Hi, I'm Nick
Born in Georgia, made in Liverpool. I built my first website at 11, learned to code on a rail project, learned to sell in-house, and learned big-brand standards at an agency. Now I put all of it into your site, one to one.
How I got here
The short version: every job I’ve had taught me one part of building a website that works. You get all of them at once.
First website, built
I was born and raised in Georgia, and I made my first website at 11. Tech and design were the two things I could never leave alone, and that hasn’t changed.
What that means for you: You’re hiring someone who does this because he loves it.
Georgia to Liverpool
At 12 I moved to Liverpool, and I’ve lived here ever since. American roots, Liverpool postcode, which turns out to be handy when you work with clients on both sides of the Atlantic.
What that means for you: I know how both markets look, read and buy.
Learned to build
My web career started with Liverpool John Moores University, on a project for Merseyrail. It’s where I learned to code, and how websites actually get built underneath the design.
What that means for you: When your site needs custom code, I can write it.
Learned to sell
Graphic design campaigns that ran across web, adverts and social media. This is where I learned branding, and the sales psychology that turns a nice design into one people buy from.
What that means for you: Your site is designed to convert, not just to look good.
Learned big-brand standards
Then one of Liverpool’s biggest design agencies, working with some huge brands like Heinz and Unilever. Big clients, tight deadlines, and no room for “that’ll do”.
What that means for you: Agency-grade work, without the agency layers or the agency invoice.
Started my own studio
In 2024 I started Design by Ency, and I’ve run it ever since. Code, conversion and brand, in one person, working directly with you from the first call to long after launch.
What that means for you: One point of contact. Me.
Awarded Platinum Partner
In 2025 I was awarded Squarespace Platinum Partner, the highest level of recognition within the platform.
What that means for you: Your site is built by someone Squarespace itself vouches for.
I'm a bit obsessed
Tech and design, always have been. Anything Apple, I’ve loved, and yes, I own every Apple product under the sun. I care about how things look, how they feel to use, and the tiny details most people never notice.
That’s exactly who you want building your website.
- 250+websites built
- 50+verified five-star reviews
- 25+industries served
- 6+years in design and branding
What it’s like working with me
You work with me, start to finish
No account manager, no junior doing the actual work, no ticket queue. The person on your first call is the person building your site.
Design, code and brand in one head
I’ve done all three for a living, so your site doesn’t lose anything in the hand-offs between them. There aren’t any.
Your call on what happens after
I’ll run it for you on the Managed-For-You plan, or train you properly and hand you the keys. If you’re running it, I build it in Squarespace so it’s easy to update.
What clients say
“Nick built the Waters Agency website, and I couldn’t recommend him more highly. He quickly understood what we wanted to achieve and translated it into a polished, professional site that reflects our brand brilliantly. He was creative, responsive and straightforward to work with throughout the entire process. The website has continued to run smoothly since launch, and Nick has always been helpful whenever we’ve needed support. A talented designer and a genuinely great person to work with.”
Declan Waters“We’ve had an outstanding experience working with Nick. From day one, he brought a level of care, precision, and creativity that’s hard to find. He quickly understood what we were trying to achieve and consistently delivered high-quality work — on time, with great communication throughout. Nick doesn’t just build websites; he solves problems, adds value, and genuinely feels like part of the team. We’re genuinely thrilled with the results and look forward to working with him again. Highly recommend!”
Patrick Smith“Nick was fantastic to work with. He finished the work well before the scheduled deadline, and he was more than available for any questions/assistance with the site edits. He's fast to respond, and can help with step-by-step instruction for anything that you are unfamiliar with. He provided instructional videos, and continued support after the job is done. Highly recommend Nick as a site developer.”
Andrew Thompson“Unhesitatingly recommend Nick! He absolutely knocked our project out of the park. From start to finish, he was collaborative, communicative, and incredibly knowledgeable about Squarespace. He was proactive, responsive, and genuinely invested in the project's success. We look forward to working with him again in the future.”
Jason Letteboer“I highly recommend Nick, it was an absolute pleasure to work with him. I had previously engaged a different company to complete our website and had been disappointed with the outcome. Nick was able to built exactly what we wanted, adding some of his own flair - which ended up being our favourite parts of the website! During the design process Nick understood our vision well, he took on board all of our feedback and was able to implement it quickly. He is very professional and provided short videos to explain the development of the site at each stage which was helpful. We would definitely work with Nick again.”
Rachael Lewis“I'm thrilled with the work Nick did on our website. He took our vision and turned it into a stunning website that truly reflects our brand. He was friendly, responsive, and went above and beyond to make sure we were happy with the final result. I would highly recommend Nick to anyone looking for top-quality web design work. Thank you for your hard work and dedication!”
Haley SpringerNow you know me.
Let’s talk about you.
One designer, on every call, every page and every fix. If you’d rather talk to the person doing the work than an account manager, that’s the whole idea. Let’s start with a chat.
