Project № 22
Apple Inc.
Webmaster for Portugal — launching Apple's first localised .pt site from the London Regent Street office.
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Webmaster for Portugal — launching Apple's first localised .pt site from the London Regent Street office.
Between 2007 and 2009 I was Webmaster for Portugal at Apple, based out of the Regent Street office in London. My job was to plan, prepare and execute the official launch of www.apple.com/pt in 2008 — Apple's first localised website and online store for the Portuguese market.
After launch, I managed the site's maintenance and updates through 2009, and contributed to UI design and front-end development for the Apple Store (EMEA) — adhering rigorously to Cupertino's exacting design standards.
Launching a country-specific apple.com is not translation. It is the full orchestration of content design, Cupertino's brand standards, local legal and commerce requirements, and a content supply chain that runs through content designers, project managers, developers, testers, marketing managers — and a single localiser based in Porto.
Cupertino does not relax its standards for regional launches. Every pixel, every line of HTML, every semantic choice had to meet the bar set by the global Apple team. The room for error was zero.
And the launch window coincided with two of the most watched product launches Apple had ever done: the original iPhone and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Portugal had to be ready for both. Localised product pages, hero banners, news microsite, store inventory, regional pricing — all live, all polished, all on Cupertino's timing.
Planned, prepared and executed the apple.com/pt launch across 2008 — the first localised Apple site and online store for Portugal. Coordinated content designers, project managers, developers, testers, marketing managers, and the Porto-based localiser.
Designed and implemented UI across apple.com/pt and the EMEA Apple Store. Adapted front-end code (HTML, CSS) to Cupertino's design standards while adjusting for the Portuguese market.
Delivered localised hero banners, product pages and news microsites for key launches including the original iPhone and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
Between 2008 and 2009, managed the ongoing maintenance and updates of apple.com/pt — ensuring Cupertino's standards were upheld week after week after week.
Cupertino does not relax its standards for regional launches. Every pixel, every line of HTML had to meet the global bar. — Apple launch reflection
Selected hero banners from the apple.com/pt launch era — including the iPhone launch and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
Two years at Apple is where I learned what "production quality" actually means. It is not good enough. It is not pretty. It is what Cupertino ships. Every regional launch since — L'Oréal, BMW, Lloyds, Deutsche Bank — has benefited from the discipline I absorbed walking into the Regent Street office at age 23 and being told: "this is how Apple does it".
The apple.com/pt launch was my first real shipped product. It is still the quality floor I design to.