As part of this new blog series, we’ll be sitting down with a member of the team each month to uncover what inspires them, their favourite projects and their most memorable experiences at Framework Design.

And there’s no better person to kick the series off with than James Rowe, or as we like to call him, Hamez. Framework’s first and longest serving employee. Originally joining us as a Frontend Developer in 2017, Hamez has worked on a spectrum of intricate and creative development projects and now mentors the development team as Lead Developer.

Hamez is entirely self-taught and his curiosity and desire to problem-solve has driven him throughout his career. Hamez is heavily influenced by VFX and has applied this merging of technical and creative into his work. Having worked on both sides of a digital agency with design and development, he likes to source his ideas from both experiences. His workspace is described as ‘ordered chaos’, the ideal environment to perfect his craft.

Talk to us about one of your favourite projects

Ah, that’s a tough one, but I’d probably have to say Loxley Opticians. It holds a special place because it was one of the first projects I worked on when I started here. It’s a local business, right down the road from us. We not only built their website, but also handled their branding. Luke, our Creative Director did a fantastic job with the design and illustrations for their shop signs. The folks at Loxley were really nice to work with, especially Indi.

Another project that I absolutely loved was Team 17. It was a game-changer for us, both figuratively and literally, pun intended. We worked on that back in 2020 – it was our first time collaborating with a major games company. This project was a breath of fresh air; it had so much interactivity and required accessibility for easy navigation. We were mindful of users who preferred reduced -motion, so we ensured the site had that animations wouldn’t play for them. The site also had to be very client-friendly since it needed constant updates. We also did the artwork for it.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

I’m always on the lookout for new ideas and inspiration. I stay engaged with the broader design and development community. Sites like Awwwards and their courses are really helpful for staying sharp. I also delve into source code shared by others. Following fellow developers on platforms like Twitter (X) keeps me informed about the latest technologies. Whenever I encounter a challenging problem, like something scrolling into view for example, it’s an opportunity to learn new things. Sometimes, I’ll see if someone else has already tackled it, or I’ll try to come up with a solution myself. ChatGPT has also been helpful, guiding me in the right direction.

Share a memorable experience you’ve had at Framework

One of my standout memories is when TEK (Team Elite Kickboxing), a client, visited our studio. The project we did for them was a labour of love, involving many late nights. Luke really went all out, pushing the envelope and incorporating elements we’d never tried before. We used things like preloaders and smooth-scroll for the first time. Parallax scrolling was a central feature, and we integrated various media elements, including video. It was a challenging project, but the client’s enthusiasm kept us going. When they watched the final product, they were moved to tears. The client even shared the site with their students which just showed how pleased they were. That feeling of making a genuine impact, it’s something I’ll remember.

Inspired?
We are now looking for a Frontend Developer to add to our highly skilled digital team. You can also sign up to our new monthly newsletter to keep up to date with all the going on in the studio as well as current trends in development, design and marketing.