Susan Taylor Block Website
Project Overview
The official STBlock.com website was designed and developed in 2005 by Isura Wickramarachchi in collaboration with Webb & Flow (USA) as a promotional website for Susan Taylor Block, an American author and historian from North Carolina. The website was created to showcase her publications, introduce her background, promote literary events, and provide readers with a convenient way to order books directly online. Susan Taylor Block has authored numerous books on the history and heritage of North Carolina, making the website an important platform for promoting her work to a wider audience.
Although the website was built as a static HTML application, it included a custom Order Online form that allowed visitors to submit book purchase requests directly to the author. At a time when secure online payment systems were not yet widely adopted by small publishers, the website used a contact-based ordering process rather than an integrated payment gateway.
Design & Structure
The website featured an elegant and distinctive visual identity inspired by coastal North Carolina, reflecting both the author's literary work and the natural landscapes frequently associated with her publications.
The homepage combined photography with artistic graphic elements to create a calm and welcoming atmosphere. A large beach scene with chairs and an umbrella introduced the site, while a flying seabird and coastal imagery reinforced the regional character of the author's books. Rather than using common layouts or commercial templates, every interface element was custom designed specifically for the project.
The design included:
- Completely custom-built interface with an original visual concept.
- Coastal-themed graphics reflecting the author's regional publications.
- Large photographic banner integrated into the page layout.
- Elegant typography with soft blue and earth-tone colour combinations.
- Image-enhanced navigation that blended naturally into the overall design.
- Clean, uncluttered page structure focused on readability and ease of navigation.
- Consistent branding maintained across every page.
The homepage introduced visitors to Susan Taylor Block's biography while providing direct access to her books, workshops, reviews, marketing information, and contact details.
Technical Highlights
- Static HTML website.
- Fully handcrafted interface without using commercial templates.
- Custom-designed navigation and graphical elements.
- Online book ordering form (without an integrated payment gateway).
- Fast-loading pages optimized for the web browsers and internet connections available in 2005.
- Cross-browser compatibility for the major browsers of the period.
Susan Taylor Block was born in Wilmington, North Carolina September 1, 1951. The daughter of Betty Hill and Joseph Wright Taylor, Jr., she has roots that go back deep into the history of hard working folks of 18th century North Carolina. With family ties in Chatham, Onslow, and Nash counties, as well as Bath and "Little Washington," she has a keen interest in other places but has focused her research and writing on southeastern North Carolina.
Her latest book, Tales of a Shirtmaker: A Jewish Upbringing in North Carolina, co-written with her husband, Frederick L. Block, is available through Winoca Press and in bookstores throughout the area.
සංවාදයට එක්වන්න.