My name is Elliott Mangham, and I’m a WordPress developer and studio owner. I have a son, another baby on the way, two cats, one dog, and a beautiful wife. I spent my childhood ​“up north,” in Northern England, one of the largest historic counties in the country. I’ve been fortunate to travel, visiting America several times, as well as some European countries and Africa, where I climbed the Atlas Mountains with my family — though the mules did most of the work. 

Family photo of two smiling adults holding a happy toddler in front of a cornfield.
My family, lost in a hazy maze. 
Adult and child smiling at a desk with a colorful keyboard. The child is seated in front, and the adult is leaning over, both looking at the camera.
My son is about to create the next Site of the Day. 


 

I taught myself design and code at 13 years old, which led to several entrepreneurial ventures in my youth, from creative but unprofitable ideas to first-of-their-kind SaaS apps that I eventually lost interest in, wishing I had pursued them further. Ultimately, I stuck to my core service business, Code Resolution, which serves as a premium design and development partner to agencies around the globe. Unlike traditional ​“white-label” agencies and dev shops, our small team focuses on delivering a comprehensive and higher-quality service that is reliable, friendly, and feels ​“in-house.”


Collection of glass decanters with amber liquid next to a lamp on a green surface, against a wooden panel backdrop.
My favourite alcoholic beverage is a 16-year-old single malt Scotch called Lagavulin. It also makes a lovely backdrop during virtual calls. 

I have accumulated over 50 awards in the last few years, including 2 Site of the Year nominations (Awwwards), 9 Site of the Day awards (Awwwards, FWA, and CSSDA), 1 Dev Award (Awwwards), and 1 Site of the Week (Awwwards). My team includes a multi-award-winning senior designer who is on the Awwwards panel, and an up-and-coming developer who is ambitiously learning new skills to enrich their portfolio. I have literally no hobbies other than work, because I love what I do, but I enjoy a tipple, be it Scotch, Bourbon, or Ale. 

What has being part of the Okay Dev community meant to you? 

After seeing so many inspiring developers whom I have followed for years be a part of the Okay Dev community, I aspired to be accepted as part of such a creative group. Now being part of the community, I feel closer to like-minded developers who want to push boundaries and deliver more than the minimum viable product. It has given me the opportunity to ask questions, share my work and thoughts, and find opportunities to onboard top talent. It’s a badge of honour that I hope to continue wearing as I improve my own development skills as we navigate this strange, yet exciting AI-driven future. 

What got you interested in the web industry? 

It was the ​“unknown” at a time when most households had only one shared PC. Everyone wanted to use it, but few understood how websites worked. After a friend showed me the ​“View source code” button while browsing a website, I became intrigued. From that moment, I was determined to create my own websites. 

How did you learn your craft? 

At 13, I found myself combing through the source code of various websites, back when MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Bebo, and Yahoo were gaining traction. I wanted to understand what made them tick. I started creating .html files using the built-in Notepad on Windows XP, then viewing them in the browser and making minor text changes to see the results. From there, I began learning CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and how to configure a server, implement WordPress, Perch, and other content management systems. I dabbled with design during the heyday of Adobe, after Macromedia had completed its successful run in the industry. However, after several years, I found myself becoming better at development but not growing in the design department. That’s when I decided to collaborate with designers, so I could focus on what I’m good at. 

What was your first industry job like? 

I have had several jobs, with my first being for an IT and software company at age 15. I completed a 2‑week compulsory volunteer work placement there during school, and they offered me a summer job, as well as a subsequent full-time position when I left school at 16. I started out building PCs, but soon found myself more interested in the software side of the business. Not long after I began, I found myself redesigning the company’s proprietary software, such as visitor sign-in applications and sensory equipment, as well as rebranding their suite of products. While I did some coding, I wanted to do more, and so ultimately I left the company to pursue dedicated development roles. 

How has your journey been running a small studio, and how does it compare to working as an independent freelancer? 

I always knew I wanted to build a brand and a team. Ultimately, I wanted an entity that could thrive without me. In contrast, independent freelancing means my clients are beholden to me, and my personal reputation is tied to the work. The biggest challenge was entrusting others to take the lead. I was so accustomed to handling everything, from prospecting and discovery to design, development, DevOps, and the grueling administrative work. This became a bottleneck, and I soon realised the studio couldn’t grow until I learned to trust others. 

Enumera Molecular

What does a typical workday look like? 

I start my day with a good old-fashioned cup of tea. I use loose-leaf tea when I need motivation, and tea bags from my subscription otherwise. I enjoy my tea, as well as a daily essential of Red Bull or Monster. At my desk, I spend most of my time reading and responding to emails, communicating on Slack, and planning my team’s schedule. I make an effort to fit in as much development work as possible, as those are my most productive days. I also explore new software, watch YouTube, and browse Kickstarter and ProductHunt, though this is a productivity drain. 

When are you most productive? 

When I have no meetings and am uninterrupted, I can focus and write some code. 

How do you find new projects/clients?

I’ve run my business, Code Resolution, for over a decade now without any advertising or tendering. I’ve found that consistently delivering above-average work often leads to free word-of-mouth referrals, which have been essential to our workload. We also partner with design studios, advertising agencies, and investors who have recurring projects and require a reliable development team capable of tackling complex problems on short notice. I’m quite sure we don’t charge as much as we should, but this allows our partners to make a comfortable profit margin that justifies outsourcing to a team that delivers. 

Bold Capital

Where are your partners and clients typically located? 

Most of our clients are overseas, particularly in the United States, including the East Coast cities of Tampa and Brooklyn, as well as the West Coast city of Los Angeles. There is a significant time difference, but we make it work. 

What’s on your desk? 

Room with green cabinets, wooden shelves, and decorative plants against a slatted wooden wall, featuring glass decanters and a lamp on top.

The desk is a large concrete slab. It’s sizeable, and I love it. I regularly switch between monitors, but currently, I’m using two Huawei MateView displays, which offer incredible value compared to Apple’s overpriced monitors. I also have a third screen and sometimes use my mounted iPad Pro as a fourth. Previously, I had a 49-inch curved LG monitor, but found dual-monitor setup more practical for compartmentalisation. I have two ScreenBar Halo monitor lights and a beyerdynamic conference microphone. My daily driver is an Apple Studio, paired with Q Acoustics M20 speakers and Apple AirPod Max headphones. I use various Grovemade products, including the monitor stand, headphone stand, pen, and desk mat. An ESR 3‑in‑1 charger powers my iPhone Pro Max and Apple Watch Ultra. I have an IQUNIX mechanical keyboard and a collection of other mechanical keyboards mounted on the wall near my desk. I couple that with my Logitech Master 3S mouse, after a short stint with the Apple Mouse which resulted in a painful wrist. For remote work, I rely on a MacBook Pro. I also have a custom-built mini-PC with an aluminium mesh body and walnut finishes. Acoustic foams surround my desk, and I have a mounted, rarely used Oculus Quest that serves as a decorative piece. Behind my desk, I have a cabinet holding my favourite bottles of scotch, a decanter, and tumblers, for when I require a tipple. Finally, I use my reMarkable 2 for digital yet paper-like note-taking. 


 

Modern desk setup with dual monitors displaying code and apps, featuring a keyboard, mouse, and various accessories like speakers and an hourglass.
My large concrete slab-of-a-desk features my preferred setup: two monitors. 

What are your go-to apps? 

What inspires you? 

Front-end developers and designers that push boundaries instead of following latest trends. 

Do you work best in silence, or do you prefer some background noise or music? 

Most of the time, I work in silence, especially when I’m concentrating on debugging a problem or writing an email. However, when I’m coding, I find that listening to music helps me be more productive. 

Which project(s) are you most proud of? 

Nowadays, my proudest projects focus less on surface-level aesthetics and more on the quality of the underlying code and the admin experience. I take pride not only in delivering an attractive front-end, but also in ensuring that my clients love their content management system (CMS) and that I enjoy working on the project. I’ve spent weeks crafting a perfect boilerplate, which I recently used to develop PAL Aerospace. While I’m very proud of my boilerplate, I’m also excited about my side projects, such as inview-detection and onscroll-detection, which are JavaScript libraries I wished existed, so I decided to build them myself. These libraries make it easy to apply GSAP animations without writing extensive JavaScript. You can find them on npm, and although they may not be widely popular, they are reliable. 

Palaerospace

What’s your perspective on AI, and have you integrated it into your workflow? 

I love AI, and while I worry it will disrupt future business, I’m quickly taking advantage of it and using it to improve operations. I’ve incorporated AI into my workflow, primarily using it to enhance my client communication. This includes improving my composition, summarising lengthy discussions, quickly asking questions, breaking down complex tasks, writing code I can do but prefer not to, debugging issues, and tackling complex challenges. I look forward to trusting it more, enabling me to instruct it to ​“pay this person,” ​“submit my taxes,” ​“compile a list of contacts we are hosting,” and similar tasks. 

Are there any technologies or tools that you’re excited to explore more? 

I have finally found the perfect tools for my email (Shortwave) and calendar (Morgen) after trying dozens of alternatives that fell short. However, I am always seeking to improve my project management. While I have a highly customised and comprehensive Notion setup that I love, it can feel cumbersome due to the numerous interconnected databases and limited keyboard shortcuts. I am currently exploring Linear, as I am drawn to their mentality, aesthetics, and power-user features, which remind me of Raycast’s keyboard shortcuts. 

Distro Nation

Any advice for aspiring creatives? 

Don’t be a ​“jack of all trades, master of none.” Take a hard look at your work and what you want to be. Consider if your strength lies in design, development, or business, for example, and drop the things you’re not so good at to focus on what you truly want. Be honest with yourself and approach criticism with humility. 

Final thoughts, exciting projects, or upcoming trips? 

I’d like Code Resolution to be a recognisable name in the industry, the premium partner studio that agencies can proudly showcase. I want our involvement to be a staple, a proud partnership. Last year, we rebranded Code Resolution, the first time I brought on a professional outsider to take the lead. We then updated the website, which is great, but I feel it doesn’t fully reflect my vision for the business. In 2024 – 2025, I hope to explore this further. With that in mind, I plan to rely less on our existing partnerships and word-of-mouth referrals, and instead focus on proactive marketing to generate new partnerships. 

Bay Harbor Towers

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