Below are some of the sites I have built. Click on the IMAGE or the VIEW SITE link to go to the site itself. |
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Sandokai KarateThis is my baby. The Sandokai Karate site has been a labour of love for a number of years and was the first site I built. Now in it's 8th incarnation, it is quite a large static site (about 70 pages and growing) and is featured quite well in the search engines. The latest version is quite a modern look, and is designed to be fast, easy to use, informative and enjoyable. ------------------------------------------------------------------
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Example SiteI quite like this one ... I was asked how much a small "karate club" site would cost to build, and what the inquirer would get for his money. This is the "sample" I knocked up for him to see, and I use it buried deep within the Sandokai site as an example of a "standard" karate site I would build. It's never been published, and there is no such club as the Chiverton Wado Kai, but I think it is a superb, neat and efficient design which I can adjust to suit the needs of real club looking for a nice site. ------------------------------------------------------------------
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Penwarren Guest HouseNew to the business, Ann and Alex asked me to put together a site to give them an edge on the other guest houses in Falmouth. The Penwarren site was live for less than four months and I have been informed (with some incredulity) that they are getting bookings from people who have seen the site and liked the look of the bedding! Ah, the power of the web! Would you prefer to pick a guest house at random out the phone book, or be able to check out the quality of the decor/rooms etc online? ------------------------------------------------------------------
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Al Taylor IllustrationThis was a bit of a challenge. How do you design a site for a designer? Alan Taylor is an artist/illustrator who wanted an online portfolio to showcase his talents. We had a long discussion about why he wanted a web site and what he wanted to present to the world. When I asked about the design of the site he said "I'll leave that entirely to you!". Thanks, Al! Faced with the quandary of designing a site that reflects his art, I opted for a subtle blend of "earth" colours to compliment his passion for natural history. Al was very pleased with the finished design. I have the feeling that his gallery will expand over time and his site will get quite busy as he becomes more well known in his field. UPDATE: 2008: a complete rebuild of the site from the ground up with a much more modern and slick interface. Recent feedback suggests that this site certainly has that "wow" factor. ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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Taishodo KarateThis was fun to do. Mark had already made a web site using one of those "web site builder" programmes offered by many ISPs. It fulfilled the basic function of providing information about his group, but didn't have any "impact". After swapping a couple of emails I built a site with a bit more pizzazz in the traditional colours of Shukokai Karate - light blue. I had very little knowledge of the finer points of Shukokai Karate so putting together the history and syllabus section of the site was quite elucidating. I'm pleased to say that the response to the site from other Shukokai karate groups has been very positive. A couple of years on and this site has grown to be quite a large site - it has outgrown the original design. There is a new build in the pipeline during the simmer of 2008. ------------------------------------------------------------------
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Essex Wado-Ryu KarateAgain, a basic site built in FrontPage and hosted on Geocities provided some core information about this Wado Ryu Karate group - but didn't have that "wow!" effect. The new design was well received, but "could it be in light browns?" Back to drawing board and readjust the colour scheme. Creams and browns aren't a colour scheme I would have chosen, but when I put it all together it looked nice - and different. Good choice, Alistair! In fact, this site has featured a lot of colour adjustments as many of the photos were taken indoors and were (originally) various shades of red, orange, yellow and green - and often blurred. Thank you, Adobe, for such a wonderful programme as PhotoShop. Not only was I able to sharpen the photos but I managed to colour correct them and make them look a lot better (and apply some fancy filters to backgrounds for special effect). ------------------------------------------------------------------
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Rice Building ContractorsHave you ever noticed that there are some "people" who don't seem to have web sites? Try doing a lookup in your search engine of choice for a local builder to fix your leaking roof ... You will find lots of Web Directories that list businesses that have builders, but rarely do you have a web site for them. The problem with builders is that you don't know what you are getting until it's too late. Even builders who are members of various "Craftsmen's Guilds" etc. may not be able to stick two bricks together in a straight line! However, you would have a lot more confidence in the ability of an individual/firm if you could see the quality of previous work they have done, and maybe even read some testimonials from people who have had a good service. Gary Rice was easily convinced of the potential value of a web site for his small construction firm. So much so that he delayed the start of an advertising campaign until it was complete and live! The site is now live (November 24th 2005), so we'll have to sit back and see how it manages to generate new business ... ------------------------------------------------------------------
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Kate Thompson PhotographyKatie wanted a web site for her photography business and I was recommended to her. Her partner suggested that she go to a "proper" web design company and get a "real" site, built by "experts". They were told it would be built in about 6 weeks, and the cost would be ... a lot! In January 2006 I was contacted again, and having got the full story decided to build her a mind blowing site that would make her partner reconsider what constitutes and "real" web designer. Having resisted the pressure to build a "Flash" animated site in the past (as you really need a fast internet connection to appreciate one), I decided that it was time to bite the bullet and give it a go. I think the results speak for themselves, and both Katie and her partner are well impressed. A friend of mine who works for a "real" web design company told me they would charge about £2,500 for a site of this quality ... nothing like what Katie paid for her site. I just love it when a plan comes together. ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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Southern Sport Karate OrganisationThis one came out of the blue - just got an email one day asking "how much for a web site"? Paul wasn't sure what he wanted but he gave me enough of an idea that I could get the initial design sorted ... Then he sent me the web address of a site he'd seen and wanted me to build one the same way. He posted me a Power Point file which was exactly as he wanted it ... Unfortunately web sites aren't Power Point documents, and a PP file doesn't translate over very well. But I did it, I created a web site that looks and acts like a PP document (actually the site's a bit more interactive). Not too shabby once I'd worked out what to do. ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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The GrangeAndy contacted me about his new idea for luxury suite style of accommodation in Penryn. The hardest bit was agreeing on a colour scheme - he had a specific shade of blue in mind! After a few false starts and a photo session at the Grange the site came together quite quickly, and I am pleased to say that Andy got his first inquiry very soon after the site was launched! ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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Fulwell Karate ClubMark contacted me as he had seen my Taisho-Do Karate web site and had spoken to the Chief Instructor of Taisho-Do who passed on my contact details. He had already tried to build his own site on one of those "free web site builder" programmes with limited success, and he didn't have much idea of what he wanted apart from the fact that he liked black as a colour. Traditionally, Shotokan Karate uses red as a primary colour and black and red go together well! Hopefully, this site will help put a small karate club in the North East of England on the map and get him a few new students. ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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Lyonesse Guest HouseMark and Susie had recently taken over as proprietors of the Lyonesse Guest House and wanted a "real" web site as opposed to the various listings in an assortment of Accommodation Directories. I was given a business card with pink lettering on a black background and asked to build a site to match the style of the business card. Black and Pink is not the most subtle of colour combinations, and looked awful on screen! Sometimes you just have to ignore the instructions of the client and do what you think is right. I tried to maintain the black and pink "feel" and they were very happy with the final product. Result! ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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RACHAEL THOMSON PHOTOGRAPHYRachael knew exactly what she wanted from her web site and though I didn't agree with every aspect of her design it is, after all, her site. On the whole I am happy with the result but, best of all, she is happy with it too! There are still a few tweaks that need doing, a few ideas she has that I have to turn from concept to reality, but they are only minor matters and the site is fully functional at the moment. |
| And Finally .... |
If you have the urge to look at some of the sites that are in the process of being built (or have been part built and are awaiting content) look at my ONGOING page. |
