How Snapdragon Recruitment got a website as warm as their reputation
A web design and brand refresh that modernised a well-established specialist recruitment agency — preserving the personal warmth and personality that had defined Fiona Warren’s business for over a decade, while creating a professional, mobile-first website built to perform.
About the client
A specialist recruiter with personality at the heart of everything
Snapdragon Recruitment had been recruiting for market and social research roles since 2003. Founded and run by Fiona Warren, the business had built a strong reputation over two decades based on genuine expertise, trusted relationships and a warm, personable approach that set it apart from the impersonal transactional feel of larger recruitment firms.
When Fiona came to us, she was ready for a design refresh and website upgrade — but with an important condition. Snapdragon’s personality was one of its greatest assets. Whatever the new site looked like, it had to feel like Fiona: professional, knowledgeable, but unmistakably human.
The brief was clear: bring Snapdragon into the modern world without losing the soul of what made it special.
Modernising a brand without losing its personality
The challenge with Snapdragon wasn't just a technical one — it was a creative one. Fiona had built a loyal client and candidate base over many years, and a significant part of that loyalty came from the personal, approachable character of the business. A cold, corporate redesign would have been entirely the wrong move.
At the same time, the existing website was beginning to work against the business. It wasn't optimised for mobile, the navigation was difficult, and the design no longer reflected how polished and professional the Snapdragon service actually was. First impressions were letting the business down before a visitor had read a single word.
The aim was to bring Snapdragon into the modern world — improving the user experience, load speed and intuitiveness of the website — while keeping the personal element of Fiona front and centre throughout.
A versatile new design built to last and built to connect
We started by examining Snapdragon's existing branding and website carefully, identifying what was worth keeping, what needed evolving and what needed to change entirely. Fiona knew instinctively what she wanted — a personable, sleek brand that instantly communicated her warmth and approachability alongside her twenty years of expertise in her specialist field.
The design we developed was built to do exactly that. Clean, sophisticated and modern, but never cold. The kind of website that makes both clients looking to hire and candidates looking for opportunities feel immediately that they're in the right place — and dealing with someone who genuinely knows what they're doing.
Alongside the redesign, we wrote new web copy across the site. Recruitment is a sector where bland, generic copy is the norm — and Snapdragon deserved better than that. We wrote in a voice that captured Fiona's character accurately: direct, warm, expert and refreshingly human.
Throughout the project, we were patient with the technical side — Fiona was self-described as a "real technical dunce" and we made sure every step was explained clearly, every question was answered and every decision felt like hers.
challenges & solutions
What we tackled together
Balancing personality with professionalism in the design
A sophisticated design that put personality first
Poor mobile experience and navigation on the existing site
Mobile-first redesign with improved navigation and load speed
Generic recruitment copy that didn't reflect the real Snapdragon
Brand-new web copy written in Fiona's voice
The results
A website as good as the business it represented
Snapdragon Recruitment left the project with a website that properly reflected the quality, warmth and expertise of the business — mobile-optimised, easy to navigate and written in a voice that made both clients and candidates feel immediately at home. Fiona also left with the confidence to manage her own website going forward, something she’d previously felt unable to do.
Nothing was too much trouble and they will now be looking after my website from now on, which is a weight off my mind. Friendly, responsive and happy to go the extra mile to iron out any difficulties, I would wholeheartedly recommend them."
Recruitment
Key takeaways
What this project taught us
Every project teaches us something. Here’s what the Snapdragon Recruitment partnership reinforced about what makes great web design work in the long run.
A Note on Snapdragon
After thirteen happy years of Snapdragon, Fiona Warren made the decision to close the business and focus on her charity work instead. We’re proud to have been part of her journey and wish her every happiness in this next chapter. This case study remains a great example of what a thoughtful web design and brand refresh can achieve.
