Combined with new management systems, an armoury of new services and some sexy new space to do it all in means we can deliver an altogether more exciting package of services for the smaller and larger projects alike. Bring it on!
We have extended our range of services, so that the latest list includes:

Technical services

We provide webserver set up, management, backup and hosting, DNS Record set up and management, and email set up and management.

Maintenance and service support packages

For ongoing services, to cover any training for new employees unfamiliar with your website management system, and to deal with any ongoing bugs. Maintenance may be required if new web browsers launch and to keep your website up to date with our latest software revisions. We offer three standard service level agreements but if none of them fit your exact requirements we can also offer customised versions.
Eagle SLA (Gold), our highest level of support, giving you fast turnaround times and lots of staff training for up to 8 people. Also includes one major software upgrade if required and minor upgrades as standard.
Lynx SLA (Silver), a silver service gives you a faster than average response time and plenty of training. You are also entitled to minor software upgrades as required.
Armadillo SLA (Bronze), our standard level of support aims to fix bugs within 20 working days of them being reported. We also give you all the training you require, and one round of minor software upgrades.
Please contact us for our full SLA document, including terms, conditions and more information.

Hosting Packages

Hammer Design offers four levels of web server hosting packages:
1. Simple static website hosting. A basic hosting package for our small but perfectly formed websites.
2. Standard packages – Bronze services. These are our core essential server hosting services, featuring provision of disk space, standard bandwidth allocation, webserver management and maintenance, MySQL database, 24hr external backups, and server security and review.
3. Extended packages – A Silver service. As above with the addition of extended database management, bespoke performance analysis, database server performance enhancement, and database query optimisation.
4. Peak package –Gold service. Web hosting services as standard with the addition of overall site performance management, extendible traffic management, regular optimisation, updates, reviews and reporting.

Software System (CMS) Leasing

Simple leasing arrangements for our software that ensures you keep up to speed with the latest minor version upgrades. The type of lease you will be offered depends on the complexity of your website.

SEO Services

Hammer Design now offers 3 levels of SEO service package.
These are available to existing clients with Hammer Design CMS / E-Commerce software.
Our Bronze entry level SEO services includes:
• 2 Hr consultation
• Summary Keyword and Keyword phrase objective setting
• Review and plan for ongoing services necessary to achieve objective
• Basic training on onsite SEO areas
• Basic implementation of recommendations to primary level areas

Workshops 2012

New for 2012, Hammer Design have put together a series of workshop sessions and masterclasses which will be available to everyone but free to customers.
These are master classes for small groups of customers or prospective customers with a common interest, with a maximum of six participants per session.
Attendees will be given a workbook of questions to go through, answers will be discussed throughout the session and focus will be kept on the attendees’ organisation or business.
Topics will include:
1.    Design and the website – what’s hot and what works
2.    Marketing and getting to grips with social networking
3.    SEO – process and maintenance for the smaller business
4.    E-Commerce – Essential information for online trade

Products 2012

1. Yukon Fox E-Commerce
2. Chameleon CMS v4
3. Osprey CMS
4. Cheetah HTML Mail
 

To find out more about SEO and Online Marketing you can do so through the Hammer Design Workshops.
 

Some info on the EU regulations with respect to cookie storage

We are confident that the way our CMS currently uses cookies is in line with the requirements provided that clients have appropriate privacy policies or notes on cookies on their websites.

The grey area, affecting ourselves and our clients, is the use of third-party cookies for analytics - i.e. because Google Analytics uses cookies and these are 'third party', any and all websites using Google Analytics will need to have an appropriate measure in place to comply with the requirements. It may be sufficient to amend privacy policies / terms and conditions of use, but too be sure we feel that more action will be required later.

This blog entry from Paul Boag summarises it pretty well:

http://boagworld.com/news/do-you-need-to-worry-about-the-cookie-crisis/

The ICO provides a PDF document giving guidelines with respect to the new cookies regulations (attached) and more complete detail is held here:

http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/privacy_and_electronic_communications.aspx

A couple of weeks before Christmas the ICO produced a news release on how they view the UK's implementation of the requirements going, which is basically 'not very well'. That release is here and contains a link to their full report at the 6-month point of the implementation of the regulations:

http://www.ico.gov.uk/news/latest_news/2011/must-try-harder-on-cookies-compliance-says-ico-13122011.aspx

This is law, but there is a 'lead in' period of 12 months dating from 26th May last year (2011), so no-one can be prosecuted before 26th May this year (2012) unless they do not have a implementation plan in place to be in a position to comply with the requirements by 26th May.

We have been really busy – which is why you haven’t heard from us for a while now. That may be a good thing – everyone gets bombarded with so many emails nowadays. Over the last 12 months we’ve been joined by several new members of staff here in Hathersage (there are still more to come) and we've moved offices. We've also continually developed our existing products and added some new ones too. We are now in a position to do more for you than ever before and not only that, we’d like to think we can now say that we are regional leaders in our fields of expertise.

Outstanding in our own field

Our new office, on the same business park, looks over the same beautiful view of hills and fields as the old one, but a double unit gives us space for meetings, workshops and to generate great ideas.
Whilst the focus for our business is the development of leading-edge websites, we have also grown our commitment to print design, heritage interpretation and outdoor signage and have even designed and built some striking furniture for our new studio.
The shiny new look isn’t just limited to our furniture however, we have new, more professional processes and services, and we’re tuned into the latest developments. But don’t ask us, ask our clients what they say – there are more of them than ever before, new faces all round, and we’d like to think we’ve kept the existing clients happy too.

We have grown (up?)

We are still the same happy, but now extended, family which means the same friendly service. There are now several new faces at Hammer for 2012 who bring some great design, development, coding, administration and project management skills to the growing team. And with more team members lined up to join us in coming months, things can only get better!

A little bit more about the team...

Si
As the creative director of Hammer Design Si mostly gets the blame for everything. Happiest in the mountains, Si lists his various interests as photography, mountaineering, running, diving and motorcycling - amongst many others.

Adrian
Adrian is responsible for client relations and sniffing out new opportunities. Possibly the only member of the team to own (and wear) a suit, out of hours he’s a big mountain bike enthusiast, plays tennis and even the occasional round of golf.

Ben
Previously a physicist, Ben has spent the last four and a half years writing code to make websites fast loading and easy to maintain. Although he recently bought a road bike he swears that at heart he’s a mountain biker, happiest on the trails, and can even occasionally be found climbing rocks.

Gareth
Gareth is team leader of the design department, since he is responsible for web design, visuals and print work. Occasionally he’s set free for some kayaking, snowboarding, climbing and biking.

Steven
A recent recruit at Hammer Design, Steven is award winning and is busily coding and styling all the latest websites, adapting visuals to CSS. When he’s not staring at a computer screen, he’s out in the park or at the zoo with his family.

Henry
Is in charge of looking after clients needs. Its a brief that requires broad shoulders, a role easily fulfilled by Henry's climbing honed broad shouldered physique. Henry likes to climb things that are mostly made of snow and ice or have a complete absence of hand holds.

Sam
Heads up the junior design department. Sam in keeping with the rest of the team likes toys and the better designed the better.

Meilee
Meilee works with Hammer Design on the accounts when she’s not hanging around on top of oil rigs in Norwegian places doing access work. The rest of the time she can be found climbing, sunbathing or dog walking in the Peak District and beyond.

Sean
Runs the workshop production and manufacture of beautiful pieces of signage and furniture for all our heritage work. When he’s not playing with sharp electrical tools he’s walking his dogs or in the pub – which is nice.

Ben H
Having run away to be a psychiatric nurse for a spell, Ben H is now back to head up the rest of the production and installation of the more delicate things. He can be found stomping and cycling in the great outdoors most weekends when he’s not with his family.

For a full list of our website design skills and specialisms.

Sometimes called a ‘welcome tab’ or ‘landing page’, the ability to create a facebook ‘welcome page’ for your businesses facebook account is a key way to get more people to follow you or ‘Like’ your page.

So what is it?  Put simply, it is a page which normally contains a large graphic image that visitors will arrive on when they first come to your facebook page.   Normally when people arrive at your facebook page whether searching facebook itself or through a search engine they arrive at your wall.  Having a ‘welcome page’ allows you to say exactly what you want to say, in exactly the way you want to say it, to all new visitors.  This is in contrast to them landing on your wall which could be displaying any one of a number of comments.

What are the key points to consider with Facebook Welcome Pages?

Brand strengthening
Through a high quality graphic representation of your business you strengthen your brand image.
Crystal clear indication of the benefits to someone liking your business
With a welcome page you can clearly explain to people what they will be getting from you if they like your business e.g.: ‘follow us to be kept up to date with special offers, top deals and competitions’.
In a Nutshell
It allows you to explain succinctly what your business does and who you are.  Your wall might be engaging to someone who knows your business but says little about it to the first time viewer.
Indicates Facebook professionalism
A proper welcome page shows you care enough about facebook to make one and indicates a certain level of commitment to the platform, making people more likely to ‘Like’ you.

What can you do with a Facebook Welcome page?

The welcome page is highly flexible.  If you are trying to increase the number of people who ‘Like’ you or are following you then the graphic can focus on encouraging this.  If you have a one off promotion that you want to push then it can be used for this.  If you want the landing page to be clickable and bring people out of facebook, back to your website, this is also possible.
If you are thinking about creating a welcome page consider what step you want people to take when they see it: Click ‘Like’, enter a competition, visit your website etc.

What else is there to know?

It is possible to create a ‘revealable’ welcome page.  This means that someone who is following you sees a different page to someone who is not.  In this way you can encourage new visitors to like you so they can see your second welcome page, which, for example, might contain a competition available only to your followers.

What are the actual mechanics of getting a facebook welcome page?

We are not going to go into the details of how to create a facebook welcome page here.  It is enough to say that first you need a graphic 500px wide and about 700px deep and then you need to install a Static HTML: iFrame tab (this is really, really, easy).  That’s it.

The graphic is where Hammer Design can help you out the most (and we’re happy to explain about the Static HTML: iFrame bit too).  If you’d like to know more then Drop Us a Line or Give Us a Call on 01433 650555.

The Hammer Design Facebook Welcome page. 
Visit our welcome page and Like Us to keep up to date with what we think and what we are up to.

The new Scarpa website offers superb functionality, a design that we are really proud of and a great user experience.  Italian boot manufacturer Scarpa has been producing quality hand made mountain footwear for over 60 years.  Mountain athletes from around the world have noted this quality and subsequently some of the most cutting edge mountain and rock climbs have been accomplished with Scarpa footwear.  From the summit of Everest through to the gritstone outcrops of the Peak District you’ll find Scarpa boots on the most challenging terrain.

What does the new Scarpa website have to offer?

Tasked with a complete re design of the website we wanted to showcase the Scarpa product range in a stylish and visual manner and offer a fluid method of navigating the website.  The strong background visuals we have used contribute towards illustrating Scarpa’s story whilst the comprehensive filtering system makes the product areas of the website a joy to navigate.  We are particularly proud of the dynamic filtering system that allows you to refine searches according to suitability in a practical and intuitive manner.  Unique amongst outdoor boot manufacturers, this site feature really helps Scarpa stand out from its compeititors.  Please check it out!

Our Head of Sales and Business Development. Adrian Daniel had this to say on the Scarpa website launch…
“Every project throws up challenges but that’s what we thrive on!  Getting the navigation filters just right did have me tearing my hair out but we are really happy with the result.”



Detailing the evolution of Scarpa and it’s transition from a small Italian boot maker to multi national corporation was another part of our brief from The Mountain Boot Company.  The ‘Scarpa History’ section of the website shows off 60 years evolution of boot technology in a highly visual manner.

All this is bought in alongside social networking, athletes blogs, news and much more…

What about the back end?

Using Hammer Design’s very own Chameleon CMS The Mountain Boot Company staff will have complete control of the Scarpa website.  Offering easy to use features and intuitive controls the Chameleon CMS allows any website to be used to the best of its capabilities.  When it comes to updating content, control is key and Chameleon makes updating a website a synch.

What’s Next?

We can’t wait to get stuck into The Mountain Boot Company’s other brands:  Outdoor Research, Grivel, Lorpen, Deuter and many more…

These are master classes for small groups of customers or prospective customers with a common interest.
The maximum participants per session is six.
Attendees will be given a workbook of questions to go through, answers will be discussed throughout the session and focus will be kept on the attendee's organisation or business.

A no nonsense approach to moving your website to the next level in a productive and fun environment - our offices!

Workshops and master classes

Design and website usability – Creating a great user experience for your visitors

WORKSHOP - Design and website usability proposed dates
scheduled Tuesday 13 March 2012 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Online marketing - Creating and executing a basic online marketing plan

WORKSHOP - Social Networking proposed dates
scheduled Tuesday 10 April 2012 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm

SEO – Working through process and maintenance SEO for the smaller business

WORKSHOP - SEO proposed dates
scheduled Tuesday 28 February 2012 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
scheduled Tuesday 27 March 2012 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm

E-Commerce – Advanced information for existing online traders

An advanced workshop on making the most of the latest technical product and page developments and opportunities. From presentation to purchase.

 WORKSHOP - E-commerce proposed date
scheduled Tuesday 24 April 2012 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Itinerary

• Arrive, drinks and introductions 1:45pm for 2:00pm
• Introduction and setting expectations 2:00pm
• Overview and presentation 2:15pm
• Break 3:15pm
• Workbook session 3:30pm
• Question and Answers 4:15pm
• Summing up 5:00pm