Website design for an experienced judge and arbitrator

Sole practitioner websites often include a lot of information to establish expertise. But sometimes, trying to prove who you are actually reduces the respect you get.

Our client, Mr. Penny, is a former judge who spent 16 years at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. After retiring from the bench, he decided to offer arbitration services for matters that interest him.

An arbitrator's role is to bring fairness and impartiality. His personal website needed to reflect that same sense of balance, without reading as self-promotion. Therefore, we used brevity as the main design principle.

Rather than using a generic template, we created a custom design around the nature of his work.

• A tab system instead of standard navigation. We coded a tab system that allows visitors to move smoothly between different areas of information. Unlike a long scroll that suggests endless discovery, short pages organized under tabs communicate clarity and definitiveness — much like a binding decision made after sufficient evidence.

• A visual language of balance. The three-line navigation is a conceptual representation of arbitration: three parties coming together in a structured process. The main photograph reinforces the same idea, showing the arbitrator in a setting that suggests attentive listening and balanced consideration.

In my six years of building websites, this was the first time someone asked me to design a website with dignity.

I had no visual reference for what dignity looks like. Through the process, I got to contemplate what the word means. What sticks with me is the recognition that true worth is built through steady effort and passing seasons. It’s not what’s visible at the end — it’s the work that comes before it.

I was relieved that Mr. Penny was happy with the design direction.

And here's a fun fact, something worth taking inspiration from: he announced his business launch and website by sending letters to his network. A bit old-school maybe. But isn't it special to receive a letter from someone you know, among a dozen ads from strangers?