The first homepage design is based on quite a refined concept and the design reflects this, I have included a number of rich & visual elements to frame the content and bring it out of the page.  The overall style of the site is like a plaque on smart, marble-effect wall. This promotes very positive and professional connotations and is inline with the professional branding and traditional look and feel of the Newtons logo.

I have included all of the elements we talked about on the homepage with some of the services, a short welcome message, daily updating news and some changing quotes above the fold of the page. The emphasis on the homepage is the expert tax & personal service that Newtons offers and this is communicated through the larger text and with imagery that emotes growth and nurturing.

The second design uses the same elements on the homepage as design 1 however the large strap-line and the overall look, feel & layout of the site has been simplified slightly. I have removed some of the graphical elements so that the header is spaced out more on the page. This lessens the immediate impact of the site but gives the content more room to breathe.

I have also removed the abstract photography and replaced this with a large, eye-catching icon that does not contain so many connotations as the photograph but is very effective as a visual icon and still fits in with the idea of nurture, growth, vibrancy and new life.

Fifty People One Question

And I’ve got to say that I was amazed at the original idea, production value and beautiful music that was contained within. It’s not often that I write about stuff that I find on the web as I find stuff all of the time, but this was different.

I was really taken by the reactions of the different people to the questions as well as the people themselves, how varied they were and how the answers were clearly indicative of where they were in their lives and the type of people they were. You can really pick up on some of the subtleties as well, look at the mother and father of the young boy watching him think of where he would like to be, as if willing him to say that he is a happy child and they are great parents. Also the Portuguese man, hiding behind the glasses and removing the gum from his mouth as if to open up a bit more to the question.

Watch it and see what you can find, makes me want to live in London just for the beautiful diverse range of people and personalities there. 

All of this from one question.

Design Features
The design layout is based on a 960px grid and works both two and 3 columns. The design template also incorporates dropdown navigation and a number of alternative icons that can be used in the service sections. The colour scheme, watermark and strap line are also updatable features although I think this particular colour scheme works well.

Feedback
The client was pleased with this design but opted for something more traditional, they did not like the dark background and chose a design alternative used lighter, less edgy colouring.

Contact me if you would like a similar template for your business or personal site.

I made the change about 2 years ago and there are a few things about my mac that makes it infinitely better than the dell PC I used to use. Some of them are software things and some are hardware but then when you use a mac you are buying into both really as they come as a package whereas it doesn’t really feel like that with a PC.

1. It has never taken me longer than 5 minutes to shutdown my mac
2. I have never had any issues logging on to a network or the internet
3. I have never had any problems installing software or hardware
4. My hardware and software co-exist as one and there are never any conflicts
5. I am not constantly looking to upgrade parts of my machine to make it better, it works perfectly and when I need a faster one I will buy a new one
6. My Macbook pro has never crashed
7. My Mac will play everything I asked it to (unless corrupt)
8. My Macbook Pro has a good battery life
9. There are millions of useful apps that are made to look beautiful and work perfectly as mac users would not tolerate anything that doesn’t have similar standards of usability and design as OSX

Now these are all of the good things about my Mac that I have noticed in comparison to a PC. I bought my girlfriend a new PC recently and have been constantly and consistently reminded of the inability to do the simplest of things. There also seems to be a real worry when changing stuff that it could actually render the computer unusable, something I never worry about on my Mac. Now below are the minus points:

1. It isn’t as quick to browse files
2. It is much more expensive
3. Some of the widely used and accepted software doesn’t work on it
4. Upgrades, fixes and Warranties are very dear
5. I worry about scratching it

So there you go, make your own mind up but I can honestly say that I would never go back to using a PC now and my recent experiences have only backed this up. I think it will take 2-3 months to have your PC running on a optimum level of performance whereas my MAC works to it’s highest level straight out of the box (I spose that’s why techies like PC’s and designers like MAC’s).

The new site design includes a number of visual signposts on the homepage that are tailored to the target audience of Feist Hedgethorne, these are: Small Business, Medium Business and Personal tax. The header on the homepage will cycle through the 3 different homepage mastheads (see below) and the user can also choose one by pressing the alternative title next to the current one or by using the arrow on the right of the header to cycle through them. Each of these also incorporate a quote from a satisfied client, these could be related to the header or simply something that changes when the homepage is visited or refreshed.

I have included both the business news and the ICAEW logo around the masthead image, each which relates to Brighton and the title at the top left of the page. I think these images work really well in not only being visually stimulating but also communicating to the user something about that section i.e. small business is bucket and spade (building) and personal tax is art (personal taste).

The eye-catching design incorporates all of the brand colours from the logo, in particular the strong red colour in the header to grab the user’s attention and make it obvious which section of the site the user is in throughout their journey around the site.

On the homepage the contact details are included as a feature. This also contains the address and a preview of the Google map that links through to the location page. Next to the contact heading on the homepage is some logic included in the site that will either prompt the user to register (if they are not already) or welcome them back to the site.

I have also included some of the content pages so you can see how the layout works for the about us, services and resources pages. With the about page I have created a nice clean 2 column layout that is consistent with the homepage as well as an on-page contact form so that the user has the option of contacting the staff member directly or just sending a general enquiry.

The service page optimises the 3 column layout so that all of the services are visible on the left hand side of the screen and the related links on the right hand side. Finally I have also included a resources page design (more for my benefit when I come to build the site really), this is 3 column simply because there is so much content and this makes it much more easily navigable.

I think overall the design succeeds not only in using the Feist Hedgethorne brand colours across the site but also in the appropriation of what is quite a lot of content. The content has been separated very clearly and the on-page navigation makes it easier for the user to find what they want. Also because there are not too many top level navigation items it is not too overwhelming for the user although there are many tools for the user to use if they wish.

But last night I had to make an exception to the rule and like a smoker trying to ween themselves of the ciggy’s, stepped into my the store lips trembling. Anyhow that soon passed and I made my way upstairs as one of my favourite and Bristol’s finest web designers, Gavin Strange was giving a insight into his career so far. 

I go to a lot of webinars and the such and always find them very useful but a little formulaic and serious, with the emphasis on trying to out think the client. This was, however, a very refreshing talk in that it was simply Gavin taking us through some of his projects from start to finish in a very casual, genuine and moreover enthusiastic way.

It was clear that there was a lot of late nights and hard work in there, that may not have been emphasized by his relaxed demeanor, but I could really relate with a lot of this and just wished I had the confidence and skill to produce beautiful products for my own clients.

Conceptually the work had a very strong basis and Gavin believed in this and with his skill as a designer it seemed he was able to convince his clients that his way was the best way and I must admit the results are impressive.

So well done Gav for getting where you are today (not everyone is featured on the Apple website or indeed invited to speak at their tiny Bristol store) and thanks for the insight as it has really made me think about getting back to basics with my graphic design and firing up Illustrator whenever I have a good idea and a bit of spare time.

Anyway I really like the header in this site design and the deep blue, with a striking navigation and themed icon. I always liked the sites you see in the galleries with the large detailed icons in the middle of the page to immediately catch the attention of the user and wanted to create something similar.

As a media client I think it worked very well in terms of the icon and imagery used along with the bright and vibrant colours so that it would appeal to a wider and younger audience.

Contact me if you would like a similar template for your business or personal site.

We have outlined the need for some sites that need a refresh but cannot afford a complete re-design, therefore these templates are a perfect way for a client to have a contemporary design that suits their business without the expense.

I have deliberately made the design very clean and simplistic so that it will fit with a wide range of logos and the building of the site will be relatively straightforward. Look out for two more dropping by soon.

Contact me if you would like a similar template for your business or personal site.

More important than that is the continued success of my two football teams in the new season and booking holidays to such places as serbia and Ibiza, the former is for exit festival, whose 10th anniversary it is this year. Should be awesome fun I simple cannot wait.

Highlights of recent months have included going to see Ugly Duckling, who were brilliant and should be releasing a new LP soon. They were also supported by the excellent Dr Syntax and if you don’t know who he is then you should definately go and check him out.

I wanted to create a site that was a single page and that used dark and light shades of grey combined with a bright primary colour to highlight the links and content. I also created a loose theme and concept with the horse power logo and titles used in the design.

The design is available for purchase as a PSD template. If you are interested in this design or would like a custom design created for you then please contact me to discuss your requirements.