The Brief:

Blue Tree Fundraising (BTF) is a new business formed in 2009. They required an informative brochure website to educate their potential clients on their methods of fundraising. They wanted their website to be 'light and airy' and to stand out from their competitors sites. Having browsed the web, they decided that in order to make their website stand out, they wanted it to look like it had been painted in water colours. The client also required a new logo and an open source backend Content Management System (CMS) to change the content of the site.

The Design:

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In order to produce the watercolour effect as requested by the client, we drew up some initial designs and produced a specification then commissioned an artist to paint various different backgrounds and foreground elements. We then used Photoshop to touch-up the paintings to give a polished layer with enhanced graphical effects. The logo was designed in a similar fashion, to suit the BTF theme, incorporating a blue tree and using the watercolour effect.

Usability

As with all of our websites, this site was built to rank highly in search engines for the client's specific keywords. We included a Wordpress backend CMS (with the Search Engine Optimisation plugin installed) as this is the most widely used and easy to use open source CMS.

Technologies Used:

The Brief:

Our client wished to build an online fantasy Gaelic Football and Hurling website. The site's purpose is to offer an online platform for members to pay a fixed fee to enter a team, and to have the chance of winning various prizes if their team performs well. There are several web applications available which power fantasy sport games. These systems are expensive and we advised the client against using them as they would add a significant cost to the project. This meant we were tasked with building the gaming engine from scratch. This is a complex and unusual web development application. In order to deliver the system on time and within budget, we took two of our strongest programmers and dedicated their time and gave them free reign to develop a powerful system without the need to outsource.

The Design:

Usability

The site needed to be fun and attractive in order to engage the target audience. Although some complex technologies were utilised at the site's back end, we needed the front end interface to be user friendly. We made the player selection function 'drag and drop' and used big buttons for ease of use.

Functionality

The site has an advanced bespoke gaming engine, with the results being automatically integrated via an XML feed, keeping website management time to a minimum. There is a secure payment gateway allowing visitors to pay using several methods. There are mini-leagues allowing members to set up leagues with colleagues, friends and family etc. This adds an extra level of engagement for the visitor and encourages recurring participation.

Technologies Used:

The Brief:

Gemrae Jewellery approached us a new company who wanted to start their business by selling their jewellery online. It was important for them to have a website that was easy to use for their customers, easy to use for them, with a soft and quiet design which allowed the jewellery to stand out.

The Design:

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This project began with a restyle of the current Gemrae logo. Once we had established the initial look of the logo, we offered Gemrae a logo set which consisted of the main logo with slight variations in colour and shape. In order not to detract from the products we used light, inoffensive colours and gradients. To compliment the logo, we also added swirls across the site, including the banner text and main background.

Usability & Functionality

We used the Magento e-commerce system which, with its extensive plugin library, offers the largest range of functions for an e-commerce website. The homepage consists of a transitional picture banner with some high quality shots of some Gemrae jewellery, and three large buttons to allow users to begin browsing. Once past the homepage, the user is presented with the familiar e-commerce layout with the products grid on the right hand side of the page and search refinement options on the left. This makes it easy and fast for users to find the type of jewellery they want within their budget. The Magento backend has gone through countless updates and is generally regarded as one of the most easy to use e-commerce back end systems. It took no time for the Gemrae admin to be able to take full control of the site dealing with adding new products, setting up automated emails and dealing with incoming order management.

Technologies Used:

The Brief:

Silver Training is a company that is aimed at helping seniors learn how to use the Internet. This posed an interesting problem in that the end user would quite likely not be computer literate. We therefore had to aim the site at the friends and families of potential customers. It was important for Silver Training that their website looked professional and portrayed an image of Internet competence whilst appealing to the younger generation.

The Design:

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To give the website a modern look and to fit in with the Silver Training logo, we opted for light colours and curvy edges. We also used a lot of gradients to make the website pleasing to the eye. The banner text was used to communicate Silver Trainings value propositions. This was supplemented with professionally produced photos that give the visitor an idea of what they can expect from one of their training classes.

Usability

The layout of the homepage allows for different routes to the different areas of the website. The big buttons in the centre of the page describe succinctly what is behind the link so users can come to the site and find the information they are looking for quickly and easily. To add a bit more interactivity to the site, we created a FLASH Map Page which allows users to hover their mouse over areas which the company covers for more information.

Technologies Used:

The Brief:

Urban Knights are a Digital Video Jockey collective from Bristol, UK. They produce music videos and mix live music video sets around Europe. The design of their website was to be in keeping with their 'Urban' image. Being a music group, Urban Knights release a lot of new photos, videos and audio tracks on a regular basis. The website needed to be designed in such a way as to make it easy for visitors to access the latest releases as well as the back catalogue.

The Design:

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We created a background with a "Grunge" effect. It was important for Urban Knights to carry across their spinning logo from their previous website so we placed the logo in the top right and modified the background behind the logo to give it a more mysterious look.

Usability

The site was created in a blog format with an easy to use Content Management System to allow the Urban Knights to upload new mixes as soon as they were produced. With the greater portion of their year taken up by touring, a Video Blog was also installed to keep their fans updated. This interactive content has proven to be a great way of getting fans back to their site on a regular basis.

Functionality

An unusual feature of the site is the Video player that plays uninterrupted, in the top corner of the screen, as users browse through the different pages of the site. We were also given the task of creating and manging their other social media sites including the Urban Knights Myspace page, the Urban Knights Facebook profile and the Urban Knights Twitter feed

Technologies Used:

The Brief:

iSpy Photography is a photographic agency run by Dan Mariner. They specialise in event photography, press shots and post production. iSpy wanted a website with a clean and simple design that would allow them to showcase their work without diverting attention away from their photos. They required a portfolio gallery with image resizing and a Content Management System to keep the website up to date with their latest shots.

The Design:

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In order to bring out the colour in iSpy's photos, we opted for a clean, white background and grey text. In this way, a visitor's eye is drawn directly to the photos. On the homepage, we used up most of the space with a big section showing some of their latest photos on a transitional reel.

Usability

The gallery page was fully integrated into the Content Management System which allows iSpy to update their photos easily when required. To allow for image resizing, we used a lightbox which appears when a visitor clicks on a photo, and enlarges that particular photo in the centre of the page whilst greying-out the rest of the page.

Logo and Business Cards

iSpy are a relatively new company and required logo and business cards design. We designed the logo according to iSpy specification and also managed the design, printing and distribution of the business cards. We used 400gsm card with a matt finish and spot gloss on the logo, to give the cards a modern and professional look. /p>

Technologies Used:

The Brief:

Okoru are an Events Company who organise music events at Ski Resorts across the world. They required a brochure site that fit in with their 'professional yet grimey' branding image. The purpose of the website was to publish details about upcoming events including venues and dates and increase Okoru's popularity.

The Design:

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In order to portray the 'professional yet grimey' image we produced a grunge looking background built with sharp and modern foreground elements and text.

Functionality

We installed a backend Content Management System (CMS) for them to keep their event information up to date. The site was also to be used to increase Okoru's popularity which was done by setting up a newsletter system and linking to their other social media sites including their Facebook profile and Twitter feed.

Technologies Used:

The Brief:

South Blessed is a new business that sells clothing products with individual designs from people around the South West of the UK. They have recently opened up a new shop in the cultural centre of Bristol and were looking for an eCommerce website as an extra sales channel. The aim was to produce a visually striking website that made buying products as easy as possible for the visitor. We also had to provide an easy to use backend eCommerce system to allow South Blessed to upload new products as and when they came into stock.

The Design:

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South Blessed required a brand image that consists the colours green, yellow and black with some 'metallic looking' elements to the site. Therefore, a black and yellow background with a bespoke grunge effect was created, with the left navigation menu on a metal plaque. Some swirly design features around the logo was added to make it stand out from the page.

Usability

We wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to buy clothes. So we kept the design simple with two large buttons on the homepage for "Mens" and "Womens" clothing. A sitewide search function was also added with a search box. Finally, the menu system in the top corner of the site allows for easy browsing.

Functionality

Once we had completed the design we needed to add an eCommerce package to the site. We chose to use Magento as it is the most widely used open source eCommerce system, with powerful functionality and integration with payment systems such as PayPal and Sagepay. It is also a very intuative package for users once it has been configured according to the owner's preferences.

Technologies Used:

The Brief:

Accident Claims Advisory is a compensation claim management company. As a start up firm, they required a full website build, backed up by a comprehensive online marketing and SEO strategy. The purpose of the site is to offer information on the company and its services, allow client's to log into an online portal and encourage visitors to contact ACA through multiple calls to action.

The Design:

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Clear, easy to navigate and professional. There was a large amount of content that needed to be integrated into the site without making it look cluttered. To achieve this we used two static columns at either site of the main dynamic window in the middle.

Functionality

The site has Wordpress installed which allows the client to update the news section. An online application form and 'Call Me Back' function have also been added.

Marketing and SEO Strategy

The client needed to break into one of the most competitive online markets. We wanted to create a strategy that would allow the client to increase targeted site visits and to improve search engine rankings. Pay per click was not the route the client wished to go down so we developed a strategy that focussed on organic optimisation. We focussed on Google Local and article writing and the site continues to improve in both visits and search rankings. Google Analytics was installed to track and monitor the movements of visitors.

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