Blog

Archive for the ‘How We Do Things’ Category

Doodle blog header

Monday, September 29th, 2008

Today we uploaded our new header to our Improve Your Presence Online Blog.

As you can see it’s based on a doodle design. It sparked off a conversation at our staff meeting. I said doodle but I was eating corn on the cob at the time. So, Anine thought I said “noodle”. I said “doodle” and she said “noodle?” and I said “doodle”. Then Amy said – “doodle”!

Then we talked about how people doodle when they want to be doing something else.

Then Amy reminisced how at school they would stick noodles onto paper for collage art.
It was a “noodle doodle”.

Anine then pointed out the “nowadays you can Google a noodle doodle!”

In any case – we would love your opinion on the doodle theme – should we create oodles of doodles?

Values – lets get external!

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

Every company has values but few take the time to define them.

Top Left Design has 2 sets of values – external (ie for client and project management) and internal.

I thought it would be very nice if we could share the EXTERNAL values first (have the internal values also, but need to check them internally. You know how it is, democracy and all!)

  • Attention to Detail – it’s the little things that count!
  • Customer Care – we really do want our clients to be happy
  • A Clear Process – so projects run smoothly
  • Good Communication – We keep our clients “in the loop”

We’ve got little poems to help communicate our values internally – and here they are!

Check things are correct if you finish too soon
Mistakes should occur once in a blue moon

(that one is obviously about Attention to Detail. The two below is about how me manage email at milestone points – part of the Project Management we pride ourselves on!)

E-mail all you’ve done, and include every link
So client is stress-free, they need never think

When you get the work in, phone clients and say
we have your work in – we’ll do it today!
(or maybe tomorrow) but in any case
They will feel taken care of – it wont be a waste!
They’ll feel “so comfee” – like in cotton balls
they will be happee – sing our praises to all!

I hope this has been useful for you readers to understand better. As this is a brand new blog, I have no idea who is out there, reading away, but I am always happy to share.

Definitely Get in touch if you have any questions.

EcoFriendlySites – launched at last!

Monday, August 18th, 2008

At long last, and aptly, on my birthday, we have launched EcoFriendlySites. It’s another website “product” we have here at Top Left Design, for those businesses who want to show they care for the environment and want a well built quality website. Unlike many templated website offers you can find online, we do “hand make” the EcoFriendlySites – but becase they are based on prebuilt designs and we receive all content from clients in advance, they take a lot less time. We have 9 designs so far, and we will be making more.

Visit http://www.ecofriendly-sites.com/ and let us know what you think!!

EcoFriendlySites - clean up the internet and clean up the world

August productivity

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

Here are the things we are planning this month!

 

- Top Left Design Trademark
- Make full Use of Freshbooks!
- Launch EcoFriendly Sites
- Manuals printed with tabs
- Sign up on http://expertsources.co.uk (this is done!!)
- Develop our SEO offering for our clients
- Organise the CDs alphabetically
- Write copy for TLD brochure

Added to this we hope to launch at least 3 of our sites and get design sign off on 4 more!

Well you gotta have goals – right?

From the Ocado website

From the Ocado website - I like it!

Fresh fresh fresh! We love freshbooks!

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

At long last, we have bought Freshbooks! And we will use it! And it will make a world of difference with our invoicing and maintenance timesheeting

Of course we have always been stringent timesheet keepers. Any efficient service based company has to be. But this will make accessing the information so much easier. Watch this space for more on this, when we have used it for a while!

Click below to see what we mean. It’s brilliant.

FreshBooks

FreshBooks

What did I just do?

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

This is partly to remind me!

I downloaded wordpress, opened the Read Me file, and found the names of the files I had to edit. With Alan Ogden’s help, I went to 3dPixel.net – my wonderful hosting company – and added a database! I then went back into wp-config.php which is in the root of the “wordpress” folder and added the new database name, the username and password. I uploaded this into the same url area where I had created the database, and then went in my browser to wp-admin/install.php – the instructions werent entirely clear about this having to be online but – duh – it was. Anyway – there were prompts and by joe I think I have got it.

Jez said he could make a way for this to happen in one click. Who knows if this is true but worth investigation.

Now for some themes – downloaded one – not so great actually – so back to default! Watch this space for something more interesting – we are a design company after all!