Built on the belief that small businesses deserve great websites.
McArthur Studio is a one-person design studio based in Cape Town — doing the work properly, without the agency overhead.
Based
Hi, I'm Michael McArthur.
I started McArthur Studio because I kept seeing the same problem: small businesses with enormous potential, stuck with slow, dated websites that were either built on a DIY platform years ago or handed off to an agency that charged a fortune and disappeared after launch.
I build websites differently. Every project is hand-coded — no page builders, no bloated themes. That means every site I deliver is fast, clean, and genuinely tailored to the business it represents. It also means you own it completely, with no ongoing platform fees eating into your margins.
Based in Cape Town, I work with clients across South Africa and internationally. The process is built around being clear, direct, and fast — because your time matters as much as mine. I got into web design through a genuine love of coding — there's something satisfying about writing clean code and watching something real appear on a screen. Outside of work, hockey takes up most of my time and energy, and that same discipline of showing up, putting in the work, and improving every day shapes how I approach every project I take on. I started McArthur Studio because I wanted to build something of my own — a business built from scratch, on my own terms, that grows into something I'm genuinely proud of.
How I think about the work.
Four principles that shape every decision I make on a project.
Restraint is a skill
The best websites do one thing well: they make it easy for the right person to take the right action. I resist the temptation to add features, sections, and animations that don't serve that goal. Good design is mostly about what you leave out.
Speed is not optional
A beautiful website that loads slowly is a failed website. Every project I build is tested for performance from the start — not optimised as an afterthought. Clean code and fast load times are baked in by default.
Mobile-first, always
More than half your visitors are on their phones. I design for small screens first and scale up — not the other way around. I specifically pitch clients on fixing poor mobile experiences; it would be hypocritical to deliver one myself.
You should own what you pay for
The idea of renting a website on a monthly subscription — and losing it if you cancel — feels wrong to me. Every site I build is yours outright. The code, the hosting account, the domain. No dependency on me or anyone else to keep it running.
What you actually get.
Beyond the deliverable — what the experience of working with McArthur Studio is like.
Direct access
You're working with the person who designs and builds your site — not a sales contact who hands off to a team. One point of contact, no Chinese whispers.
Delivery you can count on
The timeline is agreed upfront and I stick to it. No scope creep, no deadline drift. You'll know exactly what's happening and when.
Honest advice
If a simpler package is the right choice for your business, I'll say so. I'd rather build the right site for you than oversell a project that doesn't fit your stage of growth.
Cape Town-based
I understand the South African market, the typical business constraints, and the local digital landscape. I work in your time zone and speak your language — including Rands, not dollars.
This site is the portfolio piece.
McArthur Studio's own website is built to exactly the same standard as every client project: hand-coded HTML and CSS, no frameworks, mobile-first, fast-loading. If it doesn't impress you — you shouldn't hire me. If it does, that's what your business gets too.
Work with me →Let's build something worth being proud of.
Start with a free mockup to see exactly what your site could look like — or jump straight in with a project brief.