Rainbow Rowell Author Site
A fully customized WordPress site concept designed to showcase Rainbow Rowell’s published works, reviews, and author brand. Built using a custom child theme and a hand-coded plugin, this project demonstrates both front-end design and back-end development skills tailored to a real-world publishing scenario.
View SiteTools
WordPress, PHP, Custom Plugin, HTML/CSS, Adobe Illustrator
Key Features
Responsive custom child theme with playful, Featured book widget (block/shortcode) for most recent publications, Custom plugin with two post types: Books & Reviews, Custom meta fields (reviewer name, location, rating, book selector), Interactive book review system, Static home page and intuitive site navigation
The Goal
- Develop an author-focused WordPress site that feels vibrant, warm, and reflective of Rainbow Rowell’s personality
- Showcase books and reviews in an organized, reader-friendly format
- Reinforce author brand through visual design and structure
My Approach
- Researched author website trends and reader engagement features
- Built a custom plugin with two CPTs: Books and Reviews
- Styled with CSS animations and hover effects to enhance user experience
- Ensured accessibility and mobile responsiveness throughout
The Result
The final project is a lively, professional site that doubles as a portfolio piece and a functional prototype for an author platform. With a fully custom plugin powering dynamic book and review content, and a design tailored to Rainbow Rowell’s tone and audience, the site demonstrates a blend of thoughtful UX and technical proficiency.