Profile: Web Media Works

by Sali Earls

Web Media Works are an established design company who specialise in web and software development, design for print, animation and hosting services such as domain name registration and e-mail.

The company have a refreshing approach encouraging customers to be as much a part of the design process as they wish to be. Web Media Works aims to provide a solution that will compliment any project requirements and budget and they are enthusiastic to see what they can do for their customers.

Sali Earls spoke to Tariq El-Hoss of Web Media Works to find out more about the company.

What's the history of your company?
Anthony, Benjy and I founded the company in the summer of 2004 following the completion of our degrees. Anthony and I studied computer science at the University of Birmingham whilst Benjy graduated from Thames Valley University in Digital Art & Digital Animation.

During our final two years of study we completed a small number of diverse freelance jobs, ranging from a static website for a Swansea fire alarm manufacturer to a board game for a Birmingham clairvoyant. Born from this small client base and what we considered to be a lack of affordable fresh design offered in Swansea we decided to incorporate under the Web Media Works brand.

What unique products/services does your company provide?
At Web Media Works we firmly believe in our philosophy of "fresh design + value for money".

We have design experience across several platforms making us a one-stop design shop. To date we have successfully designed static, e-commerce and rich media websites, logos, stationary, flyers, brochures, vehicle branding, clothing, promotional gifts, board games, software interfaces, exhibition animations, a database driven invoicing system and more.

We have a component centric pricing model which allows a client to configure a solution matching their exact requirements with the option to spend or save more at every stage. For example if a website client who is more concerned with content than design then we can offer a range of high quality templates which save development time and therefore money. Once configured we can present the client with a fixed price and time-scale.

What's been the key to your success?
I would highlight two main factors that have helped us more than anything else, firstly we were successful in our application for the KEF (Knowledge Exploitation Fund). For those who are unfamiliar with the scheme, KEF provides a considerable amount of funding distributed throughout nine months following acceptance. This funding has helped us overcome the initial cash-flow problems prone to many businesses.

Secondly our customer service, we have always held our clients with high regard being honest about project costs and realistic about deadlines. This in turn has resulted in their complete satisfaction and a willingness to recommend us to others. So much so, that this referral network has proved to be one of main sources of custom and we reward each client who refers us with either credit against our services or cash.

What one piece of outside technology has benefited your company most?
VoIP (Voice over IP) which is a technology facilitating free telephone conversations over the internet. Despite the fact that we have a main office Anthony regularly works from Birmingham which could potentially make it difficult to converse on projects. Using Skype we can seamlessly design together using voice, text and even efficiently send files between one another. Skype even lets you call regular phones at reduced rates.

What one piece of advice would you give to start-up companies in your field?
We have always tried to capitalise on the fact we are a small business and feel this has been crucial in our success so far. Being a small business has enabled us to provide exceptional customer service with a personal yet professional approach. But perhaps of more benefit is exploiting the fact that as a small business, we are able to work efficiently without the sometimes laborious procedures of larger organisations, and this efficiency has allowed us to pass on the money saved to our customers further providing value for money.

Where do you see your company going in the future?
We have seen a steady increase in business since our incorporation and are hopeful that this will continue and allow us to expand our design team accordingly.

Find out more about Web Media Works at www.webmediaworks.co.uk.