--- title: "Case study: Ars Projekt – website | Sweet Lava" description: "A custom WordPress portfolio for a Kraków architecture studio: modular layout, AI-assisted photo retouching and a 100/100 desktop performance score." url: https://sweetlava.eu/en/work/ars-projekt-portfolio-website-for-a-krakow-architecture-studio/ lang: en alternate_pl: https://sweetlava.eu/pl/projekty/ars-projekt-strona-wizerunkowa-oraz-wdrozenie-dla-krakowskiego-biura/ --- Services / Architecture # Ars Projekt – a portfolio website for a Kraków architecture studio For the Ars Projekt studio we designed and built a fully custom WordPress theme whose information architecture serves one goal: showcasing the impressive portfolio of Kraków architect Roman Szczypuła. Antonina Jasińska ·Piotr Sember ![An iPhone with the Ars Projekt website, lying on concrete](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/pgdlccfz/production/e2ca41de26933e167c7b195b89a9d42e005987b4-3600x2025.png?w=1600&q=90&auto=format) Context Roman Szczypuła is a respected Kraków architect who has spent years building the reputation of his studio, Ars Projekt. Until now the practice grew almost entirely on word of mouth and direct referrals from happy clients. As the scale of work grew, the lack of a portfolio website became a limitation. The goal of the project was to create a professional, credibility-building portfolio from scratch: a website that documents the architect's experience and lets new investors verify his track record without friction. The challenge The biggest design challenge was a universal layout that could carry the variety of the Ars Projekt portfolio. The information architecture had to present intimate interior details as well as large housing estates and industrial halls, so we designed a modular, flexible structure that binds such varied work into a coherent whole. A side task was taming uneven photography: to avoid costly photo shoots, we used advanced photo editing to even out the quality of the raw material. ![The Ars Projekt offer page – desktop](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/pgdlccfz/production/d8e0036d2632cf90dadbc41e690cacf5aecebb16-1201x1604.png?w=2000&q=90&auto=format) The offer page ![Offer subpages of Ars Projekt: halls and technologies](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/pgdlccfz/production/cc781bbb4e0a69cdd71d28b2df0bcaebfa6c2aee-1201x1604.png?w=2000&q=90&auto=format) Offer subpages: halls and technologies ## We like a clean layout We designed a modular layout that lets the photographs breathe while imposing strict order on them. The monochrome palette of deep black and white is broken with a subtle blue: a direct nod to cyanotype and technical *blueprints*, underlining the studio's engineering roots. Strong typography based on *Zalando Sans Expanded* (Google Fonts) completes the whole: its wide, geometric proportions give the interface a structural stability that resonates with the architectural profile of the studio. ![A project subpage on mobile – Ars Projekt](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/pgdlccfz/production/a1214090562ab61aad77a12ed364d49d87d2f204-2615x1961.png?w=2000&q=90&auto=format) A project subpage on mobile ![A man browsing Ars Projekt's list of projects in the evening](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/pgdlccfz/production/a887b5422ee3f5ec933d9c55ac795d4939cef6dd-2200x1650.png?w=2000&q=90&auto=format) All projects view ## We mind the client's budget Great design needs great materials, but budget or time don't always allow dedicated photo shoots on site. To keep things realistic and unify the varied photographs, we used advanced, AI-assisted photo editing. Realistic retouching recovered the right proportions, lighting and mood of the spaces, cutting costs on the client's side and saving the coherence of the whole portfolio. ![A building photo before and after retouching](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/pgdlccfz/production/2328c4cd18fe52d0ea2c86ce72b8bf0e4b8ca0ca-2393x1575.png?w=2000&q=90&auto=format) Before (left) and after retouching (right) ![A building photo before and after retouching](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/pgdlccfz/production/53c26133e0188531307493226e4a47358f79d53d-2393x1575.png?w=2000&q=90&auto=format) Before (left) and after retouching (right) ![A project photo during retouching](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/pgdlccfz/production/80ed55d259a398bf423f38da5022921c1f57f9a7-2393x1574.png?w=2000&q=90&auto=format) A project photo during retouching ## Technology with the user in mind Technically, the platform was built on WordPress, in line with the clear preference of a client who already knew the environment. We used no ready-made templates, though: the site runs on a custom theme set on a strict 12-column grid for precise responsiveness, with dedicated CMS solutions that make editing and adding new projects as simple as possible. Hard data from the performance audit says it best: 100/100 on desktop and 93/100 on mobile – a rare result for an archive full of large photographs. ## The result After years of running on word of mouth, Ars Projekt finally has a website that matches the scale of its projects. We built a highly optimised, fast-loading and easy-to-manage portfolio that is fully scalable and ready for new work. Simple navigation, clean aesthetics and visual coherence build the image of a modern, reliable Kraków studio and earn investors' trust from the first click. ## Related services - [Custom website design & development](https://sweetlava.eu/en/services/websites/) - [UX audits & UX/UI design](https://sweetlava.eu/en/services/ux-ui-ax/) ## Related projects ![A rustic table with plates of pear, walnut and gorgonzola salad; in the middle a phone showing the Catering Równość website](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/pgdlccfz/production/ddf68ff7e55a348a32e9e06318a1dd106f2dcd1a-2752x1536.png?w=1600&q=90&auto=format) Services / Food & catering ### [ Catering Równość – design and build of a brand website for a catering company ](https://sweetlava.eu/en/work/catering-rownosc-brand-website-for-a-catering-company/) How did we combine appetising design with performance? Redesign and build of the brand website for Spółdzielnia Równość. ![The website of the Historic Silver Mine in Tarnowskie Góry](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/pgdlccfz/production/7498f5daba1ccbcc3e76e88ff56a971156281584-3840x2160.jpg?w=1600&q=90&auto=format) Culture & tourism ### [ Historic Silver Mine – a website with online ticket sales ](https://sweetlava.eu/en/work/historic-silver-mine-website-with-ticket-sales/) Information architecture and user flows, desktop and mobile UI design, website build and a deep integration with the external iKSORIS ticketing system. Blog ## Related articles Development ### [ Web design in Kraków – how to choose a partner and what you'll really pay ](https://sweetlava.eu/en/blog/web-design-krakow-guide/) The Kraków web design market spans everything from €300 template sites to €40,000 platforms. How to compare offers, what to ask an agency, and when a local partner genuinely matters. Read article → Development ### [ How much does a website cost in 2026? A realistic pricing guide ](https://sweetlava.eu/en/blog/how-much-does-a-website-cost/) From €800 for a template site to €40,000+ for a corporate platform. We break down what actually drives the price of a website and how to read agency quotes. Read article → UX/UI/AX ### [ UX vs UI – what's the difference and why you need both ](https://sweetlava.eu/en/blog/ux-vs-ui-differences/) UX and UI get used interchangeably, yet they describe two different layers of a product. We explain the difference with examples – and what happens when one is missing. Read article → Development ### [ Core Web Vitals and site performance – why speed sells ](https://sweetlava.eu/en/blog/core-web-vitals-why-speed-sells/) A slow website loses customers twice, in Google (lower rankings) and after the visit starts (abandonment). We explain LCP, INP and CLS, and how to genuinely improve them. Read article → ## Related terms - [CMS & headless CMS](https://sweetlava.eu/en/glossary/cms-headless-cms/) - [Information architecture](https://sweetlava.eu/en/glossary/information-architecture/) - [Responsive design & mobile-first](https://sweetlava.eu/en/glossary/responsive-web-design/) - [SEO](https://sweetlava.eu/en/glossary/seo/) ## Have an idea in mind? Let's talk. Tell us about your idea and we'll recommend the best route from concept to a working product. [ Get in touch ](https://sweetlava.eu/en/contact/)