// The Motor Company / Website redesign
An established Christchurch workshop. A new identity. A WordPress website that makes the next booking straightforward.
The Motor Company Service Centre — a new online home for an established Christchurch workshop. Screenshot of the live client website.
Client / LocationThe Motor Company Service Centre
Christchurch, New Zealand
Platform / Project yearWordPress
2026
My roleWebsite design, WordPress build and launch support
Dan Smith, Daniel James
// The brief
A new name can create momentum. It can also create doubt for someone who has been taking their car to the same place for years. Formerly PK Auto Services, the Stevens Street workshop needed an online home for its new identity as The Motor Company Service Centre.
The website had a specific launch to support. It needed to be ready for the first day under the new name, make services and contact routes easy to find, and let the client update wording without handing over every small content change.
// The thinking
The About content acknowledges the former PK Auto Services name and the existing Christchurch location. It also connects the service centre with The Motor Company, Ute Nation and Southern Specialist Cars. That context helps a visitor understand the business behind the new sign.
A driver needs to know whether the workshop can help and how to get in touch. I built around those practical routes: understand the services, contact the team or request a booking. The mobile presentation was refined as part of the launch work, so the new identity could carry through to a smaller screen.
WordPress gives the client control over website wording, with Daniel James providing design and technical support. I also added Careers content to support recruitment, giving the business a practical website it can keep using as its needs change.
// The delivered work
A WordPress build introducing the service centre and explaining its place within the wider automotive business.
Service information, contact details and a booking-request form that sends the enquiry to the team for confirmation.
Launch preparation, a mobile presentation, client editing access and Careers content to support recruitment.
// The result
The new website was available for the business’s first day under The Motor Company Service Centre identity. It gives the workshop a dedicated online home while retaining context for customers who know the former PK Auto Services name.
The practical result is a site that serves both introduction and action: understand the workshop, find the services and send a booking request. Client editing access and Careers content give the business a website it can continue to use as its needs change.
// Project questions
Existing customers may still know or search for the former name. Acknowledging it helps them understand the change and recognise the Stevens Street workshop. The website pairs that familiar context with the new identity and clear contact information.
The website accepts booking requests, which the service centre team reviews and confirms. Customers can send their details and service needs online, and the workshop follows up to arrange the booking.
Yes. The build includes client access for editing wording, with Daniel James supporting design and technical changes. The Careers section also gives the business a place to support recruitment.
// First-hand project account
Written by Dan Smith, the designer and builder behind Daniel James. A first-hand account of the website strategy, design decisions and completed work.
// The expertise behind it
Service information, an editable website and room for the business to grow.
Strategy, structure, design and development. Make what you do easier to understand and easier to choose.
Does your website reflect the quality of the business behind it? Tell me what needs to change. We’ll find the useful starting point.