Back in 2012 I was sitting with friends in a local bar after a long day at work discussing the agency we all worked for at the time. I was just about to leave after one too many beers when a good friend – now Creative Blend team member – Liam (SEO guru) convinced me to stay and have one more. It was on this night that we began discussing what I felt an agency could be, and how I wanted to build something a little different. Little did I know this was the beginning of Creative Blend.
That night I made a decision to start my new freelance business, my plan was to honor a moral code which I felt very passionate about. This moral code focussed on a few key areas:
- Giving back to my local community; at the time I had little money but lots of time
- Being transparent with clients; Giving honest feedback (even if it’s not always popular)
- Challenge clients; Don’t just be a yes man for the sake of an easy life! Challenge and grow with clients
- Be open & honest; It sounds obvious but my goal was to work in a manner to allow retainer time to roll between months, and to give back/or reallocate unused budgets
I’m pleased to say our moral code still remains and our focus on giving back to the local community has now become what we call our ‘Charity commitment’.
Creating better websites:
However, in early 2021 whilst having a couple of glasses of wine (there’s a pattern here) I felt we could do more. With my background in User Experience and Design (UX), and my work as a trustee at Brighton charity Whoopsadaisy; I wanted to ensure all work completed by the design & development team was not only accessible but also sustainable.
Working alongside our fantastic team, we have since created a roadmap to ensure all website and app builds focus on the creation of accessible, sustainable and effective websites built for purpose with a view to limit any unnecessary code and content. By taking this approach we find our website builds are not only ‘lighter’ and more efficient but also allow for a clear user experience with faster processing & pathways to key content.
How do we do this - reviewing your website & planting trees!
- Review the current content; We will first look to audit the content structure, ascertaining what is necessary and useful, and what can be consolidated. Working alongside your internal team we align each suggestion with user data gleaned from Google Analytics/ other data sources. This ensures the new content structure is suitable for your market, whilst also aligning all remaining pieces with your USPs, and business propositions. By taking this approach we can limit the need for a ‘bloated’ website and a confusing user experience, reducing the size & weight of your new website.
- Reducing the size of the build; Coming into the development of the project our developers will liaise with your team and our designers to create a set of key ‘components or features’ that will deliver the required long-term functionality. By taking such an approach we will be able to build a back-end editor fit for your requirements. This will then allow us to do away with cumbersome code, unnecessary functionality, and an off the shelf editor that includes everything (even the kitchen sink!) adding to the overall weight of the website.
- Move all websites and app builds to a Green host; Since 2021 we have moved all new website builds that we host onto a “Green hosting” Siteground platform that utlises sustainable energies. Again just another step we are taking to align our development processes with our ethical and moral values.
- Planting trees to decrease carbon; Although our carbon footprint is very low with team members working from home, or walking into a local office. We still wanted to be part of the growing number of Brighton businesses who are looking to have a positive impact on carbon. This is why we have decided to pledge that for every new project we work on we will plant 250 trees! Planting native trees in the most climate effective places around the world (Madagascar, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Kenya and Uganda).
Looking for support on your new website and want to do it ethically?
