Web design

Bloomsbury Associates (2018) - design of the look & feel from start to finish

I design websites for many of our WebWeaver clients and projects. From time to time I also do contract web design work.

When I began designing websites in 1996, we were tasked with taking a website from its earliest scoping stages, right through IA, design, front-end development, content development and editing, content-loading and site building, browser testing, QA, and proof-reading - all the way to site launch.

I've retained and built on my design skills since then, and have found that they come in particularly handy when I'm working on responsive websites. Being able to combine UX, IA, design and front-end development is a real advantage when it comes to responsive web design.

Depending on the project requirements, I can take various roles within the web design sphere:

I like to do my design mockups in Photoshop, and I can also use Fireworks or Illustrator if required. For responsive designs I tend to do a couple of full mockups in Photoshop (generally the homepage and perhaps a detail page), use Style Tiles for the rest of the interface element design, and then switch to in-browser prototyping - designing in the browser, as it's the best way to visualise how elements are working in a responsive setting.

I use a combination of my years of experience; an understanding of user behaviour through extensive user observation; ongoing upskilling and online research; and a whole lot of common sense.

I am an approved supplier for DIA Marketplace in the Consultancy and Professional Services / Digital Experience Professional Services channel - under the category of Visual Design.

See case studies of all my web design projects

My design aesthetic is simple, clean and clear. I like white space. My approach to designing and building websites is very straightforward. I listen to what the client wants, I make suggestions which will enable and/or enhance their aims for the site, and I aim to create a set of page designs that are both beautiful and user-centered and which reflect the client's branding and vision.

The website is looking superb – a real team effort from you all.
Amanda Woodbridge, Matai Partners (MacDiarmid Institute website, 2019)