Stanwood-Camano Pride
A ground-up website launch followed by a full CMS expansion — giving Stanwood-Camano Pride its first official online presence, then empowering the organization to manage events and news independently through a custom headless WordPress system built to match the existing site exactly.
Project Overview
Stanwood-Camano Pride needed its very first official website to support a growing community event and create a central place for event details, sponsors, volunteers, vendors, and community members. Because no previous website existed, this project started from the ground up with site structure, design direction, content organization, technical development, and launch planning.
After the initial launch, the project expanded into a second major phase: integrating a headless WordPress CMS that allows the organization to publish and manage events and news directly — without touching code — while the main PHP site continues to serve all content dynamically through the WordPress REST API.
Client Goals
Primary Objectives
- Launch the organization's first official website
- Create a welcoming and inclusive online experience
- Make event information easy to find and understand
- Improve visibility for sponsors and community partners
- Support volunteer, vendor, and community participation
- Build a mobile-friendly site for attendees and visitors
- Create a scalable platform for future Pride events
- Enable the organization to manage events and news without developer involvement
Project Focus
This project was approached as a complete digital launch followed by a strategic CMS expansion. The website needed to do more than share basic information — it needed to communicate the spirit of the organization, support community involvement, recognize sponsors, and give the team the ability to keep content current long after launch without relying on outside help for every update.
Phase One — Website Launch
Custom Website Design & Development
What Was Built
- Custom PHP website architecture
- Mobile-responsive page layouts
- Event information and shuttle details
- Sponsor showcase and tiered sponsor recognition
- Volunteer and vendor information pages
- Interactive gallery and lightbox experience
- Newsletter signup flow and thank-you page
- Clean URL structure and search-friendly metadata
Approach
The site was built to feel bright, approachable, and community-centered while staying practical for visitors. The design balances colorful Pride-inspired visuals with clear navigation, readable content, fast access to event details, and flexible structure for future updates.
Phase Two — Headless WordPress CMS Integration
Custom CMS Build & REST API Integration
What Was Built
- WordPress installed at
/wp/as a headless CMS — invisible to visitors, fully functional for the team - Custom WordPress theme (scp-theme) built to match the main site's design system exactly
- Custom Events post type with meta fields for date, time, location, and map URL — all exposed via the REST API
- Full News & Events page (
news.php) with hero image, client-side monthly calendar, filter tabs (All / News / Events), card grid with skeleton loaders, and pagination - 3-card Latest News & Events section added to the homepage, pulling live content from the WP REST API
- News & Events added to the main site navigation
- All front-end content delivered dynamically — the core PHP site structure remains static and unchanged
Architecture
Rather than rebuilding the site in WordPress, we used WordPress purely as a content management layer. The organization's team publishes events and news through a familiar WordPress dashboard, and the main site fetches that content dynamically via the REST API at runtime. This keeps the front end fast, clean, and fully in our control while giving the client a simple, sustainable way to manage content independently.
Highlights of the Work
Design & User Experience
- Created a vibrant visual direction centered on Pride, celebration, and community
- Developed a clear page structure for event details, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, and contact needs
- Built mobile-friendly layouts for people accessing information before or during the event
- Added dynamic image presentation to showcase the organization's community energy
- Designed a News & Events page with a client-side calendar, filter system, skeleton loaders, and paginated card grid
Functionality & Engagement
- Built a custom "Celebrate Pride" experience with timed rainbow effects, animation, and confetti
- Created sponsor visibility systems to better recognize community partners
- Added interactive gallery behavior with branded lightbox functionality
- Implemented reusable PHP includes for easier long-term site maintenance
- Integrated a headless WordPress CMS so the team can publish events and news without developer support
- Built homepage live content feed pulling the three most recent posts automatically from the REST API
Results
Community Impact
The launch gave Stanwood-Camano Pride its first centralized digital platform. Visitors now have a clear place to find event information, learn how to participate, explore sponsor support, view community photos, and connect with the organization online. With the CMS expansion, the team can now publish upcoming events and announcements directly — keeping the site current year-round without relying on outside support.
Long-Term Value
Beyond the initial launch, the website creates a flexible foundation for future Pride events, sponsor growth, volunteer recruitment, newsletter communication, photo galleries, and ongoing community visibility across Stanwood, Camano Island, and surrounding areas. The headless CMS architecture ensures content management stays simple for the client while keeping the front end fast, consistent, and fully maintainable.