Random Static is a New Zealand based science fiction publisher and record label, which also imports books and music for online sale. Their existing website, while functional, was in serious need of updating.
We gave them an overhaul using WordPress and WooCommerce with a fresh new - and mobile friendly - design, and an easy to use e-commerce setup.
Random Static's original website, while functional, had a dated feel and didn't make sufficient use of responsive design for a world in which over 40% of online transactions are made on mobile devices. The back end was also clunky, making it more difficult than it need to be to make updates and manage orders. It was time for a fresh new website.
Our final design for the new Random Static site kept some essential features of the original design - including their purple and black colour scheme - but gave it a fresh and modern feel, with functionality across both mobile and desktop devices.
We used WooCommerce to enable them to sell both physical and electronic products, ensuring ease of use for them and their customers, as well as the ability to add additional features later. We also reworked their page structure and moved their announcements section to blog format, allowing more flexibility and the potential for social media integration in the future.
This project fitted within our e-commerce package. Looking for something similar? Get in touch – we'd love to hear from you.
Angie Meiklejohn is an Intimacy Coach, Sexological Bodyworker and Transpersonal Guide. She wanted a site that would combine aspects of her professional practice with telling her personal story. And she was on a deadline, with the documentary film Angie about to screen as part of the NZ International Film Festival and a growing amount of media attention. We rose to the challenge.
Angie had an existing website which she had created with Wix, but she no longer had access to update it and her focus had changed. She had some clear ideas about what was important to her in a website - especially as she works in an often-misunderstood industry, but was unsure what was possible on the technical side. She wanted her site to be informational as well as a means to get clients. She also wanted some help with social media and ideas for increasing visibility.
Andi met with Angie to discuss her needs. We talked about what she wanted from a site and what we could help her with, and she showed us some example sites from other people in her industry which she liked the design of.
After our initial meeting, we confirmed a proposal with Angie, and assisted her in finding a domain name and web hosting. As she had a few different design ideas we made some mockups of the front page of her website to help her make a decision. Using her choice of design, written content and photos, we put together a simple but effective website that met her needs.
Because we used WordPress for Angie's site, we were able to give her guidance to edit the content herself; the interface is straightforward enough even for those who've never used WordPress before. We included a blog - which she's currently writing content for - and a contact form.
We advised Angie to start with one type of social media, and consider adding more as she became more comfortable. She set up a Facebook page and we connected it to her site so her blog posts are automatically posted on Facebook. We also added functionality to improve her Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), and set up Google Analytics so we could see who was visiting her site, and look at ways to increase or better target the audience.
This project fitted within our standard package. Looking for something similar? Get in touch – we'd love to hear from you.
Lexicon was the 38th New Zealand National Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention (NatCon). They needed a straightforward but modern site, that people would be able to use both before and at the convention. It needed to include a significant amount of information, allow members to register and book accommodation, and have an effective and responsive way of displaying the programme for use on the go. This called for a custom solution.
Each National Science Fiction Convention is a one off event run by a different group of volunteers, so LexiCon needed a new website - although some of the technology was re-used from previous versions we'd worked on.
We worked with the convention committee to list what was needed and by when, with different aspects to be developed over the two year planning period for the convention.
We created a site with a simple, modern look that combined membership sign up and management, financial administration, and a programme tool that allowed scheduling events, sign up for limited-entry events, and for participants to instantly see which events they were involved in. One of the most exciting features was we connected the membership sign-ups to the programme - which meant schedulers got a warning if the same person was scheduled for two panels at the same time, and panelists could log in and see their items highlighted on the panel.
This was a personal project for us, but we can create similar custom projects on an hourly basis. Have a project we can help you with? Get in touch - we'd love to hear from you.