Le Galant
Selling an object you can't hold: everything rests on macro photography.
- Year
- 2026
- Design & build
- 3 weeks
- Stack
- Next.js · React · Tailwind · Vercel
- Art direction
- Design
- Development
- SEO
- Copywriting
Demo version put online by Kayzen Web at a Vercel address; the final domain belongs to the client.
- Lighthouse performance
- 96/100
- Lighthouse accessibility
- 100/100
- macros per model, always at the same points
- 3
What needed solving.
The background
Le Galant is an artisan cutler: folding and table knives made in Thiers, with a showroom on the banks of the Rhône, in Serrières.
The constraint
A knife is chosen in the hand. Online, the lack of touch has to be made up for: the material of the handle, the polish of the blade, the precision of the assembly must become visible. It is the project's only real difficulty, and it is photographic before it is technical.
The response
Macro photography structures the site. Each model is shown in extreme close-up at three points — the handle/blade junction, the spine, the bolster — along with its named materials and dimensions. The Thiers story comes afterwards, as a guarantee rather than the main argument.
The scores recorded at delivery.
Lighthouse scores for the live site. We publish them as they are: when one is low, its cause and the plan to fix it are set out below rather than glossed over.
Every design choice, and the reason for it.
The macro as the basic unit
Three close-ups per model, always in the same places. Consistency makes it possible to compare models, which a mixed gallery rules out.
Materials named
Wood species, grade of steel, type of bolster. Buyers of artisan cutlery know this vocabulary; withholding it means talking to someone else.
The showroom as a destination
The Serrières showroom is showcased, with directions and opening hours. Some customers want to see before they buy; the site organises that visit rather than putting up with it.
Project palette
Steel
#5A6169
Structure
Juniper
#7A5E3A
Warmth, material
Off-white
#F6F3EE
Macro background
Ink
#191B1D
Text
Type system
Display
Cormorant Garamond 600
Body text
Inter 400
A fine serif for the handcrafted object, a technical sans-serif for the specifications. The contrast between the two registers mirrors that of the product.
What's under the bonnet.
- Next.js
- React
- Tailwind
- Vercel
Heavy images, light page
Macros are detailed by nature. Progressive loading, modern formats, a single priority image: 96 for performance despite a page that is almost entirely visual.
A catalogue as data
Models, materials, dimensions and availability in a typed file, the single source for the product page and the markup.
How the site makes itself findable.
Thiers as a sign of origin
“Couteau artisanal Thiers” (handmade Thiers knife), “coutellerie française pliant” (French folding knife): origin is the first search criterion in this market, ahead of the model.
Product markup
Each model carries a Product node with material, dimensions and availability. That is what makes rich results possible.
Usable by everyone.
Since June 2025, the European Accessibility Act has required digital accessibility from a large share of online services. We build it in at the design stage rather than retrofitting it.
100/100 with useful descriptions
Each macro is described precisely — “juniper handle junction and XC75 steel blade”. Descriptive alt text serves search as much as it serves screen readers.
What was delivered.
- Home
- Folding knives
- Table knives
- The Thiers workshop
- The Serrières showroom
- Contact
How the project unfolded.
Photo direction
Macro protocol: three points per model, constant lighting.
Content
Materials, dimensions, the vocabulary of cutlery.
Design
Consistent product pages, the showroom showcased.
Development
Typed catalogue, progressive images, Product markup.
What we are often asked.
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The same high standards, for your website.
A free audit of your current site, a quote within 24 hours and written reasoning — like the case study you have just read. Pay in three interest-free instalments; local funding schemes checked before you sign.