Lynda Anne Cortis — Webdesign & Custom CMS Development

Overview

The project involved the complete redesign and development of the website for cellist Lynda Anne Cortis. The goal was to create a modern, dark, editorial-style website paired with a fully custom-built CMS. Instead of relying on generic systems, a tailored content management solution was developed that allows the client to edit texts, upload images, embed media, create projects and manage events—while preserving a consistent visual layout and design quality across the site.

Challenge

The main challenge was balancing a highly curated, premium visual design with the client’s need for autonomy. The CMS had to be powerful enough to support real content workflows—projects, concerts, images, media embeds—yet simple and safe to use without technical knowledge. At the same time, the system needed to prevent layout breakage, ensure data security, and provide a smooth editorial experience within a dark, minimalist design language.

Goals

The primary goals of the project were:

• Design a high-end, dark-themed website with a strong artistic identity
• Build a custom CMS tailored to the client’s real-world needs
• Enable independent content management without exposing technical complexity
• Ensure secure admin access and controlled write operations
• Deliver fast performance and a scalable architecture for future growth

Solution

The website was built using Next.js 15 with TypeScript and Tailwind CSS, providing a modern, performant frontend with smooth Framer Motion animations. A custom CMS was implemented using Supabase as the backend, including a PostgreSQL database and public storage for media assets.

An isolated admin area allows Lynda Anne Cortis to manage pages, projects, events and media through structured forms. All write operations are handled server-side using secure API routes and a service role, ensuring that no sensitive credentials are ever exposed client-side.

Row Level Security policies restrict database access appropriately, while the admin interface uses a protected login flow. Additional features include a secure contact form with spam protection and automated email delivery, as well as an iCal-compatible event feed for external calendar integration.

Outcome

The result is a visually refined, technically robust website that combines artistic presentation with professional content management. The client can independently maintain and expand the site—adding concerts, projects and media—without risking design inconsistencies or technical errors.

The custom CMS provides exactly the required functionality, no more and no less, resulting in a system that is both intuitive and secure. The site is deployed on Vercel with a Supabase backend, offering reliability, scalability and low maintenance overhead.

Learnings

This project reinforced the value of designing CMS systems around real editorial workflows rather than generic feature sets. Restricting content editing to clearly defined structures significantly reduces support needs and prevents layout issues.

From a technical perspective, the project highlighted the importance of security-first CMS architecture—using server-side write access, database-level security rules and protected admin routes. Additionally, careful integration of motion design showed how animations can enhance user experience while remaining accessible and unobtrusive.