moves public content into statically generated Next.js routes, preserves reviewed archives and legacy paths, and delivers the site without a runtime CMS or database.
Before / after
Same body of work. A clearer way into it.
The redesign replaces a dense, theme-led WordPress homepage with a deliberate editorial hierarchy for the author, books, writing archive, and Soul Salon. Drag the divider to compare the same opening viewport.
Use the left and right arrow keys, Home, or End to change the comparison.
One matched viewport. The original WordPress site is still on the custom domain; the redesign is the public Vercel preview.
What I owned
The work behind the finished product.
Editorial product direction, information architecture, and responsive visual system
Migration of books, long-form articles, news, events, and directory content
Next.js App Router architecture with version-controlled static publishing
Metadata, structured data, legacy redirects, accessibility testing, and Vercel delivery
Architecture
A static editorial system with no runtime CMS.
The rebuild turns migrated publishing content into pre-generated pages, keeping the public experience fast, portable, and easy to reason about while preserving the depth of the archive.
Selected screens
Anne Newgarden, beyond the opening screen.
A visual books destination separates the catalog from the author story and gives each title room to lead.
Migrated recommendations become a concise, scannable directory instead of another long-form page.
The recurring gathering receives its own focused story, invitation, and visual identity.
Current status
The redesign is deployed on Vercel; the original WordPress site remains on annenewgarden.com
The redesigned experience is publicly available on Vercel while annenewgarden.com continues to serve the original WordPress site pending domain cutover.
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