Skipper & Skipper
WordPress theme development for a New Zealand-based creative strategy agency — version 3.0 of a long-standing collaboration
Published
The Brief Version three of a long-standing collaboration
Skipper & Skipper is a New Zealand-based creative strategy agency founded by Duncan and Kate Skipper — a husband and wife team with deep roots in the creative industry. Duncan was Head of Studio at Kitchen during Steve's time there as Head of Digital, and the professional relationship has continued ever since, spanning multiple projects including the Wellness Traveller build.
This was the third iteration of the Skipper & Skipper website — an evolution of a theme we had built for them previously. Designs and copy came from the agency; Our role was the technical implementation.
The Build Lean, fast, and built without a page builder
Rather than reaching for a page builder or a heavyweight WordPress theme framework, the theme was built as a static Vite build using Tailwind CSS — a deliberate choice that keeps the front end lean, fast, and maintainable without the overhead that comes with tools like Divi or Elementor.
Scroll-driven animations and transitions are handled via the Intersection Observer API, giving the site its fluid, cinematic feel as content enters the viewport. The IO logic — particularly the sequencing of animation triggers and threshold handling — was one area where Copilot earned its place, helping work through the more complex event timing and state management without the trial and error that scroll animation logic typically demands.
Content is managed through WordPress with a combination of custom post types and ACF meta fields, giving the Skipper & Skipper team full control over their portfolio and case studies without touching code.
The Relationship Over a decade of shared professional history
We have worked with the Skipper & Skipper founders across three versions of their own site, and as the technical partner on client projects including Wellness Traveller. It's a collaboration built on a 13 years of shared professional history — the kind of working relationship where trust is implicit and the brief doesn't need over-explaining.
