Website Build

As with any web design agency, I thoroughly research and use industry recognised products, platforms and frameworks to give what in my view is the best solution to the requirements of my clients. In the last year I have come to believe that platforms such as Shopify, Squarespace and Wordpress are now sophisticated enough interface and administration systems to allow us to work with the pre-built tools and concentrate on design, user experience and keeping the cost down when designing for small businesses.

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A bit about Web Design

A website designer, is a name often used for the requirement of design and build of a website, but in this instance I am talking about just the design aspect. Each element of the design process needs to account for the different device view ports, so when thinking about designing a website we now think about it across any device from mobile to tablet, laptop and desktop, offering the best experience for that device. 

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What business taught me about Marketing

10 things I learned along the way each making it a little easier to gain great clients…

My first job was selling flowers on the side of the road with my friend Polly. We were 5. My house was on quite a busy street with, it seemed, quite a few elderly people living on it. Her house in contrast was up a completely quiet lane with the odd horse, virtually no cars and definitely no foot passers by.

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Good Suffolk Food & Drink Website Design

We love our amazingly diverse and entrepreneurial food and drink producers in Suffolk and I'm always trying a new product that comes on to the shelves. We are also fortunate to have two supermarkets - Co-Op and Waitrose in the coastal area that make it their duty to promote and stock local brands. Here are a few sites that I thought reflected the product well, or made me smile.

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One brand or Two?

I often work with estate agents and Departments within an Estate Agent’s portfolio are sometimes diversely different in their outlook, process, marketing and in some cases brand identity. When asked recently the question ‘One brand or two?’ in reference to the visual identity of departments within an Estate Agent my reply was that one brand is always stronger and here's why:

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What is Graphic Design exactly?

Design is big, it is talked about more than ever before and we are always hearing about design thinking, user experience design, visual design, information design, product design, interface design, interaction design. We hear about how big business are bringing in holistic design to improve every aspect of their business and drive sales - but what about good old fashioned Graphic Design?

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Preparing for a new project

Pre-project preparation can help you hit the ground running and creates a chance to collect and digest some of your thoughts about the project to be undertaken and therefore influence the design briefing.

Any user research such as customer surveying, focus groups or online research looking at your competitors and your analytics data can help form a better understanding also influencing the design stage. Adding depth and perspective to what we ‘think’ we know into what we ‘actually’ know.

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Design Briefing Workshop for Small Businesses

Design theory underpins creative work that is carried by exposing the context of what the project is to achieve and understanding the brand and values of the business involved.

Introduction

Finding out what makes a person get out of bed in the morning - the driving force behind any business is an insight into what the web or graphics project hinges on. If my reason is to sell the most products I possibly can this will have a different outlook than if my reason is to sell the best product there is.

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Becoming me

A step by step guide to creating my brand.

step 1. What name

Is a name important? I think the importance is in what it stands for, the birth of something that is yours and holds the key to your future. It’s a cross between naming your child and a pet; it has to feel comfortable to you, it has to suit them, it needs to resonate, be fit for purpose and place. It’s good to remember as well that you’ll be answering the phone with that name a considerable amount of times a day - so choose wisely.

Business names usually fall into 3 categories:

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