The credit crunch and web development

It seems the economic downturn, the so called credit crunch, is beginning to bite in the world of web development.

The smaller client

Smaller clients are expecting demanding more for less, often placing an unbalanced emphasis on pure cost versus proven quality and depth of knowledge. This is resulting in established design houses being unable to compete in terms of price and thus not winning contracts. Consequently many projects are being completed ‘cheaply’ but not to the standards expected by clients, often with a late cry of ‘we need your help’ directed toward the company originally deemed too expensive upon initial award of contract.

At Twill Media we refuse to cut corners or sacrifice care and attention in favour of a lower price bracket. After all, it’s the quality and thought that go into clients’ websites that invariably win them future business and provide a good return on investment.

The larger, corporate client

Larger, corporate clients will of course continue to employ online services implicit to the sustainability of their businesses. With this the case, the project opportunities are still aplenty, but alongside the imposition of ever tightening deadlines. It’s becoming a case of fastest turnaround always wins — foot-to-the-metal all the way…

Fortunately, you cannot place a price on creativity. Subjectivity means no designer is directly comparable to the next, at least in monetary terms. The web developers who successfully weather the current storm will be those who carefully observe market trends, consistently hone their skills, maintain relationships and burn a large measure of the midnight oil. Maintaining repeat business is also key. As if running a business wasn’t tough enough already!

Twill Media gets another new uniform

At Twill Media we recently redesigned our website to take on a more ‘arty’ look and feel. Whilst this went down well, it seems the more corporate appearance is perhaps a ‘safer’ uniform to be seen in, better understood by the majority of business clients. With the current economic climate, now’s not the time to be taking risks, so we’ve gone back to the drawing board, worked until 3AM for a few days and made a few changes. The new home page is shown below.

The live site’s here.