A young and growing web design company has won a contract to
redesign the Derby Does It portal that is a gateway to three sites
about the city. Silktide Studios, based at Brunel Parkway,
Pride Park, beat off stiff local competition to win the tender for
the work in a deal costing tens of thousands of pounds.
The three sites are for Invest in Derby, which tries to attract
business investment; Marketing Derby, which promotes the city,
businesses and other attractions; and Visit Derby, which encourages
tourism.
They have been created within a cutting edge content management
system which allows design consistency across the three sites but
also the flexibility to develop each of them further. They have
fresh content as well as a new look and are all marketed under the
heading Quality City, Quality Opportunity.
Seven staff have worked for more than three months on the sites
which showcase the best of what Derby has to offer and were
launched as part of the City Partnership's Inspiring Derby
initiative.
Steph O'Brien, head of Silktide Studios, said the company was
delighted to have won the contract."This was a prestigious project,
promoting the city and campaigns in a number of ways," he
said. "We are proud to be associated with it. We hope to
continue working with the organisations involved on their websites
and future campaigns."
Silktide Studios is a division of Silktide which was set up in
2001 by University of Derby computer studies graduate Oliver
Emberton. Silktide was the first tenant of Network House, the
University's incubator unit for new businesses in Nuns Street, and
then moved to the ID Centre at RTC Business Park, London Road
before taking up offices in Pride Park two years ago.
There are now 12 staff and the company is recruiting further.
The other division of Silktide focuses on web software
development.
The company won the contract in 2005 to build the University's
website which last year won the Heist Award, which celebrates
marketing excellence, for best higher education website. It has
recently won a contract to refresh that site.
It has also built websites for the University of Nottingham, de
Montfort University at Leicester and Loughborough
University. Other prestigious clients include chartered
accountants Cooper Parry, and the Chatsworth estate of the Duke of
Devonshire.
This website includes an online shopping facility where
customers can buy food from the estate shop or books and souvenirs.
There is also an interactive sculpture map for visitors to the
grounds of the stately home.
Silktide has also built a personal website for actor, ex-Blue
Peter presenter and former Chief Scout Peter Duncan. But one
of the most unusual websites was for Madsods, the dog rescue and
re-homing sanctuary at Mackworth Village.
The Madsods website has recently celebrated first year's
anniversary and has been a barking success.
In the first two months of having their new site the charity
re-housed more dogs than in the previous year. The sanctuary was
delighted to have found a home for 100 dogs to coincide with the
first anniversary of its site.