Ech Design | Design, Media, Technology

Ech Design provide advanced web design and development, and sublime graphic design and print work. We believe that everyone has the right to good design. We invite you to explore this site to find out how and why……

Hornblend is a new online magazine that aims to view the world through both African and Western lenses, providing insight into cosmopolitan life, heritage and culture for a multi-cultural audience.

Ech were excited to be asked to develop the branding and web site for Hornblend, working in partnership with the client who had a clear take on the style and feel that was required. We have developed a textured style in keeping with the subject matter to provide a rich photographic look to viewers of the magazine. Viewers can browse content across ordered columns, slideshows and full width articles, maintaining a consistent viewing experience. This aesthetic style is matched by fully featured blog functionality to allow readers to browse content by category, leave comments and be encouraged to explore through related posts and random posts showing alongside articles.

The first issue has just launched and we were delighted to get involved in setting up the initial site advertising and sourcing images. Look out for the next issue in the coming months which will no doubt witness the continuing evolution of the visual style.

www.hornblend.com

City Year, the well respected and Obama approved young people’s charity is coming to the UK. They aim to offer young people the chance to volunteer to serve a year in urban school’s helping to raise achievement and to gain great life experiences.

City Year London, the first outpost asked Ech to design a new website that would help to translate their well established branding to a UK audience. We have worked to develop a fresh visual style which picks up on their distinctive identity.

The website is fully content managed, allowing staff to edit content, upload images, documents and media files. The site employs photo galleries to showcase the charity’s initial work in the capital, news feeds and randomised quotes. It enables the charity to advertise upcoming events, allows online applications and links in with their social-networking pages.

www.cityyear.org.uk

Swakeleys School asked Ech Design to develop a new website to showcase the school to parents and students (prospective and existing attendees), keep visitors up to date with useful information and to celebrate achievements and news.

We have developed updated branding based around their enjoy, achieve, aspire, succeed motto and a new site which is fully content managed – allowing staff to edit every aspect of the pages, add news and flag important announcements. They can upload documents such as Ofsted reports, add images to the photo galleries, keep the calendar up to date and advertise recruitment opportunities, all wrapped up in a clean looking, easy to navigate site which makes use of embedded video, font replacement techniques and image slideshows. The new site has been generating impressive hits, with visitors spending time on the site and digging into the pages and is appearing prominently for school related and area based search terms.

www.swakeleys.hillingdon.sch.uk

Awards of London have the widest variety and best quality of awards, plaques, trophies and medals in the UK. They asked Ech to design a new website which would help them to showcase their products and encourage online ordering to go with their busy phone and shop sales.

We have developed a shopping cart driven site that allows the visitor to quickly find the type of trophy they are looking for, stipulate extra requirements such as engraving and place orders. We have implemented a strong visual style to differentiate Awards of London from their competitors and have concentrated on showing the products clearly, providing clear routes of navigation and offering the same level of service that you get if you phone the company directly.

We look forward to embarking on a programme of search engine optimisation (SEO) on the site to drive traffic and make the content even more visible to search engines.

www.awardsoflondon.com

MyPureRush provide their loyal client base with the best pit bikes, quad bikes, parts and equipment for the most fun on the track. Their existing site ran on a bespoke ecommerce php based platform, which was performing well, but the site design needed a lick of paint. Ech were commissioned to design an updated look for the platform and then to re-skin the entire site, integrating with the existing database and payment system.

We have gone for a tarmac, dirt, paint and engines inspired design, expanded the viewing area and streamlined the layout. Along with refined navigation and display of products, we have also built in ‘new items’ and ’sale item’ scrolling listings and ‘customers also bought’ suggestions on the individual product pages. Ech are looking forward to orking with MyPureRush over the coming months to re-categorise their content and to further develop the payment system.

www.mypurerush.com

In the past two years, the Matrix Knowledge Group have diversified their service offering, providing software, evidence and formal reviews and launching offices in the US and India. To help them to communicate more directly with the right audience on the right page, during 2009 Matrix asked Ech to support them in designing a new series of interlinked websites representing their company divisions. Individual teams are responsible for using the content managment system to keep their sections up to date and to share information that will be of value to their clientbase.

We have concentrated on providing a consistent and coherent user experience across the sites, with commonalities of navigation and branding, building on the comprehensive brand redesign exercise carried out in 2007. The sites each feature the core colours and logo type for each of the divisions, and provide the ability to move quickly to other divisions. Visitors to the site(s) are directed to the appropriate home page based on their location, so for example, people in the US will move directly to the US homepage, while those in Europe will be directed to the European homepage.

View the sites:

• Matrix Knowledge Group – European Group homepage »
• Matrix Insight Ltd – works to deliver better outcomes, better performance and better use of resources through consultancy and research »
• Matrix Evidence Ltd – high quality reviews of national and international evidence in accessible, succinct reports that show what works »
• Matrix Decisions Ltd – provides software that helps to make better decisions: sooner, sharper and simpler »
• Matrix North America – Matrix’s new US office »
• Matrix India – Matrix’s new Indian office »

House Consulting works to implement progressive public policy, supporting public sector organisations to improve practice and overcome challenges.

Ech were commissioned to design a minimalist blog site which provides clients and partners with company information and provides a snapshot of current news and projects. We have developed a compact site which doesn’t labour the point – offering an elegant, text light summary of the House philosophy. The site employs a randomised background image so that different visits offer a different glimpse (more images to come in the coming months) and is fully content managed so that House staff can add new pages, blog posts and sections at their own pace.

www.houseconsulting.co.uk

Print this Please is a new print company offering top quality printing at bargain basement prices. They asked Ech to develop a visual identity and website for them that provides a clear route to their range of print products and makes the process of reviewing prices and making an order as simple as possible. Visitors can browse by product and find out about their special offers through a colourful, concise website.

The website is integrated with a shopping cart system to facilitate processing orders and allows customers to track the status of the order. Visitors can also make bespoke enquiries for print jobs and ask questions from the site. Visitors can join the Printthisplease Club to get discounts, which is handled automatically by the cart.

Print this Please have some great prices on offer and we will be working with them in the future for Ech and our clients’ stationery needs.

www.printthisplease.com

Domestic Divas is a new company which assists their clients with the general upkeep and smooth running of your household. Their services include painting, gardening, catering, organising parties and anything else in the home that can help take the pressure off you!

Ech have created their logo and visual identity which has so far extended to business cards, stationery, flyers and roadside signs and will no doubt keep growing. The two-page website we have created provides an immediate summary of Domestic Divas services with the ability to hover over the icons to review the text. Visitors can get in immediate contact through the contact form which directs messages to the owner’s Blackberry.

www.domesticdivas.co.uk

Entelechy is a participatory arts company based in south east London who work with people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to produce high quality theatre, music, dance and video events and performances.

They asked Ech to develop a new website that is clear and simple to use to ensure their range of stakeholders can get involved, find out more about their work, and get in contact. Our solution: A minimalist design run from a Wordpress system to allow Entelechy to add new information whenever they wish, including font-resizing, news feeds, and use of film footage captured from recent Arts projects. The website uses the popular Vimeo service to allow easy hosting of video, links with Flickr to allow Entelechy to easily add and amend their extensive photo galleries and allows visitors to leave comments agains projects and news.

www.entelechyarts.org

Atkinson & Keene are award winning estate agents based in Windsor and Maidenhead. Ech were commissioned by marketing and design agency Thring to work with them to design updated branding for the firm and have now launched their new website.

The branding exercise included revisions to the logo and fonts used while keeping to the broad colour scheme and existing brand reputation built by Atkinson & Keene. The branding has extended to stationery, window cards, property detail packs and electronic templates, advert templates, banners and even their new Twitter page. The website allows Atkinson & Keene to display information about the firm and recent news as well as integrating with existing Estate Agent web software to show the properties on their books and to allow people to view photos and make enquiries.

www.atkinsonkeene.co.uk

The Matrix Knowledge Group asked Ech Design to design a series of Posters for display in their office to assist the company’s efforts to reduce energy wastage and minimalise environmental damage. We have developed a series of icon based designs as part of the Matrix brand.

In the hope that they can help other companies with their environmental efforts, Matrix asked us to add them to their website and subsequently we have developed a standalone site to enable easy downloading of the posters. Our objective over the coming months will be to build the search engine presence and to encourage other contributions of materials which can help companies achieve corporate social responsibility aims.

www.csrsigns.com

Ech have just launched a portfolio website for up and coming Kenyan focused artist, Larissa Hoops.

Larissa’s priority was to showcase her work to best effect and we have concentrated our efforts on designing a gallery layout to the site that allows visitors to keep up to date with Larissa’s latest exhibitions and work. Visitors can leave feedback, read recent news and click image thumbnails to view the artwork at larger sizes.

The site runs on a content management system to allow Larissa to add new artwork and news as required and has been designed to provide a modern stylish interface that places the emphasis on the artwork itself – Ech believe that content is king!

www.larissahoops.com

Chart the Stars is a new online business offering unique gifts to those interested in finding out what the stars have to say about the future.

Ech were brought in to develop friendly and fun branding for the company and to develop an easy to use website allowing visitors to browse and purchase star charts. The website allows viewers to check out what the stars have to say about people in the public eye and to enter the details of themselves, friends or family to obtain their very own interpretation. It provides information about astrology and allows customers to place orders, check on the status of their orders and leave feedback.

The project involved an appreciation of design aesthetics, ecommerce and search engine optimisation (SEO) and was developed at pace to enable our clients to meet the Christmas rush.

www.chartthestars.com

Ech Design have been working with London agency Thring on a suite of new printed materials in support of the Beaumont House conference venue and hotel.

The project has entailed coming up with something fresh and new, working with the Principal Hayley branding to create a range of branded materials to support marketing the venue, including a popup map, branded keycards, conference and hotel brochures and html emails.

We are currently developing materials in support of the relaunch of the White House on the site – a fantastic building, refurbished back to its best.

www.principalhayley.com

Having completed a comprehensive rebranding exercise for the Matrix Knowledge Group in 2007, Ech have been supporting the company as they launch to new markets in the US and Europe, adding new features to the website, including a flash intro page and developing new branded stationery.

Recent projects have included the development of logos, branding and web design for Matrix’s new product for supported housing organisations VFM Support and the development of designs for the interior of the office as well as the production of the design for a monthly staff newsletter to keep all staff in this rapidly growing company, up to date with what’s going on.

The Access Partnership is an NHS based healthcare consultancy which is commissioned by PCT’s, NHS Trusts, Strategic Health Authorities and the Department of Health to help improve access to services and to reduce unnecessary waiting. They asked Ech to design a new website for them that would present a clean, professional and approachable resource for visitors, clients and service improvers.

We have focused on developing a blog style website that allows the Access Partnership to keep their information up to date, share best practice tips and factsheets, advertise events, describe their services and allows visitors to send them questions. The home page of the website uses a random feature, to display a different tip every time someone visits. In addition, all of the content on the website is controlled by an easy to use Wordpress content management system, to allow the AP team to keep the website up to date.

www.accesspartnership.co.uk

Listed in the Times as one of the top ten restaurants to open in the UK in 2007, Maes-Yr-Haf offers fine cuisine and luxury stays to those seeking total relaxation on the Gower coast. They needed a website that captured the well-designed elegance and luxury of a visit to Maes-Yr-Haf, allowing people to explore the restaurant and rooms.

Ech have provided a design based around the interior design of the hotel (utilising wallpaper textures and the colours of the furnishings), undertaking photography and building a site that combines html (clear to search engines), flash movies, javascript enhancements (to add to the interaction) and a content management system to allow the Maes-Yr-Haf team to make regular updates.

Visitors can tour the different parts of the venue and find out about upcoming events, special offers and rates deal, while soaking up the atmosphere.

www.maes-yr-haf.com

Thompson AVC are a bespoke provider of high tech security and cabling installations. They asked Ech to take their existing branding to a new level by developing an updated visual identity for the company. Ech put together an identity that is bright, bold and clear, working from the outset with the view that we wanted Thompson AVC to stand out from the staid corporate look of their competitors. Their refreshed branding can be seen on all of their stationery and collateral, on their website and on their fleet of vans and vehicles – keep your eyes peeled!

www.thompsonavc.co.uk

Loop2 is a catalyst consultancy that focuses on helping organisations, partnerships, teams, groups and individuals understand, shape and respond to the complex worlds in which they operate. They wanted a clear, concise website that provided a blog style experience to allow visitors to dig into their articles and extensive expertise.

We designed a text-focused site, which uses a range of colours to aid navigation and which reinforces their existing branding. Clients can use the website to find out more about the organisation, get a feel for their current thinking – through their sharing of ideas in the blog – and can get involved by leaving comments or sending messages.

www.loop2.co.uk