Ryan Bishop
Web Designer & WordPress Plugin Developer · Hilo, Hawaii
One Developer. One Point of Contact. 21 Years of Experience.
Island Sun Design is a one-person studio. I founded it in 2024 and relocated from Austin, Texas to Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii in late 2024 — bringing over two decades of stateside experience with me. When you hire me, you work with me — directly. Not a project manager who passes your work to a team overseas. Not an agency that routes your emails through a ticketing system. Just Ryan.
I started building websites in 2005, long before WordPress dominated the landscape, page builders existed, or anyone was talking about AI. Over the years I've worked through every major shift in how the web gets built — and I've learned to adapt without chasing trends for their own sake.
Today, that means using the right tool for every project: hand-coded PHP and custom WordPress plugins when precision and performance demand it; page builders like Elementor, Avada, or Divi when they're the smart, efficient choice; and AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT to accelerate prototyping and explore concepts faster than was ever possible before.
I care about building things that work — for you and for your customers. That means clean code, honest timelines, transparent pricing, and being available when something comes up after launch.
"I've been building websites for 21 years, with over 16 years focused on WordPress. I use every tool available — from hand-coded PHP to AI-assisted prototyping — to build sites clients can use, grow with, and be proud of." — Ryan Bishop, Island Sun DesignGet in Touch →
What I Work With
I use what works best for the project — not what's trendy.
🔧 Core Development
- PHP (OOP, procedural, modern PHP 8.x)
- WordPress core APIs (hooks, REST, CPTs, options)
- Custom Plugin Architecture
- MySQL / MariaDB
- HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript / jQuery
- WooCommerce internals
🧩 Page Builders & Themes
- Elementor & Elementor Pro
- Avada Theme & Fusion Builder
- Divi Builder
- WPBakery Page Builder
- Gutenberg Block Development
- Custom Theme Development (PHP/CSS)
🤖 AI & Modern Tooling
- Claude (Anthropic) — code & concept prototyping
- ChatGPT — rapid drafting & logic exploration
- AI-assisted plugin boilerplating
- Content & copy generation workflows
- Prompt engineering for development tasks
🎨 Design & Creative
- Raster & print production (Photoshop family tools)
- AI-assisted wireframing & mockups (Claude, etc.)
- Logo & brand identity design
- Infographic & social media graphics
- UI/UX design for web applications
What You Can Expect
Honest Scoping
Before any work starts, we agree on exactly what's being built, what it costs, and how long it takes. No scope creep surprises.
Direct Communication
You email me and I respond. No ticket system, no account manager. One person, accountable for the entire project.
Island Values
Living in Hawaii has shaped how I work: deliberately, without rushing, with respect for the client's time and trust.
Built to Last
I write code I'm comfortable maintaining five years from now. Clean, documented, and not dependent on bloated frameworks.