Dawson’s Works
An orange clownfish nestled among green anemone tentacles with electric-blue tips. Photograph by James Dawson.

Dawsons Works

Web Designer. Developer. The works.
What agencies quote in weeks, I often finish in days.

Photographer: James Dawson, 2020
The work
James freediving in blue water.

Inventor at heart.
Visual artist.
Freediver.
Surfer.Fish. (their words, not mine)

Hi, I’m James

USYD architecture dropout.
Designer and developer by trade.

Why hourly

Pay for the hours it takes. Not the hours you’re quoted.

Modern tools help me build faster. Billing hourly passes that saving to you.

Rate · AUD $95/ hour
  1. 01We talk. I give you a rough hour estimate.
  2. 02I build in the open. You see progress as it happens.
  3. 03Every invoice comes with a timesheet. Every hour explained.
  4. 04Pause or stop whenever you like. Pick up again when you’re ready.

Lumara · True story

Live before she walked on stage.

8 hours · $760Brief to live in under 24 hours

Anika had a panel talk at Ocean Lovers Festival in Bondi and needed a personal brand site to point people to. She called me the day before. Eight working hours later, anikacraney.org was live before she went on stage.

Lumara website: a freediver and shark underwater, with the words Make friends with your fears.

From a client email · Swaga

“big KUDOS to James. The site is looking spectacular!”

Daniel Wallis Swaga · Mt Buller

(his emphasis, not mine)

Recent work

2026 – now
PVI Connect operations platform for a solar recycler.
02 · Software · Private

PVI Connect

End-to-end operations software for solar recycler PV Industries. One system for sales, management, drivers and warehouse teams, from incoming enquiries and collection bookings through to panel processing and invoice preparation.

Swaga
03 · Coming soon

Swaga

Mt Buller adventure site bringing riding passes, bike hire and shuttles into one booking. A custom visual CMS lets the team edit text and images directly on the page, with desktop and mobile previews.

Before Dawsons Works

10 years building websites
4 years in an agency

The one who said “push the button. It’s ready.”

Four years as a Shopify developer and lead QA at a Sydney agency.

The last 20% of a build can take 80% of the work. That was my job: taking a site from “pretty good” to “actually good.” Figma to theme, down to the pixel. Recharge, Klaviyo and whatever else the store ran on, wired in and tested. Clients, directors, marketers and designers in one thread, and I was the one who signed off when it was ready.

I didn't know at the time but that turned out to be the most important thing these days. AI helps with the first build. The last 20% still needs the judgment I spent years developing: seeing what’s wrong, connecting the pieces, and knowing when it’s done.

Designed

Oroton outlet & subpages
Page layouts in Figma
Design through to publishing

Built

Figma to theme, pixel-exact
Liquid sections & templates
New shops & theme rebuilds
Last-mile finishing & polish

Connected

Recharge subscriptions
Klaviyo flows & forms
Apps, feeds & integrations
End-to-end QA before launch

Optimised

Conversion rate optimisation
A/B test implementation
Test variant QA
Rolling out winning variants

Ran

Client & stakeholder comms
Coordinating designers & marketers
Launch readiness & sign-off
Post-launch fixes

Soul OriginFull site delivery · Site overhaul · Care & growthSoul Origin storefrontAbout

A national fresh-food and coffee franchise with more than 170 locations across Australia and New Zealand.

Dock & BayCare & growthDock & Bay storefrontAbout

An international quick-dry towel brand with more than three million towels sold worldwide.

MarquiseCare & growthMarquise storefrontAbout

An Australian babywear brand established in 1932, stocked by Myer and David Jones.

More agency work (25)Show moreShow less
SnoozaFull site delivery · Site overhaul · Care & growthSnooza storefrontAbout

An Australian pet-bed maker since 1989, with products stocked by national retailers including Petbarn.

MyBrainCoFull site delivery · Site overhaul · Care & growthMyBrainCo storefrontAbout

An Australian supplements brand with a growing international business and distribution through around 250 Australian health-food stores.

Bronte Body CareCare & growthBronte Body Care storefrontAbout

An Australian body-care brand stocked by major retailers including David Jones.

SpringLeafFull site delivery · Care & growthSpringLeaf storefrontAbout

An Australian supplements brand established in 1992, backed by Homart’s Sydney manufacturing and sold across international markets.

Bondi Meal PrepSite overhaul · Care & growthBondi Meal Prep storefrontAbout

A prepared-meal business serving more than 50,000 customers, with fresh meals delivered across Sydney.

Comfy KoalasSite overhaul · Care & growthComfy Koalas storefrontAbout

An Australian baby-care brand making eco-conscious nappies and wipes, sold online and through boutique and pharmacy stockists.

ProPlasterFull site delivery · Care & growthProPlaster storefrontAbout

An Australian plastering supplier with more than 30 years in the trade, local manufacturing and dedicated trade centres.

ScentifyFull site delivery · Site overhaul · Care & growthScentify storefrontAbout

Home fragrance inspired by luxury hotels, with scent diffusers and oils sold internationally.

A. McDonald ShoemakerSite overhaul · Care & growthA. McDonald Shoemaker storefrontAbout

A Sydney shoemaker established in 1990, known for handcrafted footwear and a long-standing presence in the Strand Arcade.

ThiocynFull site delivery · Care & growthThiocyn storefrontAbout

A German hair and skincare brand with a specialist range sold through pharmacies.

NoochyFull site deliveryNoochy website shown in Brand Fit’s case studyAbout

A Sydney meal-delivery brand making ready-to-eat food from its Marrickville kitchen.

Image: Brand Fit
Le PuréeCare & growthLe Purée storefrontAbout

Fresh meals for babies, toddlers and families, delivered across six Australian states and territories.

Lou Lou AustraliaSite overhaul · Care & growthLou Lou Australia storefrontAbout

An Australian womenswear label specialising in bamboo clothing, sold online and through independent stockists.

BentoBaySite overhaul · Care & growthBentoBay storefrontAbout

A German subscription brand bringing Japanese snacks and sweets to customers through curated boxes.

HeartlyFull site deliveryHeartly brand image from Brand Fit’s case studyAbout

A dog-food brand built around fresh meals and thoughtful nutrition.

Image: Brand Fit
AusVitalityCare & growthAusVitality storefrontAbout

A Sydney-founded wellness brand offering supplements for everyday health.

Bader BrandFull site delivery · Site overhaul · Care & growthBader Brand storefrontAbout

A supplements brand with products focused on sleep, focus and everyday wellbeing.

FloreatCare & growthFloreat storefrontAbout

An independent clothing brand with an online retail store.

FoodStSite overhaul · Care & growthFoodSt storefrontAbout

A prepared-meal service bringing home-style food from independent cooks to customers’ doors.

KoolaFull site delivery · Site overhaul · Care & growthKoola storefrontAbout

A Dutch wellness brand selling supplements directly to customers.

Miss MargaritaFull site delivery · Care & growthMiss Margarita storefrontAbout

A Mexican restaurant brand bringing together food, cocktails and a relaxed coastal atmosphere.

PresscriptionCare & growthPresscription storefrontAbout

A UK cold-pressed juice brand offering juices, cleanses and subscriptions.

Pro WhiteningCare & growthPro Whitening storefrontAbout

A Norwegian teeth-whitening brand serving customers directly online since 2015.

RetoldFull site delivery · Care & growthRetold storefrontAbout

An Australian home-fragrance brand making candles and scents for everyday spaces.

T is for TotSite overhaul · Care & growthT is for Tot storefrontAbout

A US children’s brand making educational play mats and activities for early learning.

My role varied from project to project, from specific updates to full site delivery.

Page design & build

Oroton Outlet

Some of my first page design work was for Oroton: outlet and subpages laid out in Figma, then built and published by me.

Visit Oroton Outlet
Oroton Outlet today, still on the pages I designed and built

Anyone can build a website these days. Getting it right still takes experience.

AI can generate a website. So can someone cheaper. The work is deciding what matters, spotting what feels off, and refining the details until it works for your business and your customers. I use AI too. The difference is knowing when to question what it produces. This site’s own history shows it: layouts reconsidered, wording sharpened, mobile details fixed. Your project gets the same attention.

See how this site evolved
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A preview of this homepage changing through its design history

Got time for a chat?

Tell me what you have in mind. It’s probably more achievable than you think.

I only use your details to reply.

hello@dawsonsworks.com