How this site was born questo sito
Every choice on this site — from the hand-drawn lettering to the CMS behind it — stems from one question: how to make a language teacher feel both competent and human at the same time, while speaking to very different audiences.
One voice, three audiences
Ebru teaches Turkish and Italian to individuals, companies and schools, translates for publishers and runs a podcast. One site had to speak to all these people — those looking for a corporate course and those wanting to learn Turkish for pleasure — without becoming a confusing list of services.
The answer wasn’t to add more, but to create hierarchy: one warm voice, three languages, navigation that takes each person to their own path in a click.
Who did what
Visual system, layout and creative direction, custom WordPress theme development, performance.
Texts drawn from her own words, refined for the web; original photos; places from her personal archive.
The why, not just the what
Ebru updates the blog and resources on her own, in three languages, and uploads downloadable PDF worksheets. We needed a CMS with an editor that doesn’t intimidate and solid media management. WordPress, with a multilingual plugin, solves exactly that: she publishes, the site stays consistent — without touching code.
Learning a language is like a notebook that fills up little by little. Hence the lined paper, handwritten type and washi tape: signs of craft and warmth that balance the seriousness of academic credentials without weighing them down.
Red is the visual meeting point between the Turkish and Italian flags — Ebru’s two languages. Supported by a slate blue and the neutral tones of paper, it energises calls to action without ever becoming aggressive.
Tech stack
Tools chosen for longevity and independence: what matters is that Ebru can update the site without us.
Three typefaces, three roles
All from Google Fonts, distributed under the SIL Open Font License and served from our hosting (self-hosted fonts) to comply with GDPR.
Sources and licences
Originals · courtesy of © Ebru Sarıkaya
Place photography · personal archive
Drawn bespoke for the project · originals
Original line set, redrawn for the site
How we got here
Interviews with Ebru: who her students are, what makes her different from any other course.
Content map and three audiences; navigation tests until each had a clear, linear path.
Three graphic routes compared; the “notebook” wins — the one closest to the act of learning.
Custom WordPress theme, trilingual content, downloadable resources and linked podcast.
Site actively maintained: new articles, teaching worksheets and episodes published regularly.
I’m happy to tell you how I work, from the problem to launch.