Look complicated to you?  Us too.  Fortunately, you don't have understand how this works to produce a great website.

At Hammer Design we pride ourselves on understanding each individual business model for every website we produce. Our client base has traditionally been highly diverse.   When we were invited to quote for a new website for a Marie Curie Initial Training Network being run out of the University of Sheffield we jumped at the chance.  However when we read the brief to provide a fully content manageable website to S³Nano, which will be investigating Quantum Dot Spins’ many of us were left scratching our heads.  Our Senior Developer, who holds a Ph.D. in physics, was only able to offer this useful explanation – ‘it’s complicated’.

Shortly however it became apparent that a complete understanding of what was being researched was not necessary and we could focus on the research group’s online needs.  These needs centred around creating a repository for research notes and a focus point for a research network, with 16 researchers, 11 Ph.D. students and 5 Post Docs based out of 4 countries: UK, Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.

With this in mind we have proposed and had accepted our plan to design, develop and host a website for S³Nano, a Marie Curie Initial Training Network.  Along with our Chameleon CMS system and standard levels of service and security the website will also encompass several other key features.  Different groups or members of the research network will have different access rights to various parts of the website.  This will allow specific content to be clearly directed and provide specific areas for the relevant links, files and information for members and groups.  Other features of the website include the ability to send regular newsletters, a registration system for events and workshops, researcher profiles and resources and notes that will follow on from those workshops or events.

Another unique client to add to our eclectic client base.

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Here at Hammer Design we focus a lot of our attention on producing websites that are easy to navigate, easy to maintain, easy to update and are built on a foundation of solid systems.  Making websites easy on the eye is however just as important.  When Ethical Kidz challenged us to produce an ecommerce website to appeal to children (or the child in any adult) we jumped at the chance.

Pulling out all the stops our design team worked with a set of beautifully illustrated visuals for the Ethical Kidz website. With inspiration from the likes of Quentin Blake the graphics were designed to lend the website a strong character but, so that they did not take over, be used sparingly in conjunction with neutral background colours.  Striking this balance is key in web design, offering a strong look to a website without crowding the senses and making a page look cluttered.

Now that Ethical Kidz has been given the green light we are looking forward to building another website that is easy to use but which has a truly unique look and feel.

Keep your eyes peeled for the launch in the new year!

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