Ibuildsites
I'dvisittwice.
I'm Gergő Starosta. I run StariLabs out of Zurich — a one-person studio for people whose work deserves a site that fits it. Designed, coded, and shipped by hand.
Built by hand,
in Zurich.
I'm a designer and developer who's spent the last decade building for the web. I started StariLabs because I wanted the work to be made by the same hands, start to finish — no subcontracting, no recycled layouts, no template tax.
Right now, most of what I make is for endurance athletes. It's the world I grew up around and the work that's pulling me this season. But the studio is built around an approach, not a niche — one client at a time, every site one-of-one, hand-coded in the open.
I keep it small on purpose. One or two clients in flight. Same person on the call, in the code, and on the phone when something breaks.
Five things I won't move on.
Pick a studio for what it refuses to do. These are mine.
- 01
Every site is a one-off.
No templates, no recycled layouts. If two of my sites ever look the same, I've failed.
- 02
Hand-coded, not assembled.
Fast on the first load, calm on the hundredth. No bloat, no page builders, no plugin tax.
- 03
You own the keys.
The domain, the code, the words, the dashboard. I don't hostage anyone's site.
- 04
Accessibility is the floor.
Readable type, keyboard nav, reduced-motion respected. The minimum, not an upgrade.
- 05
Race-day reliable.
If the site goes down on a start line, I'm awake. Hosting is monitored; my phone is on.
Four steps. Two to six weeks.
Conversation
A call. Your season, your sponsors, your calendar, what the site has to do for you. No formal brief required.
Sketch
One direction in 5–7 days. Type, palette, one key page — enough to feel it. Approve, redirect, or walk.
Build
Hand-coded in the open on a live staging URL. You see commits, not screenshots. Feedback rolls in continuously.
Hand-off
Domain, hosting, dashboard, and a short walkthrough so you can update the site yourself. You leave with the keys.
What I won't take on.
The list of things I say no to is shorter than the list of things I say yes to. But it's the more useful list.
- No templates or page builders.
- No SEO retainers, no growth contracts.
- No more than two clients in flight at a time.
- No AI-generated filler, no stock-photo placeholders.
- No white-label work for agencies.