Helping teams craft innovative digital experiences that yield measurable resultsHelping teams craft innovative digital experiences that yield measurable results
You need a team dedicated to co-creating digital experiences designed to amplify engagement, build lasting brand preference, and operate seamlessly every time.
Every project at Merlin is approached with multi-disciplinary expertise across the entire web development spectrum to achieve experiences that resonate and offer a seamless user experience to as many people as possible.
This means that whether we’re working with design studios, creative agencies, or internal teams, we bring our signature blend of accessibility, motion and 3D, and performance to every collaboration.
We are Merlin, a code boutique, proving what’s possible by offering top-tier digital craft to exceptional design teams.
When we work with design teams, we zero in on three critical aspects. In our eyes, these are the three key things to creating balanced award-winning work.
Quality: Every piece of code and craft is checked by at least four eyes to ensure that nothing compromises the final outcome. Our commitment to quality means we can anticipate potential issues in responsiveness accessibility, and semantics from the very start of design.
Communication: Proactive communication is essential. By planning ahead and keeping short lines open with our specialist team, we maintain a seamless collaboration. This ensures that the design is never compromised by miscommunication. Our clients praise us for being upfront, quick to respond, and open.
Speed: Our ability to move quickly comes from both being able to start fast and build faster. Our “follow-the-sun” workflow and central location allow us to coordinate across different time zones effortlessly. Our model is based around a strong core team and building a network of trusted specialists so we can curate the absolute best team for every challenge.
As one of our long-term partners Roy, Creative Director at WØRKS said:
"I love it that I can brief you one day then wake up the next, and it’s fixed the way we envisioned."
We have a design and motion mindset when it comes to ideas, sketches, or designs. Often, the first question we ask is: How will this behave, respond, and animate?
This technological perspective helps us spot and address potential issues early, ensuring that every design element not only looks good but also performs.
Balance
Our process is built around maximizing the potential of every project. By integrating collaborative communication and early quality control on design assets and structures, we create the space needed for experimentation, motion prototypes, and ideation. Next to that, we create the opportunity for balance.
Striking the right balance between strategy, design, and motion is our baseline. We believe awards aren’t won by creating Michael Bay websites filled with explosions; instead, it’s about the elegant dance between typography, design, motion, 3D, and accessibility. For us, accessibility means making careful choices about contrast, design patterns, text sizing, keyboard accessibility, and content availability. Accessibility is a broad term to describe a multitude of design choices you need to consider when crafting a digital experience.
A common misconception we encounter is that a website heavy on animation or 3D automatically becomes inaccessible or slow. In our experience, experiential behavior can be adjusted based on keyboard navigation usage or “reduced-motion” settings in browsers. Merlin even developed tooling that enables users to navigate a 3D web experience using keyboards or assistive technologies like screen readers. By writing HTML and CSS as intended by the W3C, we create the opportunity for SEO and accessibility to harmonize with motion or 3D.
By fostering collaborative communication, maintaining balance, and focusing on the web experience setup, we ensure the experience has the opportunity to thrive without compromise.
Process and Continuous Improvement
Our project process begins with onboarding our teams so that everyone is familiar with tasks, expectations, and planning.
We offer partners direct contact through Slack or email with the people actively working on the project. With a background in both technology and design, everyone at Merlin is equipped to offer instant help and creative input.
Once planning is complete using tools like Gantt charts and scheduled QA/feedback rounds, we begin the work. Throughout the project, we share ideas, experimentation, motion prototypes, and progress via instant links on our hosting platform, Vercel. This real-time sharing helps us detect issues early and align expectations transparently.
Our commitment to quality is further reinforced through rigorous testing across multiple devices, browsers, and even different versions of those browsers. Next to that, we test with assistive technologies ourselves, such as MacOS VoiceOver, to ensure usability and accessibility. If it’s not right, we fix it; right there and then. No excuses.
After completing a project, we hold a retrospective meeting where we discuss the good, the bad, and areas for improvement. This feedback loop ensures that every project builds on the lessons learned from the last, enhancing our collaborations continuously.
Harmonize
Award-winning digital campaigns and experiences alone usually won't deliver the direct results you’re after. Strategy, marketing, account management, and design must all align closely to create an experience that truly resonates across every touchpoint.
It’s all about finding the right balance.
At Merlin, we've been around the block. That’s why we proactively encourage our partners to prioritize strategy and marketing before diving into crafting experiences. Our work thrives when it connects meaningfully with users, and those users first need to be reached with compelling messaging and clear calls to action.
Establishing a funnel through socials, relevant platforms or sharing campaigns, allows your experience to thrive and gain momentum in the current world of information overload.
Conclusion
Crafting in a state of clarity and balance during projects and collaboration is key to an award-winning collaboration. Whether you’re launching a product, (re)branding, or creating a seasonal campaign, our team of specialists upholds the highest quality standards.
Our methods and clear communication across teams with varied expertise let us work effectively with design teams and deliver high-quality outcomes.
For design studios, creative agencies, or internal teams looking to enhance their digital experiences, Merlin is ready and happy to help.
