All about us
We’re in two minds about great design.
Creative
- Beautiful
- Engaging
- User-friendly
- Accessible
Technical
- Functional
- Reliable
- Data-driven
- Standards-compliant
Creative vs. Technical. Left brain vs. Right brain. Form vs Function. Creating your website is all about balancing two halves of the challenge.
Design has always been about a compromise between form and function. At one extreme, fashion design creates beautiful, eye-catching products (which may be difficult to manufacture and impractical to use), and at the other extreme, industrial design and engineering creates products which are efficient and practical, but difficult to understand or with a steep learning curve.
Connecting with your audience
You want to connect with people. You have some clear ideas about what message you need to get across, but you want to do it in a way that’s memorable.
Striking a balance is difficult. You need to think about a visual design that will engage and excite your customers, and you need to think about structure and content so that your customers can quickly find accurate, relevant information.
We like striking that balance. Using colour, images and layout to enhance your message, not detract from it, and using standards-compliant design so that you reach the widest audience possible.
Designing your website
We'll ask you two basic questions to get started. What is your message and who is your audience?
What is your message?
We want to know what information you're providing. For example:
- A complex product catalogue which changes daily
- Specialised information with links to lots of external sources
- A brief description with just a few contact details for more information
Who is your audience?
The brand you present and the way you provide information affects the way different people engage with your website
- Are they industry professionals who use your site regularly to find specific information?
- Are they mostly existing customers who need updates and support?
- Are they young and IT-literate, used to using social-media but with a short attention span?
- Are they likely to have any accessibility issues?
Balancing these requirements is always a challenge, but ultimately results in a more effective website.