Santa Cruz Vibes Magazine

Web Design
Web Development

About Project

A local culture magazine spotlighting the unique customs, history, events, art, and people of Santa Cruz, CA. This project brought their print edition to life online, delivering a high-performance, SEO-optimized website built with a headless CMS and custom components that align with their branding.

We delivered a headless CMS and paired it with a custom Next.js frontend built with fully custom, modular components. This setup allows for maximum flexibility, enabling content to adapt seamlessly to any layout or media type.

Making Waves Online

Full page screenshot of the homepage of scvibesmagazine.com

Capturing the Latest of Vibes

The homepage brings the most recent stories from Santa Cruz’s main categories—Local, Entertainment, Environment, and Travel—front and center. Each section highlights fresh content, giving readers an up-to-date look at the events, culture, and experiences shaping the community.

Screenshot for the Issues section on scvibesmagazine.com

Dive Into the Back Issues

The Issues archive features all the past releases. Each entry connects the user to an embedded version of the print edition, freely available to read at any time. It’s like a tide pool of Santa Cruz history—always there and ready to explore.

Full page screenshot of an article on scvibesmagazine.com

Fluid As Water

The modular system allows each article to have a unique layout, adapting to the content’s needs—whether it’s text-heavy stories, stunning photo galleries, or embedded media. This dynamic structure ensures every story is presented in its best light.

Screenshot of lighthouse score of scvibesmagazine.com article showing all 100 scores

Smooth as a Coastal Breeze

Built with speed and search ranking in mind, the site boasts near-perfect Lighthouse scores in Performance, Accessibility, SEO, and Best Practices. Optimization for fast load times and seamless navigation ensures a smooth user experience on every page.

7:50

Mobile view of an article on scvibesmagazine.com featuring Jimbo Phillips, artist for Santa Cruz Skateboards

Surfing the Small Screen

With most readers accessing content on their phones, mobile responsiveness was a top priority. Every layout was optimized for clarity and legibility on smaller screens, ensuring a seamless reading experience even on cellular networks. And the inclusion of share buttons on article templates make it easy to spread stories with just a tap, keeping Santa Cruz culture flowing across social platforms.

Technologies Used

Let’s Make Something Legendary

From concept to creation, we’re here to deliver. Let’s ride this wave together—get in touch today!