The website needed to keep Jason's fans updated with all his latest news and activities, but at the same time it had to be easy to manage and not burden Jason's busy schedule. Jason found blogging too time-consuming and ineffective, but he did tweet regularly to a large following.

Our vision was to build a website around Jason's Twitter presence. The website automatically uploads any tweet that contains a video or photo, meaning Jason doesn't have to waste time fiddling with a content management system. Twitter is the content management system.

Using Twitter in this way also means the website remains constantly up-to-date. This is most evident on the homepage, which is made up of the last ten images Jason has tweeted on a slider.

Visitors can access all of Jason's images on a live feed page, which acts like a living scrapbook of all of Jason's updates. Clicking on an image or video enlarges it and enables you to read the accompanying tweet and reply or retweet it.

Our solution for Jason Bradbury both fits in with his lifestyle and reflects the man himself. Technologically advanced, up to date and cool, the new website offers visitors something innovative and provides Jason with a website that's not just easy to manage, but also fun.

Find out more

When you decide to decorate your house, you don't ask the builder's permission or learn construction. Your website should be no different. That's why Design Agency - and our clients - love Umbraco.

Umbraco is our content management system of choice. Content management systems allow you to store, co-ordinate, create and publish content to your site easily. What makes Umbraco the best content management system out there is the flexibility it offers.

With Umbraco, there are no preconfigured templates or designs that your website must adhere to. We can tailor it to suit your specific requirements. It can be applied to any web design without affecting its usability.

This means our clients get the website they want with a content management system that's easy to use. Content is arranged logically in branched folders, much like how you arrange folders on your own computer. Any new content can be uploaded and edited as easily as you would a word document.

As well as being easy to create, content is easy to manage. Users can schedule when content goes live and when it expires, so you can automate content.  Umbraco also allows you to assign permissions, so certain users to be responsible for certain areas, if required.

Umbraco also offer a useful media library, allowing you to store and categorise all images docs and other material relevant to your website. Nothing is lost, including old versions of content, as Umbraco saves every change you make.

Oh, and it works on all platforms and browsers. And speaks 15 languages…need we say more?

What our clients love most about Umbraco, however, is that it empowers them to take responsibility for their websites. They don't have to contact us every time they want to run a new promotion or add a news story. They get to update it as and when they choose and on their terms. What more could you want from your web design?

Weird running

We loved watching the marathon last week. Partly because it's a testament to human endurance, mainly because it's fun to look out for people that run like the guys in this video.

Avengers: 1978 edition

What if The Avengers had been a cheesy 1978 TV movie? This fan video mashes shows how brilliantly camp it would have been. So cheesy, it makes Adam West's Batman look like, well, Christian Bale's Batman. Plus a special appearance by KISS.

Practical jokes

We're of course very mature, upstanding members of society - but just in case you're not, this video offers a few great ways to annoy people.

We're not young….

If you have a radio chances are you've heard the kind of annoying song 'We Are Young' by Fun. This parody is for those who aren't so young. Apparently it's funny because it's true. As we are all ridiculously young, good looking and happy, we wouldn't know….honest.

We're pleased when all of our work achieves success but we feel particularly proud of The Pluto Appeal, as it is such a good cause. The project was set up by The Gadget Show presenter Jason Bradbury to raise money for a surgical robot for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. The robot will help surgeons perform intricate operations on infants and small children with more precision, meaning shorter recovery times and smaller scars.

Jason Bradbury approached us to design a campaign that included character design, branding, website design and email marketing and social media promotion.

The Pluto the Robot character we designed conveyed the goal of the project as well as functioning as a likeable face to centre the branding and social media activity around. The overall website design also reflected the simple, positive look of the character.

Within a week of launching the website, £25,000 had been raised. At the time of writing, the current total stands at over £915,000.

For a new charity to raise so much money in less than a year of fundraising is a huge achievement and we are honoured to have been a part of its success.

Find out more about the project here or visit the Pluto appeal website.

The web design that worked for your business five years ago probably won't work today. A good web design will not only convey a good image but help your business realise its full potential, helping to increase your customer base and providing a hub for PR, marketing, advertising and promotions.

With that in mind, here are 5 signs it may be time to redesign your website:

1. It's not generating business

It may seem an obvious point, but many business still view their website as a box to tick. They see it as something they are required to have rather than something that creates business opportunities. Prospective customers are almost certain to check out your website before they pay you a visit or give you a call. If your website isn't converting visits into enquiries then it isn't working.

2. It doesn't rank in search engines

It's a no-brainer, really - people need to be able to find your website if it's to have any positive impact on your business. If your website is failing to rank for relevant search terms, you may want to review your SEO strategy and revise your layout and copy.

3. It doesn't work on certain browsers/mobile

The days of Internet Explorer dominance are over. Firefox and Safari occupy increasingly larger shares of the market, with Google Chrome currently the most popular browser.

There has also been a rise in the amount of people accessing the web through mobile devices. If your website isn't optimised to work across multiple browsers and devices, it is effectively freezing out existing and potential customer from communicating with you online.

4. You have to call the developer every time you want to add new information

Adding fresh content to your website is important to keep your customers informed and ensuring your web presence is current. It is not practical or efficient if you have to do to update your content through a third party.  Today's content management systems are easy to use and will allow you to update your content as and when you need to.

5. The content and functionality are obsolete

Perhaps your homepage is still talking about a product launch from 2009. Maybe your website still has a visitor counter or was built in flash. If you haven't updated your website for a couple of years, it is worth reviewing all the features of your website and ensuring they comply with the latest trends. Is it Relevant? Personal? Does it feature links to your social media profiles?

It's not enough to create your website and leave it at that, just as is not enough to run a single marketing campaign. Much like your business itself, your website should always be evolving, seizing opportunities to reach more of your target market and reach them more effectively.

If your website is showing any of the above signs we can help. Contact us to discuss bringing your website up to date.

While it's important to utilize Facebook latest developments, it is just as important to ensure you are developing a genuinely engaging page that encourages conversions, conversations and shares.

Here are out tips for creating a Facebook page that drives fans, likes and conversions.

Differentiate your Facebook page from your webpage

Since Timeline, Facebook pages act even more like a second webpage for your company. This doesn't mean you can simply replicate content.

If people wanted to visit your website, that's exactly what they'd do. Reward people for choosing to access your brand via Facebook with custom apps or exclusive offers, you must offer benefits to accessing your company over Facebook.

Incentivise interactions

Make it worthwhile for fan to like and share your page. Create fan-only content, offers and discounts. Run competitions that require people to like your wall post or post a specific update. Offering incentives on a regular basis will ensure your fans maintain their interest in your page, encouraging brand loyalty.

Create content people want to share

It's easy to say but a lot harder to do. So many brand pages lie virtually dormant, with companies posting dull updates to an audience of their own employees.

People won't volunteer to have adverts and marketing material clogging up their feed. If you want people to like your brand and share your updates with their friends, you have to offer them something more than corporate messaging.

Types of content people like to interact with:

Useful

Practical content such as how-to guides and apps are popular as they offer something that benefits your page visitors.

Customisable

Quizzes and apps that generate personalised results are popular as they speak directly to the user and offer them a conclusion they can share with others.

Insightful

Regular blogs, white papers and reviews on relevant hot button issues will establish your page as a source of expertise that's worth visiting and talking to.

Newsworthy

Whether it's company news of news from within your industry, keeping fans updated with relevant information will attract likes, comments and shares. Try to develop industry news stories through your own comments and insights and remember the minutiae of daily office life does is not going to interest anyone.

Controversial

People are more likely to click on a provocative headline or share a unique point of view. Just be careful not to offend any customers or stakeholders.

Be visual

As discussed in our stock images blog, images have never had more online currency. Timeline has made images more prominent, so make sure you use them regularly and effectively.

Be varied

No one likes people who only talk about one thing, or speak in monotonous tone. Use a combination of blogs, videos, updates offers and apps to keep your followers entertained.

Be social

If someone likes, comments or shares your content, respond to it. Interact with other brands, businesses and media outlets on Facebook. Show you are engaged with people and are hence worth engaging with.

Facebook is often compared to a bar. It's a place for catching up with people and relaxing. Getting people to pay attention to your brand when they could be paying attention to their friends and family isn't easy. With over 15 years' experience in the digital sector, we can help. Contact us to discover how we can help your business get social.

With photo sharing sites like Pinterest becoming increasingly popular, images have never had more online currency. Choosing the right images for your webpage has never mattered more. So why settle for something unoriginal?

Here's our pick of the most cringeworthy stock image offenders - and what they really say about your business.

The multicultural, pretty, happy office team

What you think it says about you business:

"Our team is young, dynamic and, most importantly, hot! Look them all working hard on behalf of you!"

What it really says:

"We have to use this image because our team is hideously ugly. And old. And white. But mainly ugly"

The skyscraper

What you think it says about your business:

"We're modern, we're edgy, we're at the heart of the city and we mean business"

What it really says:

"We're a big, faceless corporation, but that's OK, right?"

Pretty headset lady

What you think it says about your business:

"Our customer service team are fantastic - and again, most importantly, hot!"

What it really says:

"After waiting 3 hours in a queue listening to the worst hold music known to man our call centre in India may handle your enquiry"

Results graph

What you think it says about your business:

"Look! Look at the upwards pointing graph! These could be your results if you work with us!"

What it really says:

"We're not above posting fake results - take this fake graph here for example."

The handshake

What you think it says about your business:

"We're co-operative, we work with you and we get results."

What it really says:

"It could be your hand we shake, it could be the devil's, it doesn't matter - a deal's a deal to us."

Choosing generic images feels safe, but they give no indication of what your business is about or your core values. Using an image that many other businesses use will not build trust or establish your brand identity.

If you must use stock images, choose ones that haven't been downloaded lots of times. Fill your site with images that tell a personal story and demonstrate why customers should choose you. In other words, be original and wherever you can, be honest.

Identify your audience and appeal to their interests

Existing and potential customers are an obvious target for blogs, but they aren't necessarily the people that will share, comment and create a buzz around your content. Your content should also appeal to people that regulalry blog and participate in online discussions about your area of business. Research which topics create the most buzz to inform your own content strategy.

Use SEO-friendly keywords

If you want people to read your content, it needs to be easy to find. Making sure your articles are search engine optimised to contain relevant keywords will help boost your search engine rankings.

Google's free keywords tool will tell you how often keywords are searched for and tell you how much competition you will be up against. Choose keywords with a high search volume and low competition rating. Make sure you use keywords appropriately and in context.

Get social

If you want people to pay attention to you, it helps to pay attention to them. Simply publishing your content without responding to what anyone else is doing will not generate interest. If you want your desired audience to read and share your posts, you need to become a popular part of their online community.

Set up an active presence on relevant social networks, sharing sites and forums. Interact with key influencers, react to their posts and establish yourself as a source of interesting, insightful comment. By doing this, people will recognise your blog posts as interesting and worth sharing.

You can build on this activity through your blog posts. Posting a response to another person's blog will encourage comments and links from those interested in the original post. Asking someone with a large, engaged social media following to guest blog would also build interest.

Analyse your success

Finding out which posts have created the most traffic to your website will inform your future blog content. Installing Google Analytics to your website will help you determine which blog posts are popular. Google Analytics will also let you know where web traffic is coming from, allowing you to identify which parts of your content marketing strategy work and which could be improved. For example, if very little traffic is coming your Twitter page, review your Twitter strategy.

Much like everything else in the social sphere, there are no clear-cut rules to blogging. Working out what works for your brand takes time, thought and a little bit of trial and error. As experts in web design, development and SEO, we can help. Contact us to discover how we can help you create a successful content strategy.

Aside from not living up to the massive hype, many people have had complained about the new iPad's extra weight, charging problems and the fact that you could boil an egg on it. But one aspect has avoided the criticism: the retina screen.

But is it all that good? Like the Pepsi taste test, TNW took to the streets to ask people if they could tell the difference between the iPad 2 and the new iPad's screens.

These weren't just any people either - they were Apple's own customers, approached outside of an Apple store.

Even a couple of wrong answers would be embarrassing, right? See the results below.

Bike thief experiment

Casey Neistat took to the streets of New York to steal bikes (his own) in a social experiment investigating how long it would take for someone to intervene. Let's just say hell tends to freeze over before someone even looks up. Where did all the good people go?

Jon Ronson vs the spambot

Author Jon Ronson is at war with a spambot that is using his identity to tweet about celeriac and watercress. No, really.

In this video, Ronson arranges a meeting with the creators of the spam Twitter account. They spout a lot of pseudo-intellectual web 2.0 rubbish that will have you yelling in frustration at them.

Worth a watch purely for Ronson's righteous indignation throughout, particularly when he says 'Of course I don't think about time and cock!"

Man can't stop laughing

It's not all been doom and gloom this week - especially for Huug Bosse the Dutch man who can't stop laughing following his hip surgery. The problem has got so bad that his brother refuses to see him anymore. He's still laughing though….

We created the 8-bit version of Jason some time ago, but the launch of the new iPad meant he needed a version that lived up to the device's mind-blowing retina display.

The 8-bit Jason Bradbury is just the beginning. Ever the technology pioneer, Jason wants the new website we are designing for him to look fantastic on the new iPad's retina screen.

We love being able to adopt the technology early, particularly as the web design we have created for Jason is already so innovative.

As Jason is an avid Tweeter, we are designing and building a website that is completely social media driven, showcasing updates, photos and videos in a way that has never been done before. And all in a way that looks fantastic on the new iPad. Pretty cool, eh?

We'll keep you updated with news on Jason's site. Until then, enjoy 8-bit Jason and check out some of our other web designs.

Contact us to discover how we can help your business utilise the latest technology.