Featured Project
Balkan Academic Lounge (BAL) is a regional platform that brings together universities, professors, and students across the Balkans through community features, academic profiles, networking tools, and the ARBU university ranking system.
Client
Balkan Academic Lounge (BAL)
Industry
Academic Community
Services
Tools/Skills
Website Link
Project & Client Overview
Balkan Academic Lounge (BAL) was founded to strengthen academic collaboration across the Balkans by bringing universities, professors, and students into one shared digital environment. The website supports visibility, networking, research exchange, and regional cooperation through a structured and community-driven space.
The founders needed a website that could present academic profiles, rankings, events, and opportunities while remaining accessible to different user types. The challenge was to design a structure that feels simple to navigate yet supports a large amount of content, including academic fields, university data, job listings, directories, and ARBU rankings.
I designed and developed the entire website using WordPress, BuddyBoss, and Elementor. My work covered UX planning, interface design, membership flows, page layout structure, and integrating the ARBU ranking system into the broader community experience. I also optimized the website for clarity and scalability so new pages and features can be added as it grows.
Homepage Overview
The BAL homepage is currently under review, with only the hero section finalized at this stage. The goal of the new homepage is to introduce the platform’s mission, highlight its core features, and guide different academic users toward the areas most relevant to them.
My approach focuses on presenting the platform’s purpose first, followed by clear pathways into key features such as ARBU rankings, community networking, academic profiles, jobs, and events. Even in its early stage, the structure is designed to support a smooth first-time experience while preparing the foundation for additional modules and content that the platform will introduce.
Core Pages
At this stage, I designed and developed the core pages that make up the functional backbone of the platform, including the ARBU ranking area, the Universities directory, the Professors listings, the Academic Fields, and key BuddyBoss-powered community pages. These sections needed to support a wide range of academic users while presenting large amounts of structured information.
My approach focused on creating predictable layouts and navigation patterns that help visitors explore rankings, browse academic profiles, view fields of study, and interact with community features. The goal was to make complex academic structures feel approachable by using consistent page rhythms, logical groupings, and clear content flows. These foundations will extend to the new Homepage, About, and Contact pages once approved.
Testimonials
Here’s what clients, collaborators, and team members have said about working together on different projects.
I enthusiastically recommend my esteemed colleague from the IT sector, Mario Cvetkovski, based on our collaborative experience at Sols- Digital Solutions for approximately two years.
During this time, I have had the privilege of observing him evolve into a remarkably versatile and skilled professional in our industry. Notably, he has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to staying at the forefront of technology by consistently upgrading their expertise in crucial areas such as web development, UX/UI design and WordPress.
Mario possesses a keen aptitude for web development, consistently delivering top-notch solutions with precision and creativity.
His dedication to mastering UX/UI design principles has not only elevated the aesthetic appeal of our projects but also improved overall user experiences. In addition he has become a go-to expert in WordPress, efficiently creating and managing websites with a high degree of proficiency.
Mario’s combination of technical expertise and a growth mindset makes them a valuable asset to any team or project.
I have no doubt that he will continue to excel and make substantial contributions in the IT sector, and I wholeheartedly endorse them for any future endeavors.
3D Fashion Designer | Textile Engineer | Pattern Maker
I have the pleasure of recommending Mario, who’s not your typical developer – he brings an awesome blend of tech wizardry and a killer eye for design.
In our projects together, Mario didn’t just code; he created experiences. He stays ahead of the curve with the latest tech trends, always looking for ways to make things better.
Beyond the skills, Mario is a fantastic team player and wonderful friend. He effortlessly connects the dots between development and design, making our projects smoother and cooler.
In short, if you want a developer who’s not just about code but understands the user experience game, Mario is your go-to person. You won’t regret having him on your team!
Product Designer @ TryHackMe
Mario was one of those exceptional freelancers that is hard to find. He was very communicative, had a high degree of attention to detail, went above and beyond and even brought creative solutions to enhance the project.
He followed our scope document exactly. And was able to accomplish our design and functionality requirements perfectly.
Founder and CEO @ TribePUB
I had the privilege of working with Mario for around a year at influencers.club, where he served as a full-time WordPress developer. His patience and adaptability, especially in our fast-paced startup environment, were truly exceptional. He wasn’t just about fixing issues, he was proactive, constantly identifying opportunities to optimize our website, which significantly contributed to our SEO efforts.
What really set Mario apart was his willingness to take on any task thrown his way, even those beyond his official job description. This kind of flexibility and eagerness to contribute wherever needed is rare and highly valuable in any team setting.
Beyond his professional capabilities, Mario is genuinely one of the nicest and funniest people I’ve had the pleasure of working with.
I wholeheartedly recommend Mario to any team looking for a skilled WordPress developer who brings more to the table than just technical skills. He’s a true team player and a joy to work with.
Head of marketing @ Influencers Club
Founder and CEO @ Corpus Studios
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