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Design
Make it look right.
Web design, visual identities, logos, graphics and digital artwork created around your business rather than squeezed into somebody else's template.
Web Design · UI/UX · Branding · Logos · Graphics
01 Independent digital studio
We design.
We build.
We host.
You bring the idea.
We'll forge the rest.
Bespoke websites, custom web applications and digital identities — thoughtfully designed, purposefully developed and reliably hosted by people with decades of real-world experience.
No templates. No unnecessary complexity. Just solutions built around what you actually need.
Design Development Databases Hosting Support
02 About the forge
Small by design.
Experienced by nature.
LucidForge is an independent husband-and-wife design and development studio, bringing together more than 30 years of experience each in computers, design, programming and the internet.
We've watched the web grow up because, frankly, we grew up with it.
Between us, our experience spans graphic design, photography, branding, websites, software development, databases, hosting and more technologies than we care to remember.
We don't assemble websites from ready-made templates. We design and build them around the people and businesses they're meant to serve.
Every project starts with understanding what our client actually needs. We make the creative decisions, plan the functionality, choose the appropriate technologies and take responsibility for the finished result.
We're deliberately small. There are no account managers, sales departments or layers of people between you and those doing the actual work.
You talk to us.
We design it.
We build it.
We stand behind it.
03 What we do
What We Forge
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Build
Make it work right.
Purpose-built websites, written for the job they actually need to do. From straightforward, lightweight static websites to dynamic, self-editable and manageable database-driven websites.
Websites · Dynamic Sites · PHP · JavaScript · MySQL · Databases
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Host
Give it somewhere to live.
Reliable hosting without making you learn the vocabulary of a server administrator. We can build it, deploy it, host it and keep it running.
Web Hosting · Domains · Email · SSL · Deployment
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Support
We're still here after launch.
Websites aren't fire-and-forget missiles. We provide ongoing maintenance, updates, development and good old-fashioned human help.
Maintenance · Updates · Development · Technical Support
04 Our approach
Hand crafted.
Digitally forged.
Every LucidForge project begins with a problem to solve, not a template to fill or a piece of software to justify.
We approach each project as designers and developers. We consider how it should look, how it should work, how people will use it and how it can be maintained and expanded.
The tools come afterwards.
Sometimes that means traditional design work, photography and creative software. Sometimes it means writing code, designing databases, building custom functionality or using modern automation and artificial intelligence.
Usually, it's a combination of several disciplines.
What matters is knowing what to create, why it should work that way, and whether the finished result is actually any good.
Technology can make the process faster. It doesn't replace experience, creativity, judgement or responsibility.
We don't build websites simply because we can.
We build them because they have a purpose.
05 Purpose built
No WordPress?
Nope.
We don't build websites using WordPress, generic website builders or off-the-shelf website templates.
Not because those tools don't have their place. They do.
They're simply not what LucidForge offers.
If you want to assemble a website from pre-built themes and components, there are plenty of platforms and services designed specifically for that purpose.
LucidForge is for people who want something designed and developed around their actual requirements.
We create bespoke websites and web applications, from simple, lightweight business websites to complex, database-driven platforms with purpose-built administration systems.
We don't start with a bulky content management system and then spend our time bending it into something it was never intended to be.
We start with the requirements and build the functionality needed to meet them.
- No unnecessary plugin collections.
- No generic templates dictating the design.
- No features added simply because they happen to be available.
- No forcing your business to work around somebody else's software.
Just thoughtful design, efficient development and the functionality your project actually needs.
Built for your business. Not borrowed from somebody else's.
06 Why LucidForge
Why work with us?
30+ Years Each
Experience that predates social media, smartphones and quite a few technologies we'd rather forget.
Two People
The people you talk to are the people designing and building your project.
Genuinely Bespoke
Designed and developed for your requirements. No recycled templates or one-size-fits-all solutions.
Experience + Innovation
Modern tools, including AI, guided by decades of practical design and development experience.
Creative + Technical
Good design and solid engineering working together, with neither treated as an afterthought.
We Host It Too
Design, development, deployment and hosting without passing your project around.
07 Website packages
Where projects begin.
Every project is different, but everyone needs somewhere to start.
From straightforward business websites to sophisticated web applications, we design and build around what you actually need.
Our prices are starting points, not rigid packages or limitations.
01 / Essential
Essential
Starting from R5,000
Small doesn't mean ordinary.
A professional, bespoke website for smaller businesses, independent operators and anyone who needs a quality online presence without unnecessary complications.
Typical features
- Bespoke design
- Responsive desktop and mobile layouts
- Business information and services
- Contact options and enquiry links
- Image galleries or catalogue displays where appropriate
- Fast, lightweight construction
- Optional simple content management functionality
Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
Let's get started02 / Business
Business
Starting from R12,000
More than just a website.
For businesses that need richer functionality, greater control over their content and a website that works harder for them.
Typical features
- Custom website design and development
- Dynamic, database-driven functionality
- Purpose-built administration panels
- Editable website content
- Galleries, news and content management
- Custom enquiry systems
- Business-specific features and workflows
- Room to expand as requirements grow
Built around the way you work.
Let's build something03 / Custom
Custom
Starting from R25,000
Your ideas. Our code.
For ambitious ideas, specialised platforms and projects that need more than a conventional business website.
Typical features
- Custom web applications
- Advanced database systems
- Multi-user platforms
- Custom administration and management tools
- Business process automation
- Third-party integrations
- Specialised functionality
- Scalable development and future expansion
If you can explain the idea, let's explore how to build it.
Let's talk possibilitiesEvery project is unique. The prices above are starting points. Your final quotation will reflect the design, functionality and development work your project actually requires.
Feature lists describe the kind of work suited to each category; they don't promise every listed feature at the starting price. A small admin console can still suit an Essential project. Scope and complexity determine the fit, and custom projects may cost significantly more than R25,000.
LucidForge is not VAT registered, so no VAT is charged. Hosting, domains and ongoing services are quoted separately unless otherwise specified.
A few things worth knowing.
Every project begins with an agreed scope and a clear quotation. Reasonable revisions are included, and we'll always discuss additional work before proceeding.
We believe good projects start with clear expectations - for everyone involved.
Working Together - What to Expect
01 Working together
Working Together.
A good working relationship starts with clear expectations.
We like to keep things straightforward, friendly and transparent, so here's how we generally approach projects at LucidForge.
01 - Understanding Your Project
Every project begins with a conversation.
We'll discuss what you need, what you're trying to achieve and which features make sense for your budget.
You don't need a detailed technical specification to get started. A rough idea is perfectly fine.
We'll help turn that idea into a practical plan.
02 - Agreeing on the Work
Before development begins, we'll agree on the project scope, expected deliverables and price.
The agreed quotation defines what is included.
If new ideas or additional requirements come up during development, we're happy to discuss them.
We'll let you know whether they affect the cost or delivery schedule before proceeding.
03 - Getting Started
Our normal payment arrangement is a 50% deposit before development begins, with the remaining balance payable before the completed website goes live.
Different arrangements may be agreed upon for larger or longer-term projects.
Any such arrangements will be confirmed in the project quotation.
04 - Content and Materials
Clients are responsible for supplying the information and materials required for their websites, unless content creation is included in the quotation.
This may include:
- Business information and descriptions
- Text and written content
- Photographs and images
- Logos and branding materials
- Product or service information
- Other relevant project materials
We can assist with content preparation, design, graphics and related work where required.
Additional content creation work will be discussed and quoted where appropriate.
05 - Revisions and Refinements
We want you to be happy with the finished result.
Our standard quotations generally include up to two reasonable rounds of revisions within the agreed project scope.
Corrections to work that does not meet the agreed specification are not treated as chargeable revisions.
New features, substantial design changes or changes to previously approved work may require an additional quotation.
We'll always discuss this before undertaking additional chargeable work.
06 - Keeping Projects Moving
Good communication helps projects run smoothly.
We'll keep you informed of progress and let you know when feedback, approval or additional information is required.
Delays in receiving content, feedback or approvals may affect the project schedule.
If a project remains inactive for an extended period, we'll discuss a suitable way to resume or reschedule the work.
07 - Hosting, Domains and Ongoing Support
Website development and website hosting are separate services.
Domain registration, hosting, email services, maintenance and ongoing support are quoted separately unless specifically included in the agreed project.
We can provide hosting and ongoing technical assistance, but clients are not automatically committed to these services simply because LucidForge developed their website.
08 - Completion and Handover
Once the agreed work is completed, reviewed and paid for, we'll arrange the website's launch or agreed handover.
Project-specific ownership, licensing, third-party assets and handover arrangements are defined in the quotation or applicable agreement.
If ongoing hosting, maintenance or development is required, we can discuss suitable arrangements.
Small by design. Built with purpose.
We believe in doing good work, communicating honestly and building lasting working relationships.
No unnecessary complications. No unpleasant surprises.
08 Proven and current
Old hands.
New tools.
We've been doing this long enough to remember when websites were measured in kilobytes.
That doesn't mean we believe the old ways were better. Technology changes. Tools change. The web changes.
Good ideas, thoughtful design and solid workmanship don't.
LucidForge combines decades of experience with the best tools available today to create digital work that is useful, distinctive and built to last.
We aren't interested in doing things the old way simply because they're familiar. And we aren't interested in doing things the new way simply because they're new.
We use the right tool for the job.
09 Co-op mode
Player One
+ Player Two
We're designers.
Developers.
Internet veterans.
We're also gamers.
Perhaps that's why we still approach projects the way we do: explore the problem, understand the rules, find the tools, build something, test it, improve it and occasionally wonder why something perfectly functional stopped working at 2am.
Two players. One forge.No loot boxes.
10 Start a conversation
Got an idea?
It doesn't need a specification, a wireframe or a twenty-page project brief.
Sometimes all you need is:
“I've got this idea...”