Hi, I'm Jannes.
I've been a graphic designer and web developer for nearly 10 years. WordPress was my first platform, offering quick deployment through page builder themes. But over time, the frustrations accumulated: bloated performance, plugin dependencies, constant maintenance, security vulnerabilities, and complicated migrations. For clients, the WordPress backend often feels intimidating and inflexible.
All-in-one builders like Wix or Squarespace seemed like alternatives, but came with their own limitations: mandatory subscriptions, platform lock-in, data control issues, and in some cases, GDPR non-compliance in the EU. Price increases leave you with two choices: pay or lose your site.
Then I discovered Kirby CMS—a flat-file system with no SQL database and no external dependencies. Everything lives in one folder. Lightweight, fast, and offering total control with a one-time payment. It felt like the answer.
But there was a challenge: most of my clients are artists, independent creatives, or small businesses with limited budgets. Building custom Kirby sites from scratch wasn't affordable for portfolios that primarily need a clean gallery, CV, and contact page.
So I built magpie: a robust, flexible Kirby theme designed specifically for creative portfolios. Code it once, include all necessary features, and deploy sites quickly at an affordable price point. Built-in features include privacy policy templates and cookie consent management.
The result is a theme that's both simple and incredibly flexible. Style your site through backend settings or dive into the code for complete customization. Because it's flat-file, your entire site lives in a single folder. Work locally, host anywhere, and leverage AI tools like Claude or Cursor for extensions and content management.
Want to go live? Copy your folder to any PHP server via FTP.
Need a backup? Duplicate the folder.
No maintenance. No plugins. No bot attacks. No subscriptions.
Just one folder.
