About
A small studio building websites and tools for real businesses.
Forge & Ember Studios is a small web studio based in Calgary, Alberta. We design and build custom websites, client portals, and web-based tools for creators, studios, and independent businesses who have outgrown generic templates and one-size-fits-all software.
Started in real studios, not in a boardroom.
Forge & Ember didn't start with a business plan. It started with real work that needed better tools—photography studios, leatherwork, and small service businesses trying to make existing software do things it was never built for.
After fighting with platforms that almost worked but never quite fit, the pattern was obvious: the workflow came first, and the tools needed to follow. Client galleries, booking, delivery, follow-up, and day-to-day tasks all had to line up with how the business actually ran.
Forge & Ember Studios grew out of that need. Today, we focus on building custom sites and systems that stay out of the way, quietly running in the background while you focus on the work you care about.
What we actually build
- • Custom studio and business websites
- • Client portals and gallery systems
- • Dashboards and internal tools
- • Assistant-style tools like EmberPDA
- • Light automations for repeated tasks
Every project starts with your workflow and constraints. We pick and shape the technology around that, not the other way around.
How we think about tools.
Good tools should make your work simpler, clearer, and easier to repeat. These are the ideas that guide how we design and build.
Built around your workflow
We don't ask you to squeeze your business into a pre-made template. We start with how you already work and design the structure to match it, step by step.
Clear and quiet
The best systems don't get in the way. They sit in the background, doing their job reliably so your craft and client experience stay front and center.
Ready to grow
We expect your business to change. We build with that in mind, so your site or system can be expanded and refined instead of thrown out and rebuilt from scratch.
How a project usually unfolds.
Every project is different, but the path is similar: understand the work, design the structure, build the system, then refine it with real use.
01 — Understand the work
We start with conversations about your business, your clients, and what's currently hard or messy. The goal is to see how things actually run today, not how they look on paper.
02 — Shape the system
We map out what needs to exist: pages, views, flows, and any automations. We define how data moves and how clients and staff will actually use the system day to day.
03 — Build & adjust
We design and develop in focused passes, sharing progress and making changes as we go. Screens and flows are refined until they feel straightforward and natural to use.
04 — Launch with support
When the system goes live, we stay nearby. As you move real clients and real work through it, we fix rough edges and make improvements so it feels like it's always been part of your workflow.
Sometimes that's a simple marketing site. Sometimes it's a full platform like EmberPDA. Either way, the aim is the same: give you tools that feel like they were built specifically for your business, not just your industry.
Want to talk about your next build?
If you're planning a new website, portal, or internal tool, we'd be happy to hear what you have in mind and see if we're a good fit to build it with you.