My name is Jack, and I am an audio and web designer. I like good food, music, the arts and quality time spent outside. I’m not a big fan of constant pop ups, cookie notices, and the like. And ask, do we really need them? I like it when websites load quickly, are straight to the point, and are as ethical and green conscious as possible.
I look forward to working with you, and learning about what you do.
Websites have been at the core of my professional life for the past 15 years. In this time I have witnessed many changes in technology and how this has affected the way in which business operates online. I find it to be a bit like Marmite. I love some of it, and detest the rest. I have the following to say to sum up my services for the web:
“I am here to guide you the complete distance in bringing your style to the web, in as ethical a manner as possible, whilst thinking about you, and your audience, as human beings.”
I break up my thinking around this into three categories: bespoke, ethical, and human.
We’ve all been there, and it was my go to for a long time! The template. We use them to save time, for consistent design practices, for keeping costs down, etc. However, it shifts the practice from designing for a brand and a style, to modifying something already in existence, to suit. It can come at a cost for really being creative with a layout, or really drilling down into thinking what are we doing?
Nowadays I take the principles I have learned and apply them directly to a blank canvas. Understanding how screens on different devices work to bring your style to them, is at the core of my practice. Of course I take inspiration (copy) from others work don’t get me wrong, but this is all part of the creative process.
Talking about ethics on the web is a hot topic, and I have clear opinions on artificial intelligence (AI), security, and customer data. For example, it is common practice, particularly for sales funnels and tracking of advert performance, to use cookies and other means to understand browsing habits. Whilst this is a "nice" to know, it comes at a cost in privacy. Do you really need it? Also as best to my knowledge I try to reduce the carbon footprint of a website as much as possible.
My answer is mostly no. If a website is your online brochure, you don’t really need to know that someone in the Outer Hebrides stumbled across your site at 04:01 on Tuesday. Let the proof be in the pudding. But sometimes it is necessary, and there are certain methods you can employ that go the distance to respect your customers privacy.
This is my favourite one. We are all human. We make mistakes, we learn, and we celebrate this. With a website, I want to see the humanity behind it, the people that built the business and the brand. It also comes back to style, which is unique and should be celebrated. The perception of you comes in the form of design and the language used throughout communication. AI is quick, but is it really you talking?
I work with you to bring the most out of yourselves into a website. Let’s celebrate creative freedom and new ideas.
