HLJ Creative

06/12/2026

15 years in business and still growing! 🎉

It's hard to believe that what was started in 2011 has grown into the team and agency we are today — and we couldn't be more grateful for every client, referral, and relationship that got us here.

At HLJ Creative, we help businesses build a solid digital foundation — from branding and custom websites to SEO built for today's AI-driven search landscape and social media management. We're not just a vendor. We become an extension of your team, for the long haul.

If you or someone you know is ready to grow their digital presence, we'd love to help. Visit hljcreative.com or send us a message to start the conversation.

Growth Starts Here. 🌱

04/06/2026

We're so proud to share this one. 💙

The Regional Community Health Foundation (https://www.facebook.com/rmcfoundation.orangeburgsc) has been serving the Orangeburg region since 1986 — funding cancer care, diabetes support, Alzheimer's resources, and scholarships for future nurses and physicians across Orangeburg, Calhoun, Bamberg, and Barnwell counties. In 2025, a name change brought the need for a complete rebrand. And for the first time in their nearly 40-year history, they needed a website.

We had the privilege of building both from scratch.

That meant a full brand identity, a breast cancer awareness brand extension, a brand standards guide, and a custom website where donors can give to nine charitable funds, students can apply for named scholarships, and community members can explore everything the Foundation does for our region every single day.

For an organization that has done so much for so many, they finally have a digital home to show for it.

Check out the live site → https://rchgiving.foundation

02/04/2026

Let us know if you’d like us to animate your logo! We have had so much fun playing with About Play, LLC’s t logo and watching this ball bounce!

01/29/2026

Supercharge your WordPress agency. Get premium hosting, expert training, co-marketing exposure, and client referrals to fuel growth.

01/27/2026

Jessica Chatham Lathren and I had the pleasure of chatting with Roger Williams (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerwilliamsmedia/) of our web hosting company, Kinsta. Check it out here -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLbwHoRreVU

In this episode of Kinsta Talks, Roger Williams sits down with Helen Lafaye Johnson and Jessica Lathren, the duo behind HLJ Creative. With a journey that spa...

01/12/2026

We’re excited to share the launch of a new brand and website for the Digital Museum Network 🏛️

The Digital Museum Network is a digital solutions platform designed to help museums of all sizes use digital media to share knowledge, engage audiences, and grow stronger together in a connected cultural network. The Vets Museum is a part of “the DMN.” The site positions itself as both a service provider for digital experiences and a community hub connecting museums through technology.

The goal of this project was twofold:

1 - Develop a thoughtful, cohesive brand identity
2 - Create a clean, simple website that clearly explains the mission of the Digital Museum Network, powered by First Coast IT.

Our scope of work included:

• Brand design and visual identity
• Website design in Figma
• WordPress development using Elementor
• Custom contact form integration
• Subtle animations to enhance the user experience

The result is a modern, approachable website that clearly communicates how Digital Museum Network helps museums bring their stories to life through digital experiences and connected technology.

Take a look at the finished site at digitalmuseumnetwork.com

01/06/2026

The last few months of 2025 tested us in ways I wouldn’t wish on any digital agency.

In late August, 24 client WordPress websites were hit with malware despite having very strong security and hosting with one of the biggest WordPress hosts in the industry. We cleaned the sites immediately and tightened security as much as was technically possible without changing web hosts.

Then, in early November, 30 sites were hacked again. We cleaned them immediately…again.

Those two rounds of cleanup alone were exhausting, but they forced us to make a bigger, necessary decision.

We ultimately migrated 107 websites from our old hosting environment to Kinsta.

The process was extremely arduous and pulled me away from the creative work I love, but it also gave us the opportunity to connect with every client individually and walk them through what was happening, transparently and honestly.

And Kinsta was phenomenal.

They were fair and transparent with pricing, handled the bulk migration process smoothly, and their support team showed up again and again when I needed help. I had to update DNS records one site at a time, and every client had a different DNS setup - different registrars, different scenarios, different complications.

There were a lot of questions.
And a lot of late nights.

Kinsta’s support team walked through it with me step by step, patiently and consistently, until every site was secure and stable on their servers.

It wasn’t an easy season, but it was a powerful reminder of why infrastructure, security, and the right partners matter so much. We came out stronger, smarter, and far more protected for our clients.

Since the migration, our security infrastructure is dramatically stronger, more scalable, and built for long-term stability.

I’m grateful for a hosting partner that truly feels like a partner. 🙌

And I’m also grateful for , .nhi, , , and for working so hard during this time to keep all our other projects moving!

If you manage WordPress sites and are rethinking hosting or security, I’m happy to share what we learned - just message us ore click here to learn more - https://hljcreative.com/wordpress-hosting/

01/04/2026

What does it take to modernize a 20-year-old membership website serving 7,000+ members?

For the Alabama Forest Owners’ Association, it meant rethinking everything - not just the design.

Their previous site dated back to 2008 and held a massive, complex library of content: events, news, podcasts, archives, insurance programs, member tools, and more. The challenge wasn’t starting over - it was preserving what worked while making it future-ready.

The goal:
✨ A true member-first experience
✨ Clear navigation for complex content
✨ Powerful search & interactive tools
✨ A backend staff can actually manage

We joked about building “the best membership website ever,” but that mindset shaped every decision.

The result is a modern, scalable platform where members can:
✔ Find foresters by county
✔ Access podcasts & archives
✔ Explore insurance & timber resources
✔ Stay informed through events & news

This project is a great example of what’s possible when strategy, UX, and design work together for large membership organizations.

Project write-up: https://hljcreative.com/webdesign/afoa
Live website: https://afoa.org

12/26/2025

🤩 Featured New Website Work by HLJ Creative for

🥅 The Goal:

Following a company name change, Kimberly Kerl of Kerl Design was ready to refresh both her brand identity and her website. With an extensive portfolio of kitchen, bath, addition, and renovation projects completed throughout Upstate South Carolina, she needed a site that could showcase her work in a clean, well-organized, and visually compelling way. Equally important, the website needed to support high-resolution, professionally photographed project imagery while incorporating thoughtfully written copy – content that would resonate with potential clients and perform well for search engines and emerging AI-driven discovery tools.

👩‍💻 Services Provided:

➡️ Logo Refinement
➡️ Site Architecture & UX Planning
➡️ Copywriting
➡️ Custom Website Design
➡️ Portfolio Development with Photo Galleries
➡️ Custom Contact Form
➡️ Blog Development
➡️ Subtle Animations
➡️ Mega Menu Navigation

💫 The Results:

The refreshed branding and website provide Kerl Design with a flexible, scalable foundation for continued growth. Built on WordPress with Elementor, the site allows for easy content updates without compromising design integrity or requiring extensive training. The improved site architecture makes navigation intuitive, guiding visitors seamlessly to project galleries and blog content. Most importantly, the new website places Kimberly Kerl’s craftsmanship front and center, allowing her design work to take the spotlight and make a strong, lasting impression on prospective clients.

Thanks to and .nhi for all your creative contributions!