DPB Creations

Q: What's your name and position in the company?
A: Darren Bale - Senior Web Designer

Q: Describe your company in 5 words.
A: Customer focused award winning designers

Q: What's your business philosophy?
A: To put the customer first. In everything we do, we remember that without the clients we wouldn't have a business.

Q: Describe your office environment.
A: The kettle is always on and the atmosphere is very relaxed. It's not like a traditional office, we're usually dressed in Jeans and t-shirts.

Q: Describe how your team interact and work together.
A: We all work really well together and most projects have got a couple of us working on them. It can be stressful at times but everyone has their own role that they carry out.

Q: What makes you different from other web design companies?
A: I guess the fact that myself and the other main designer, Daniel, are both ex-army makes us a bit different. I think when you talk to us, you realise that this isn't a job for us, its much more than that. All of our team have a real passion for design and development.

Q: How do you get the majority of your business?
A: At the very beginning, it was through forums and job boards, but now all most all of our work is repeat custom or from word-of-mouth. I think that becasue we strive to always make our clients feel part of the process and try to always go that extra mile, it makes it a more enjoyable experience for them and so they recommend us to everyone. Of course it helps that we win awards ;)

Q: Describe how you manage projects from the initial client contact to completion and handover.
A: We use a variety of differnet systems depending on the project and clients needs. But at all stages of the projects, the client is kept up to date. The handover stage is usually done over a couple of days, we talk the client through using their new cms system or ecommerce admin panel (if there is one) and make sure they are happy with everything before getting them to sign off on the project.

Q: What do you think is the most crucial element of creating a good client relationship?
A: Being available and friendly. Every client is given the mobile number of the lead designer for their site. I have had clients phone me at all hours of the day and night with ideas and problems.

Q: How do you manage demanding clients?
A: We have been really lucky in that we have never had a client be that demanding. Our clients have all be really good to work with and I hope they would say the same about us.

Q: If a client was trying to decide between a shortlist of web design companies, how would you recommend they go about selecting the right one for them?
A: I think they need to deicde what is important to them. For some people having someone local who they can meet face-to-face on a regular basis is a must, for others it someone who has built a site like theirs before. Once a client knows this it is much easier to help guide them to the right firm. Even if that isn't us.

Q: Where do you see your company in 10 years time?
A: Still doing what we're doing. Just maybe on a bigger scale. It's hard to predict as the web and business are constantly evolving.

Q: Where do you see the web design industry in the future?
A: Thats a very tough one. I hope that the industry gets some proper qualifications or certifications to help regulate it a bit more. AccreditUK have started trying to implement this (we helped to design the e-Media & e-Commerce standard which we have also been awarded)

Q: What computers do you have use in your offices, PCs or Macs?
A: PC

Q: How was your company name chosen?
A: DPB is actually my initials and as it was originally just me, the sites I built were my creations. Sad but true.

Q: If you were to give your clients one tip on how to get the most from their website what would it be?
A: Get it built right the first time. This is the most important part of any site. Time and again we have had clients come to us and ask us to look at their site that someone else has built. In most cases the site is coded in tables with splash pages and flash navigation etc. Its a usability nightmare and doesn't appear in search engines.