Project Description

The site looks fantastic. I feel suddenly more professional and impressive!

– Emma Marris

Award-winning science and environmental writer, author, speaker, and journalist Emma Marris contacted me because her previous website was heavily focused on just one book, difficult or impossible to update, and no longer reflected the breadth of her career: two acclaimed books (Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World and Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World), essays and features in top outlets (New York Times, The Atlantic, Nature, National Geographic), speaking engagements on conservation/ethics/philosophy, and ongoing work exploring how to live in multi-species worlds. We built a modern, flexible site that creates dedicated landing pages for each type of work, introduces a sustainable model for adding new articles/books/events without redesigns, and delivers a bright, professional look suitable for a subject-matter expert in ecology and nature.

The Challenge: The old site was outdated and rigid, limiting visibility of her diverse output—books with major awards (e.g., Wild Souls won the 2022 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award and Science in Society Journalism Award, finalist for LA Times Book Prize), longform journalism, speaking, and thought leadership on post-wild conservation and animal-human entanglements. It needed to feel fresh and expansive while remaining credible and easy to maintain for an active writer/speaker.

My Solution: We designed a clean, vibrant site with strong typography, bright yet professional palette (evoking nature/science optimism), and clear hierarchy that centers her books and writing while providing modular sections for speaking, articles, and contact. The structure supports growth—easy addition of new content via WordPress templates—ensuring long-term usability without frequent overhauls.

Results: The refreshed site now serves as Emma’s comprehensive professional hub, elevating her brand as a leading voice in environmental science and ethics. It highlights her award-winning books and journalism, facilitates speaking inquiries and reader connections (via newsletter), and allows confident self-updates for future projects. The client response captures the impact perfectly: “The site looks fantastic. I feel suddenly more professional and impressive!”

Critical Elements Delivered:

• Dedicated book pages for Rambunctious Garden (optimistic conservation in a post-wild world) and Wild Souls (intertwined animal-human life, with prominent awards and synopses)
• Sections for Writing/Articles featuring clips from New York Times, The Atlantic, Nature, Hakai Magazine, and more, with easy expansion
• Speaking/Appearances area with inquiry links (via Authors Unbound) for in-person/virtual engagements on environment, science, philosophy
• Newsletter signup integration for occasional updates on articles, appearances, news
• About/bio highlighting credentials (Master’s in Science Writing from Johns Hopkins, 20+ years freelancing/staff writing, Portland OR base)
• Bright, fresh, professional design that’s modern and approachable for readers, event organizers, editors, and publishers
• Strong calls-to-action for consulting/speaking/writing hires, contact, and newsletter signups
• Responsive, mobile-optimized layout scalable for ongoing career growth

Type of Project: Author Websites, Journalist Websites, Book Websites, Science & Environmental Authors, Nature & Conservation Sites, Author Journalist Website Design, Environmental Writer Website, Conservation Author Website

Ready for an environmental or science journalist website that’s scalable, bright, and showcases your full body of work? Schedule a Free Chat.