Laurence Mercer

About

Overview

Hi, I'm Laurence Mercer, a full-stack Django and Wagtail developer with nineteen years' site building, module development, and theming experience.

Timeline

Broadly, my professional career comprises three periods:

  • Drupal developer (2006–20), initially frontend then full-stack
  • Academic study (2016–22), including two master's degrees:
    • MA in Music (Musicology), Open University, 2016–18
    • MSt in Literature and Arts, University of Oxford, 2020–22
  • Django and Wagtail developer (2023–present), full-stack

Skills

  • Python, PHP, C#
  • Package managers (pip, uv, npm, Yarn, etc.)
  • CLIs
  • Django (models, views, ORM, etc.), Django REST Framework (DRF), Django Template Language (DTL), Jinja
  • Wagtail
  • NGINX, Apache, Gunicorn, PostgreSQL, MySQL
  • Git, Git repository platforms (GitHub, GitLab, etc.)
  • APIs (primarily REST/JSON, JSON:API, and GraphQL)
  • Docker, DDEV, virtual machines
  • HTML, htmx, CSS, Sass, LESS, PostCSS, JavaScript, JavaScript libraries (React, etc.), JavaScript frameworks (primarily Next.js), TypeScript, Node.js
  • Graphics/UI/UX applications (Photoshop, Illustrator, Inkscape, Figma, etc.)
  • Mapping solutions (primarily Google Maps, OpenLayers, Mapbox, and Leaflet)
  • Project management tools (Jira, etc.) and methods (Scrum, etc.)
  • Remote working, time management, etc.

Current dev setup: Linux and VS Code (plus Windows and Mac machines if required).

Django and Wagtail

I have a comprehensive knowledge of Django—a leading, open-source Python-based web framework—and Wagtail—a leading, open-source Django-based content management system (CMS).

On the backend, my day-to-day work includes Python programming, (Linux) server and database administration, and Django and Wagtail project development (API design, coding models, views, etc.). Meanwhile, on the frontend, my day-to-day work comprises Django and Wagtail project building and theming, using technologies including the Django Template Language (DTL), JavaScript/TypeScript, and CSS.

Services

I provide development services for clients across the world, most often working remotely from London, UK. Previous clients have been located in the UK, Australia, Belgium, and the US.

Django and Wagtail services include:

  • project auditing
  • design/development planning
  • design/development coding etc.
  • upgrades, data migration, etc.
  • domain/hosting/server configuration
  • ongoing project maintenance

Get in touch

For all work enquiries, quote requests, etc. please contact me (preferably via email) and provide as much information as possible.

Drupal

I worked with Drupal from version 4.6 (you can find me on drupal.org as laurencemercer →) and built and themed many Drupal-based sites including jimihendrix.com.

CV

A copy of my CV is available upon request.