The Arts Workplace

I built a full multi-page website and a consistent brand identity for The Arts Workplace in under four hours using Claude. No coding background. No design background. Just a method that actually held together end to end.

What’s Covered

• How I built a content foundation document before touching any design tool
• The exact prompt structure that got Claude asking me the right clarifying questions instead of guessing
• Why I built an HTML mockup before anything touched WordPress
• What domain and hosting actually cost, about $74 a year
• How Claude Cowork built the site from that mockup, CSS conflicts and all
• The one step I’d do differently next time

Step 1: Brand Foundation First

Before I opened a design tool, I built a content foundation document. Mission, tagline, bios, voice and tone, content pillars, site structure. All of it in a chat tool, all of it before any visuals existed.

I used a detailed prompt that forced Claude to ask me clarifying questions instead of inventing answers on my behalf. That single decision is why the rest of the process moved as fast as it did. Skip this step and you end up rebuilding your brand voice three times instead of once.

Step 2: The Design Mockup, Before Any Code

With the content foundation in hand, I used Claude Design to generate brand assets and an actual design system. Typography, color palettes, style rules. I cleaned up the logo files it produced and had it build an HTML mockup so I could see and approve the look before a single WordPress block existed.

This is the step people skip when they’re in a hurry, and it’s the one that saves you the most time. Validating the look on a static mockup is faster and cheaper than validating it inside a live site build.

Step 3: Domain and Hosting

I registered the domain through Namecheap and picked hosting specifically because it supports the Claude connector. Total cost landed around $74 a year. Not a budget line that needs board approval, which matters if you’re trying to move fast without a procurement process.

Step 4: Claude Cowork Builds the Site

Once the domain and hosting were live, I connected Claude Cowork directly to WordPress and had it build the site from the HTML mockup. This is where things got real. CSS conflicts showed up. Some formatting didn’t translate cleanly on the first pass. I worked through each issue with Cowork iteratively until the site matched the mockup.

None of this was a straight line. It was iterative, a little messy in the middle, and done in an afternoon anyway.

What I’d Tell Someone Starting This Today

If you’re sitting on an organization website that needs a rebuild and you don’t have a developer on staff, this method is worth trying. The full walkthrough, including the exact prompt template, is in the video above. Grab my free brand prompt guide linked in the video description if you want to start with the same content foundation approach I used.

Drop a comment if you get stuck on the brand foundation step. That’s the one people skip, and it’s the one they regret skipping.