Case study
WordPress Development & Operations
A broader perspective on building and maintaining WordPress websites.
WordPress was one of the first technologies I worked with in my career. After years of focusing on other platforms, I returned to explore its evolving block-based theme architecture, eventually designing and developing my own portfolio site. Later, as a Senior Web Developer at REFUGE Marketing & Consulting, my work expanded into overseeing client websites, coordinating development, troubleshooting technical issues, and maintaining quality across projects.
Case file #3001: WordPress Development & Operations
Project details
- Role
- Developer; Senior Web Developer
- Platform
- WordPress
- Focus
- Theme Development & Web Operations
- Technologies
- WordPress · Block Themes · PHP · JavaScript · CSS/Sass · Custom Post Types
A Custom Portfolio Built on a Block Theme
I used WordPress's Twenty Twenty-Five theme as the foundation for my personal portfolio, creating a child theme to implement my custom visual design while retaining the underlying block theme architecture.
Beyond styling and templates, I developed custom plugins to support specific homepage elements and introduced a custom post type for the Journal Entry section. This allowed me to extend the site's content structure and functionality beyond the theme's default capabilities.
Custom Interactive Components
To give my portfolio a more distinctive identity, I developed two custom homepage components: Spheres and Bubbles.
Spheres are linked, keyword-based elements that reveal an image on hover, turning tags into interactive visual navigation. Bubbles use assigned images arranged in an overlapping composition, with hover-driven movement that adds depth and motion to the layout.
I implemented both features through custom WordPress plugins, extending the site's functionality beyond its child theme's templates and styling.
Running
Coding
Portfolio
Résumé
Journal
From Development to Website Operations
At REFUGE Marketing & Consulting, my Senior Web Developer role extended beyond hands-on implementation. I managed a portfolio of client websites, coordinated development work, performed QA, investigated technical issues with the team, and responded to client technical support requests.
The role required balancing technical problem-solving with project coordination and quality control, helping ensure website changes were reviewed and issues were followed through to resolution.
- Project Coordination
- Quality Assurance
- Technical Support
Quality Assurance & Technical Direction
During the development of REFUGE Marketing's company website, I reviewed implementations against the intended design and provided targeted revisions to the development team. My QA reviews covered typography, alignment, spacing, responsive composition, and overlapping interface elements.
Using browser DevTools alongside visual inspection, I identified discrepancies and translated them into actionable CSS adjustments for the developers to implement. This helped turn design feedback into specific, verifiable changes.
Project Status
The personal portfolio reached its initial implementation stage, with core templates and content structures developed. The homepage's tablet and mobile layouts were completed, while responsive implementation for other templates remains unfinished.
At REFUGE, my work focused on the ongoing management, technical support, QA, and delivery of client WordPress websites.