Creative Process: Lisa Bamford & Richard Excell

Lisa Bamford of Stoats & Weasels and Richard Excell of Excell Design have joined forces to redesign the very pages you are reading right now – Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce will take delivery of a shiny new website in January 2013. I spoke to them both about their involvement, and was intrigued to discover how well their creative skillsets complement each other.

When did you first hear that the Chamber needed a new website?
Richard: It must have been three years ago that the possibility of a new website was first discussed. A big group of volunteers, with various areas of expertise, conceived many different directions for the site, so it took a while to pull all those thoughts and ideas together. I therefore volunteered to project manage and work on the design of the website to help move it forward.

Lisa: Intensive work on the site started about three months ago. The site has well over 1000 pages in total, so it’s been a big task!

Can you describe some of the challenges involved?
Richard: Having evolved organically over time  - as many sites do – there were lots of things bolted on, and some duplicated information. The new site is a lot clearer, a lot more focused - making the user journey as simple and straightforward as possible. It was important to make sure the site was not just something that looks good, it needs to work properly.

Lisa: But of course it has to look good too! Having done design work for the Chamber already (Lisa designed the current Ride the Wave and Wayfinder sub-brands), we were able to ensure the new design reflects the vibrancy of the Chamber whilst allowing for future sub-brands. 

What are the key features of the new site?
Lisa: The members’ directory is the core part – it aims to be more than just a directory, for example members can now have separate profile pages for different staff. The Events Calendar also key, as events is something the Chamber does really well.

Richard: The site also needs to work for potential members and networkers. Smooth navigation is needed to guide them to key points, so they have an easy journey to join and sign up for events. The new site will also enable much more monitoring and analysis so we can make sure the site is providing what people want.

Which other websites do you admire and why?
Richard: I love the BBC website – how the design has evolved into an incredibly user friendly, simple site that gets you where you want to go easily. I also like how the user can personalise the site and set preferences, it makes me want to use it more. It’s interesting to see Channel 4 starting to do things similarly.

Lisa: I love the site www.typography.com - as the name suggests, it features lots of great fonts. The site looks great, shows you how the fonts work and makes you want to buy lots of them! I also like www.itsnicethat.com – a great source of inspiration, showcasing original and creative projects across all disciplines… I think it's important to know what's current in other fields such as photography, illustration etc. to keep your own designs up to date.

Interview by: James Allen, managing director of Creative Huddle, which helps people in business improve their creative abilities through training and consultancy.

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk