Vercel-Trained Creative Director
Built for where the web is headed, not where it’s been.
WordPress powers most of the web because it’s what most agencies have always known, not because it’s what performs best today. Vercel-built sites load faster, break less, and cost less to maintain over time.
I’m Maureen Birdsall. I trained hands-on with engineers at the AI Officer Institute in Vietnam to learn Vercel from the inside. I design every project myself, build simpler sites directly, and direct a trusted Vercel engineer for the complex ones, so you get the architecture right without hiring and managing that talent yourself.
Book a Call →How It Works
From discovery call to a live Vercel site.
01
Discovery Call
We talk through the business, the goal for the site, and what your current setup is costing you in speed, security, or upkeep.
02
Design & Build
I build a brand board first, using your existing brand guidelines or creating one from scratch, so the build follows a defined system rather than guesswork. I design the site and build the simpler pieces myself. For anything more complex, I direct a trusted Vercel engineer, so what gets designed is exactly what ships.
03
Launch on Vercel
Your business goes live on cutting-edge, auto-scaling infrastructure, fast and secure from day one, with a clean codebase built to grow with you.
Sub-second page loads by default
Zero plugins to patch or break
Vercel-trained, hands-on with engineers
Auto-scaling edge hosting
Vercel vs. WordPress
Same goal, very different foundation.
Both can produce a good-looking site. What they don’t have in common is what happens after launch, when traffic grows, plugins go stale, and something needs to change fast.
| Factor | Vercel | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Sub-second loads off a global edge network, images and assets optimized automatically. | Depends on server, theme, and plugin load. Often needs a caching plugin just to feel acceptable. |
| Security | No database or admin login for attackers to target. Deploys ship from version-controlled code. | A frequent target: outdated plugins and themes are the most common way WordPress sites get compromised. |
| Maintenance | Near zero. No server patching, no plugin compatibility to babysit. | Ongoing: core, theme, and plugin updates, each one a chance to break something else. |
| Scalability | Scales automatically under a traffic spike, no upgrade request, no downtime. | Requires a hosting upgrade or a managed-WordPress tier increase to handle the same spike. |
| Design flexibility | Fully custom, built in code, not boxed in by a theme or page builder. | Bound by whatever the theme or page-builder plugin allows. |
| SEO & Core Web Vitals | Fast by default, which is itself a ranking factor Google rewards. | Achievable, but usually requires stacking several SEO and performance plugins to get there. |
| Cost over time | Lean, usage-based hosting with no plugin licensing fees to renew. | Premium plugins, security services, and hosting upgrades add up year over year. |
| Talent availability | A smaller pool, harder to find. Design leadership fluent enough to direct a build correctly is rarer still. | Abundant and inexpensive, with wide variance in code quality. |
| Long-term ownership | Clean, readable codebase that’s straightforward to hand off or extend. | Technical debt accumulates as plugin dependencies pile up. |
What’s Included
Vercel development services.
New Site Builds
Marketing sites and product front ends designed and built on Next.js, deployed on Vercel from day one.
WordPress Migrations
Moving an existing WordPress site to Vercel without losing SEO equity, content, or brand.
Headless CMS Setup
A content editing workflow for non-technical teams, connected to a fast, secure front end.
Performance Audits
Diagnosing why an existing site is slow and what moving off legacy hosting would fix.
Design Systems for Code
Component libraries built for a real codebase, not a page-builder plugin.
Ongoing Fractional Support
Continued design and development as the site grows, without a full-time hire.
Why It Matters
Why a Vercel-trained creative director, not just a WordPress agency.
Rare skillset
Most designers stop at Figma and hand the build to WordPress. Trained hands-on with engineers, I understand the platform well enough to design for it and direct the build.
No lost intent
I design it and stay hands-on through the build, directing engineers where needed, so nothing gets lost translating a mockup into code.
Built to last
A clean codebase without plugin dependencies is easier for anyone to pick up later, including a future in-house team.
Lower total cost
No plugin subscriptions, no security add-ons, no emergency fixes when a plugin update breaks the site.
Client Perspective
What it’s like to work together.
“Maureen is one of the most professional marketing leaders I’ve worked with. Her websites, branding, and creative work consistently exceed expectations.”
Elizabeth S.
Google Ads & SEO Consultant
“Maureen has an extraordinary ability to juggle complex initiatives without sacrificing creativity or quality. She makes ambitious ideas feel achievable.”
Christina H.
Chief Executive Officer, Allegory
“Maureen has a unique ability to transform ideas into compelling experiences and visual stories. She combines creativity with strategic thinking to elevate every project she touches.”
Kathy D.
Retreat & Workshop Facilitator
FAQ
Common questions.
Why build on Vercel instead of WordPress?+
Vercel sites load faster, carry a far smaller security attack surface, and scale automatically under traffic. WordPress can be made to do some of this, but only by layering on plugins, caching services, and managed hosting that Vercel gives you by default.
Is a Vercel site harder to maintain than WordPress?+
The opposite, in practice. There is no plugin ecosystem to patch, no database to back up, and no admin login for bad actors to target. Updates ship through version-controlled code, not a stack of third-party plugins that all need to stay compatible.
Can I still edit content myself without a developer?+
Yes. Modern headless CMS options connect directly to a Vercel site, so content updates do not require touching code, while the site itself stays fast and secure.
What does it cost compared to WordPress hosting?+
Lower over time in most cases. WordPress costs hide in premium plugins, security add-ons, and hosting upgrades as traffic grows. Vercel’s usage-based hosting and lack of plugin licensing tends to come out cheaper across a site’s lifetime, not just at launch.
Why is a Vercel developer harder to find than a WordPress developer?+
WordPress has a 20-year head start and a huge, uneven talent pool. Vercel and Next.js are newer, so fewer designers can build on the stack, and fewer still can design and develop it themselves rather than handing it to an engineering team.
Do you design and build the site yourself?+
Yes. Design and Vercel development happen together, from wireframe to a live, deployed site, so nothing is lost in a handoff between a designer and a separate development team.
Ready to get off WordPress?
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