Web Site Development
We have had many years of experience in designing Web sites, ranging from simple 'brochure' sites to highly complex, database-driven sites producing millions of page impressions per day. Our parent company in London, England was established in 1994, making us one of the oldest Web site production companies around -- something we're very proud of.
Our aim is to produce exactly the right site for you. After an initial consultation, one of our experts will sit down with the relevant members of your staff to ensure that the site performs exactly as required. Need a shopping cart and on-line credit card authorization? No problem. Want animations, video and moving graphics? You've got it. Need mapping on your site to show potential visitors where you're located? Consider it done. Want to be able to update the text on your site in real time, without needing to go through us to do it? We can put management systems in place that allow you to do just that.
Although we hate the phrase 'Web 2.0', the Web sites we build use the very latest technologies including AJAX for a fast, intuitive front-end user experience and Ruby on Rails for back-end
development that is fast, robust and configured exactly to your needs. Of course, we offer full hosting and site maintenance services to our clients, as well as marketing support and
search engine optimization (SEO).
Our client list ranges from small organizations to large governmental departments. Some sample clients are listed below; click to find out a little more about the sort of things we do:
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts/Los Angeles (BAFTA/LA)
BAFTA/LA's Web site includes a large Members-only area, featuring a message board, Membership Directory and a sophisticated RSVP system allowing Members to book seats for screenings and other special events. We inherited the design, but built the entire back-end of the site. The site features a Content Management System (CMS) with a very simple user interface which allows the organization's staff to upload and modify news stories and event information without needing to know any HTML. The Web site is at
www.baftala.org, although the Members-only section is (of course) password-protected.
The Los Angeles Unified School District
The LAUSD's Arts Education Branch contracted with us to create a system to manage over $20 million is arts grants.
We developed an entire ordering system, whereby schools can order all of their arts supplies for the next three years online. The system is not just a product-ordering
Web site; it includes components to monitor a school's progress in arts education, to allow school Principals to provide an action plan for further teaching, and for
the Arts Education Branch to create the multitude of different reports it needs.
The Cancun International Film Festival
We developed a back-end system for the Cancun International Film Festival which allows festival programmers to enter and
manage details on all the movies submitted to the festival, as well as keep track of all the invited guests, press and VIPs.
DVD Industry
DVD Industry is an online publication based in New Zealand which caters to (rather unsurprisingly) the DVD industry. The site
includes a complete Content Management System (CMS) and an advert serving system. The staff of DVD Industry has no HTML or Web design expertise at all, so it was
crucial that the CMS be as easy to use as possible, while still allowing them the flexibility to style up the text (add bold, italics, colors, headings etc).
StudioMailings.com
As part of an effort to reduce the amount of mailings that movie studios send to Oscar™ and other Guild and Academy voters during the
Awards Season, W A Communications developed StudioMailings.com, a site where studios can upload information on forthcoming screenings in PDF format; site visitors can then view
the information online or print out just the portions they need. This site was developed pro bono, since we feel that it's our responsibility to at least attempt
to reduce the amount of printed material produced when Web delivery is faster, lower-cost, more convenient and less harmful to the environment.
Whether you already have a Web site or you're new to the whole area, we can help. Call us on (323) 658-8977 to discuss your requirements or to arrange a free initial consultation.
