Ideology Menswear came to us from a recommendation from Substance Designer Clothing. They had just opened their shop and wanted to sell online as well.

Our e-commerce solution fitted their requirements almost exactly so they were happy to go with that.

Solution

We designed the website to the client’s specification and setup our in-house e-commerce solution.

Technologies Used

• XHTML
• CSS
• BPS E-Commerce

Also Included

• Hosting
• Email

I’ve just come across a neat free alternative, check it out!

http://www.sumopaint.com/app/

I’m still playing with it at the moment and it looks cool so far!

Look Only Blinds came to us because they had a basic website and wanted to expand into a full e-commerce solution.

Solution

We re-designed their website, transferred it over to our server and setup our in-house e-commerce solution.

Technologies Used

• XHTML
• CSS
• E-Commerce

Also Included

• Hosting
• Email

Richard from Industrial Ovens approached us because he wasn’t happy with the service he was receiving from his current web design company / host.

We re-designed his website and transferred it over to our server.

Solution

Static website that they can update themselves via Dreamweaver.

Technologies Used

• XHTML
• CSS

Also Included

• Hosting
• Email

There seemed to be an extra one after every line of code. An easy way to fix this is to hit Ctrl F in DW to bring up the “find” box.

In the top box (find) click your mouse into it anc hold down Ctrl and press “m” twice.

In the bottom box (replace) do the same but only press “m” once.

Click the “Replace All” button and bam, double linespaces are no more!

You can either select “Entire current local site” to do all pages at once or select individual files or folders.

After developing a website for our local amateur swimming club, Ormskirk Otters, they came to us requesting an online application that would help them manage their swimming club.

Solution

After weeks of planning, development and testing, SwimClub Manager was born. SwimClub Manager is specifically designed to help with the running of an amateur swimming club.

There are extensive features to help you with every aspect of running your club from unlimited members, instructors and teaching groups to invoice and finance management.

Technologies Used

• Dedicated server
• SSL
• ASP
• XHTML
• CSS
• Bespoke CMS system

There are loads of options available to you but what you need to think about is not just features, but ease of use and support.

What is the point of having an ecomerce system that is the business, but is an absolute nightmare to use?

You want a system that is easy to use, easy to understand and easy to get help when you need it!

Introducing BPS E-Commerce

We’ve been developing an ecommerce system specially designed for small businesses based in the UK and its ready to roll.

Check out our ecommerce website design site to check out the features and price options.

We’re available for support requests and general questions so feel free to ask away!

More so if your website is mature and well indexed in the search engines.

Im talking about these people who constantly add spam comments to blogs, spam product reviews and even spam emails through your contact form.

I’ve seen an increase in this kind of activity recently and was wondering if anyone else has the same problem?

What can you do to help stop it?

Well, if you run your website/blog using wordpress, simply use the Akismet plugin and they will stop most if not all of your comment spam.

But what can you do if you run bespoke applications such as e-commerce software or some other bespoke system? Well, unless your application has some functionality like Akismet, or you can build Akismet support into it, all you can really do is delete them when they come in.

Nowadays it seems to be the trend to have big background images and large fonts etc.

Trends come and go and we may see some old trends come back into fashion in years to come.

What emerging design trends do you see at the moment?

In my opinion, there are a certain set of factors you should look for when you are looking to hire for your next website project.

Client Testimonials

Every company providing a service, regardless of what sector they are in should try to collect testimonials from past clients.

If you are a new company, don’t make them up! Simply be honest and tell the prospective client that you haven’t had any other clients yet.

Portfolio

Every web design company should have a design portfolio. Look through it and see the quality of their work. Also look at the quality of their actual website. I have seen some so called “web design companies” with websites that are so bad, they look like my 2 year old nephew has designed!

Paperwork

Any decent company will have client worksheets, terms of service, work orders and contracts available. If they are not available on their website, ask for them.

Client Worksheet
The company needs to get a decent idea of what you are trying to achieve with your website. Spending 20 or 30 minutes filling out a client worksheet will enable the company to provide an accurate quote without having to ask you more questions.

Contract
You need to sign a contract so you know where you stand with regards to payment plans, disclaimers, approval of work etc

Work Order
This document is the one that basically tells the company that you want to go ahead with the project. It should list things like project specification, Website hosting and email accounts and deliverables.

Without decent paperwork, it’s hard to keep track of where everyone stands.

Support

Although not essential, it’s a good idea for web design companies to have a decent support system in place. That way emails can be organised in such a way that they are easily searchable, and all members of staff can access them.

Having the above systems in place will make it easier all round for everyone involved.