A 20-year-old firm with no online presence

Synack Solutions has been delivering IT services from Baltimore since 2005. Twenty years of work, real clients, real outcomes — and a website that hadn't kept up. For a B2B firm whose buyers Google before they meet, that's a credibility problem. Procurement teams pattern-match on digital presence, and an outdated site signals an outdated company.

The brief was to build a modern, professional site that showcased the firm's 6 service lines and supported new business development.

Editorial, not promotional

Most IT services sites read like marketing brochures — vague claims, stock photography, hero videos of generic office workers. I wanted Synack's site to read more like a publication: clean typography, structured content, scroll-driven pacing.

Decisions that shaped the build:

• A 15+ page architecture with a clear hierarchy — service lines on top, supporting content below
• Modular CSS organized into a maintainable folder structure so the firm could update content without me
• AOS (Animate On Scroll) for restrained motion that gives the page life without being a distraction
• Smooth scroll navigation that turns the site into one continuous narrative instead of a click-driven gallery
• A client testimonials section grounded in real quotes, not stock language

Vanilla stack, premium feel

I built the site in HTML5, CSS3, Tailwind, and vanilla JavaScript (ES6+). No React. No build step. The deliberate constraint: the firm should be able to hire any frontend developer in five years and have them edit the site without learning a custom stack.

Tailwind let me move fast on layout while keeping the bundle tiny. AOS handled animation declaratively, so adding motion to a new section was a single attribute, not a JavaScript file. The whole site loads fast, looks current, and will keep working long after I move on.

A digital presence that matches the company

For a firm that had been in business for 20 years with no modern web presence, the launch wasn't a redesign — it was a debut. The site now anchors the firm's business development across all 6 service lines, giving potential clients a credible artifact to evaluate before any sales conversation begins.

An engineering firm that did high-stakes work, invisibly

HKM Engineers does infrastructure work in Illinois — Construction Inspection, Construction Management, and Program Oversight across Transportation, Structures, and Facilities. Work that matters. Bridges, roads, public buildings. But for a firm bidding on public-sector infrastructure projects, an invisible online presence is a credibility ceiling. Procurement officers and partner firms expect to verify you before they call.

The brief: a documentation-first website that communicates technical credibility, not marketing flash.

Documentation-first, multi-page

Engineering firms aren't sold like consumer products. Their clients read carefully, compare specs, and look for evidence of capability before reaching out. I designed the site as a structured multi-page document:

• One dedicated page per service line — no smushing three offerings onto a single brochure page
• A 4-step client workflow diagram showing how a project actually moves through HKM — the kind of process detail procurement officers screen for
• A project portfolio section grounded in real verticals (transportation, structures, facilities), not aspirational language
• A consultation request flow that gives potential clients a clear path from “interested” to “in touch”

Vanilla and durable

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — no framework. A small firm shouldn't have to depend on a Node version or a build pipeline to maintain its website. The whole site is a folder of files that any developer can read, edit, and redeploy in an afternoon.

A web presence that matches the work

HKM now has a credible, structured online presence covering its 3 service lines across Illinois infrastructure verticals. The site supports business development the way the firm actually wins work — by demonstrating process, not by selling.