Below are some examples from a range of recent work we produced for the Barn Brasserie, which stays true to the branding we previously created for them.

The design for a new website captures the tradition and elegance of the restaurant and its surroundings, whilst complementing the clean nature of the branding by using clear layouts and subtle uses of typography.

Other work includes print-based items in the form of a new drinks menu and gift vouchers which stay consistent with the branding to help establish the design throughout all media.

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Every now and again we come across a quirky little idea that tries to make our lives easier, but sometimes we come across an application – or app as the cool kids are putting it – that is just designed to take away a little bit of stress.

For all Photoshop users this app could be a blessing. How many times have you yelled words not fit to be heard until after the watershed whilst Photoshop is loading and saving your work. This particular app brings in all your RSS feeds each time the loading bar appears, so instead of getting irate you can catch up on your latest news without leaving the confines of Photoshop, making your work a little less stressful – hopefully!

http://www.popuload.com/

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Infographics are images used to display information. These could be anything from population sizes, Facebook posts or cocktail recipes and have been around for hundreds of years. But as with many things the popularisation of the internet has in turn popularised infographics. The blogging world in particular has made what used to be a simple way to show data a very trendy art form. There are now beautifully designed infographics for practically any information you could think of. Companies like designbysoap.co.uk that create infographics, or dailyinfographic.com and infographicsshowcase.com that showcase display them are becoming increasingly popular.

As hard as it is to choose some of my favourite infographics, I have to start with Harry Becks’ Tube map, which positioned London underground stations according to their adjacent stations rather than the geographical locations. This combined with colour coding each line allows thousands of passengers to navigate around London with ease, whether they know London or not.

Information Architects use the Tokyo tube map to create the much loved Web Trend Map, which positions the 50 most influential websites along lines for similar sites (tubes). Visit http://vimeo.com/8253034 to watch a video of the designer explaining how and why he designed it.

As with most of the most popular infographics, you can purchase them in a poster format. The Web Trend Map is available as an A0 size poster from Information Architects, who also created another of my other favourite infographics – The Spectrum of User Experience.

In fellow Colchester Digital member Joe Stone’s X-Men Family Tree, he has arranged beautifully illustrated X-Men superheroes and added lines connecting them depending on their relationship to each other. This cleverly shows the complexity of the X-Men comic world.

Lastly, I would like to mention a new growing trend of in-video infographics, where, as the title suggests, the infographic is animated. One of my favourites is the Röyksopp music video of their single ‘Remind Me. I will be keeping a close eye on this new and exciting world of video infographics as it will surely boom in the following years as have the static infographics.

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Have you ever wondered ‘how does Google work?’ If the answer is yes, then look no further. This rather splendid infographic that Lloyd (our apprentice) found at www.ppcblog.com the other day should help.

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The team here at WDL have decided to set up and launch a Meetup group for like-minded digital professionals in Colchester, and the surrounding areas – www.colchesterdigital.co.uk.

The thinking behind the group is to get as many of us together so we can collaborate, share knowledge, experience and information. Essentially, an opportunity to regularly catch up and meet others who earn their living (or want to earn their living…) from the Internet. Somewhere to discuss issues that have a direct effect on our businesses, or just a time and place to have a drink and a chat. We know there are enough of us out there to justify this Meetup, so we thought why not; it’s not hurting anybody and it has the potential to be really useful for the members.

Initially we’ll get together once a month (1st Meetup – 8th June, 2011 at WDL, East Street, Colchester), but there is scope to meet more often, and at different places, it’s up to you – it’s your group! There will be no expectations so just bring yourself, a friend if you want, and perhaps a few business cards – you never know who might be there.

To join the group, go to our Meetup page at www.colchesterdigital.co.uk

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us

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For web designers and developers the prospect of html 5 brings many new possibilities for the future of the web, including richer content and slimmed down code. But for the more design savvy of us it’s a chance to critique the arrival of a new logo that will hopefully be gracing many a website footer in the near future.

I’m taking about the new html 5 logo from W3C that will help promote the new coding standards, which are already being put into use. This logo is definitely not shy about its presence. It could be attributed to any new and upcoming superhero, hey I feel a geeky graphic novel spin off coming on. This in your face boldness is quite appealing though and suits the web trend of the moment, but time will tell whether its appeal will last. Let’s just say I would rather have this new design gracing my footer than the old beige W3C standards logos that wouldn’t look out of place in a 1970s living room.

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We’ve just received a lovely message from brandingserved.com letting us know that some of our work was the top story on their website.  The project in question – Saffron Tax Partners – was completed in Spring, 2010 and we’re delighted to see it again.  It’s obviously still making an impact, almost a year later!
At the beginning of 2010 WDL were approached to design a complete identity including logo design, stationery production and web site for Saffron Tax Partners LLP, who are a new London based firm with offices at the Gherkin.   With the use of selected typography, subtle colour schemes and functionality we designed the brand to portray loyalty, professionalism and elegance alongside a contemporary feel.

It’s nice to be recognised for your hard work and creativity, so we’re clearly over the moon to be featured on a high profile platform, such as ‘Served’.  Its collection of sites showcase category-specific content from the Behance Network, the world’s leading platform for creative professionals across all industries.
WDL look forward to keeping you posted on more success stories as and when they happen.

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New signage has been installed over the newly-painted blue wall today.

We think it sets the stairwell off a treat, and reminds us where we work every now and then, as we’re passing!

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WDL recently completed one the largest and most complex sites we’ve built to date; Shortcuthome.com. The groundbreaking property website sidesteps the estate agent and puts landlords and tenants at the heart of property renting.

For the first time, landlords can connect with tenants, share property information, experience a specialised matching service and get accreditation checks – all at no cost!

The build and development process was at times challenging and the WDL team found themselves having to come up with some creative solutions during the various stages of the project. The size of the build, the search facility and ultimately, usability stood out as key factors in the original brief and became the drivers for the overall success or failure of Shortcuthome.com.

Although, at times it was challenging and we were continually tested, we worked through each stage systematically and managed to develop some great workable solutions.

WDL are very happy with the finished product and thoroughly enjoyed working on it. The client is delighted with the end result and they’ve already launched in Beta – you can view it here Shortcuthome.com.

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Short story author John Saul wanted a website to promote his range of short stories and a place to post previous and upcoming events. We created a website focused on typography to capture the nature of his trade and made use of clean simple fonts, similar to those on the covers of his book. This also allowed him to showcase texts from his books, allowing users to read featured paragraphs from his published stories.

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