Stronger brand
A complete visual identity developed around the existing logo
Local presence
Photography and messaging rooted firmly in the community
Flexible editing
Reusable WordPress blocks with true visual editing
Crabtree Family Funeral Services is a new, independent funeral director serving families across Pudsey, Leeds and the surrounding area.
The business had already taken its first steps online with a website created in-house. It did what it needed to do: got the company visible, helped establish the business and brought in its first families.
As Crabtree began to grow, the team recognised that the next stage needed something more considered. They needed a professional website and a stronger visual identity that properly reflected who they were: independent, family-run, deeply local and committed to providing personal support when families need it most.
I developed the brand beyond the existing logo, wrote and structured the website content, produced much of the photography and built a flexible WordPress website designed to support the business as it grows.
The original website had successfully helped Crabtree Family Funeral Services get off the ground, but it was never intended to be the final expression of the business.
The company had quickly established a clear way of working: personal, independent and firmly rooted in the local community. The website now needed to communicate those qualities with the same confidence.
This was Crabtree’s first professional digital platform, so the job went beyond improving layouts or changing colours. It meant creating a complete visual and written experience around the existing logo, establishing how the business should sound online and giving families a calm, clear route through information that can often feel overwhelming.
The result needed to feel professional without becoming corporate, compassionate without becoming overly sentimental, and local without filling every page with stock photographs of Yorkshire stone walls.
Crabtree already had a recognisable logo, but the wider brand had not yet been fully developed.
I first recreated the logo as a proper vector asset, making it suitable for consistent use across the website and future printed material.
From there, I developed the wider visual language around it, including the colour palette, typography, spacing, imagery and reusable design elements.
The finished identity balances professionalism with warmth. It feels established and dependable, but still reflects the fact that Crabtree is a small, personal business where families deal directly with people who know and care about the local area.
Almost all of the website content was rewritten from the ground up, working closely with the client to make sure the information remained accurate and true to the way they support families.
The site needed to explain practical topics including cremations, burials, funeral plans, memorials, pricing and what happens after somebody dies. That information had to be clear enough to help someone who may be dealing with it for the first time, without sounding cold or procedural.
The content is structured around guidance rather than sales pressure. It explains what families need to know, reassures them that support is available and makes it clear that they will speak directly to somebody who can help, not be passed through a national call centre.
That message now runs consistently throughout the website, from the main service pages to practical guidance, frequently asked questions and contact forms.
Crabtree’s independence is one of its strongest advantages, so the website needed to feel personal rather than hide the team behind a logo and a library of generic funeral imagery.
I photographed James and Ross to give visitors a genuine introduction to the people they may speak to and meet.
That photography is supported by images of the surrounding area, including aerial views of local landmarks and communities. This reinforces that Crabtree is not a distant national operator using local landing pages. It is a business based in and actively connected to the area it serves.
The approach helps build familiarity before a family ever makes contact, which matters enormously in a service built around trust and personal care.
“Local” can easily become another empty claim tucked beside “friendly” and “reliable”.
For Crabtree, it is central to how the business works.
The design, photography and content were all shaped around Pudsey, Horsforth and the wider West Yorkshire community. Local references are used where they provide context and reassurance rather than being scattered around purely for search engines.
The finished site makes it clear that families are dealing with people who understand the area, its churches, crematoria, cemeteries and communities.
That gives the brand a sense of place and helps distinguish Crabtree from larger funeral groups whose local presence may extend little further than a rented office and a Google Business Profile.
Crabtree was one of the first projects built using my upgraded WordPress theming system, combining Gutenberg with Advanced Custom Fields.
Instead of editing content through disconnected fields and hoping it looks right on the front end, the team can visually see pages coming together inside the WordPress editor.
The website is built from reusable components, allowing sections to be added, removed and reorganised without compromising the design.
This gives Crabtree genuine control over the site as the business develops. New services, guidance and pages can be introduced without requiring a full redesign or turning the admin area into a game of “guess what this field does”.
A confident platform for the next stage of the business.
The new website gives Crabtree Family Funeral Services a professional digital presence that better reflects the business it has become.
It communicates the company’s independent, family-run approach, establishes a stronger and more consistent brand, and gives families clear access to guidance, services, pricing and support.
Behind the scenes, the flexible WordPress build gives the team room to expand and reorganise the website as their needs change.
Most importantly, it feels like Crabtree: personal, calm, proudly local and genuinely connected to the communities it serves.
