Constructing Hidden Manchester was an immersion in both the technical and creative potential of content-managed sites. The challenge was to create a blog that not only represented Manchester’s underground culture, but also employed the organisational functionality of a CMS to render that content simple to manage, filter, and navigate.
I selected WordPress as the CMS platform due to its versatility, extensive plugin ecosystem, and its natural handling of blog content. It enabled me to establish a straightforward category system for posts (such as Music, Food, Art, and Markets), and utilise tags to define additional filters around subjects like “Vegan,” “Late-night,” or “BYOB.” I even utilised user roles and a form plugin to enable content submissions through the “Submit a Spot” page – mimicking an actual editorial workflow.
A critical component of the brief was the incorporation of APIs for added functionality. I embedded SoundCloud on the homepage to feature “Track of the Week,” utilising their player API for dynamic audio that did not interrupt the user experience. For location-dependent content, I used Google Maps embeds within a number of blog entries to allow readers to gain a tangible sense of location and to physically locate obscure venues. This introduced an element of interactivity that would have been more difficult to obtain with static images and directions.
Along the way, I kept a balance between form and function in mind. Instead of simply checking technical boxes, I wanted to ensure each CMS feature and API integration felt intentional and audience-driven. For instance, the categories weren’t merely blog organisation tools – they were how real humans would want to browse: by vibe, not by format. The greatest challenge was ensuring that the blog still had a human and grassroots feel despite leveraging these organised systems. CMS software such as Elementor allowed me to design pages without coding, yet I still needed to carefully consider hierarchy, accessibility, and consistency – particularly between mobile and desktop displays.
In all, the CMS made content management and scaling much more straightforward than constructing from the ground up, and utilising APIs provided the site that “live” sensibility that echoes the constantly evolving Manchester underground scene. I also came to understand how design decisions (such as category organisation, homepage composition, and submission workflow) actually affect the way users engage with and trust digital products.
