Ech Design » news

Hornblend Issue 2 launches

Neil — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 22:46:06 +0000

Ech are pleased to announce that Issue 2 of Hornblend Magazine has just launched. We helped out with refining the layout and functionality for issue 2 and also supported with sourcing images. It’s a good read, so why not check it out!

Auntie Beeb

Neil — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:03:32 +0000

Ech were pleased flicking on the TV recently to see a logo we had designed for CTM Fire and Security turning up in the convenience store in Eastenders. We were even more pleased to spot that a series of charts we designed for a report by the Matrix Knowledge Group have been reproduced in a recent BBC blog article about predicted levels of reoffending. Informatics design is an interesting area of design because the focus is on maximising the clarity and impact of the figures presented and it’s great to see the report getting the exposure it deserves.

Application Design

Neil — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:38:20 +0000

Ech are currently knee-deep in developing interface designs for a series of applications developed by partner companies. As web designers who like to get our hands dirty with the coding as much as the photo-shopping it’s an interesting experience to stand back from the application and say ‘how should this look to the user and how should it work’. We’ll be installing some heat-maps on some of these applications to see where people are clicking so it will be interesting to see first-hand how people interact with the design.

Hornblend Magazine Launches

Neil — Fri, 07 May 2010 11:18:30 +0000

Since the close of last year Ech have been supporting on the design and development of a new online magazine known as Hornblend. I’m going to write a full description of the project in the coming weeks, but for the meantime just wanted to say that we’re really proud that it’s made it out into the wild and look forward to building it up into a really popular resource.

The Juke

Neil — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:19:44 +0000

Ech are proud to support the launch of new music and lifestyle magazine Juke. We have just put up a video page showcasing their style.

Countdown Timers

Neil — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:28:22 +0000

Ech recently installed a countdown timer on the Hearing Aid Council’s website. Its a small feature and one that has been seen on websites since the early days of web design, but if used for the right reasons we think it can be a really eye catching and useful feature. Can you think of an application for a countdown timer? Could count down to your birthday, pay day or even that holiday you’ve been saving up for…

Websites Imminent

Neil — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:58:42 +0000

Ech are currently putting the finishing touches to a few websites and looking forward to adding some new screenshots and links in the coming weeks. The last couple of weeks of developing a website can be the most important – in design the devil is nearly always in the detail! Key things to look out for if you’re developing your own website are:

1) Have you tested the site in all the major web browsers. It may look great in Internet Explorer (version 8, 7 and 6), but does it also play nicely in Firefox, Chrome and Safari?
2) Does the design match that photoshop image you painstakingly crafted a few months ago – pixel spacing adjustments can make all the difference.
3) Do you have your SEO on track and Analytics in place – it’s really useful to see how people are interacting with your site post launch and without the right title tags and content you risk losing visitors to somewhere else.

Best of luck! We’re looking forward to presenting the new selection!

Property Microsites

Neil — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:17:01 +0000

Ech have just launched a small website to support the Marr Munning Trust in coordinating bids on a property in Ealing, 29argyleroad.co.uk. The website allows interested parties to register their interest through a registration form which triggers the delivery of an email with a password enabling them to view the full property details arrange a viewing.

2010 is here!

Neil — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:03:28 +0000

Wow, it doesn’t seem like five minutes since we were all listening to Prince’s Party Like It’s 1999 and getting ready for the millennium, but here we are 2010.

Of course planning a whole decade is difficult, so I’m going to focus on the immediate future. January 2010 sees us booked up with website projects. We’re well on the way to launching the full website for new UK charity City Year London, we’re working on an exciting new online magazine, producing a website for a local school and ramping up development on a couple of soon to be launched ecommerce sites.

Something tells me it’s going to be a busy year!

Christmas Cards

Neil — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:44:10 +0000

Much as the scrooge in me hates to admit it, it seems that Christmas is well and truly here again…

On the plus side for Ech, this means we’re busy putting together Christmas Cards and Christmas HTML emails for several of our clients. A personalised greeting that touches gently on your business as well as sending out best wishes and season greetings can be a good way to remind your clients and contacts that you’re around and ready for work. Its nice to say thanks for another year of good business with the best clients in the world – yours!

Reminds me, we had better get our Ech xmas cards finished too!