This year will mark 30 years since the first website was published by Tim Berners-Lee, which explained what the World Wide Web Project was and contained only text with hyperlinks.
Nine years after that, Trudie Avery of Avery Creative started her own journey into website creation when she joined a forward-thinking, full-service design agency in Chiswick, London.
“Designing websites was a far cry back then from what it is today,” explained Trudie. “You couldn’t include much on a page because the screen was so much smaller and things like animated GIFs – which we take for granted today – were the most interesting animation you could feasibly put on a page.
“One of the first websites I worked on was for a courier company and we had a GIF animation of a truck going along the bottom of the page, which was a huge excitement! Can you imagine?
“The developer and I were always at odds because I would design something that he would tell me couldn’t be done. But we battled it out. I would make suggestions on coding, he would make suggestions on the design, and between us we found a solution. Never one to take no for an answer and working with someone as determined to make things succeed as I was, we always found a solution. Pushing back the boundaries, taking tiny steps towards the interactive experiences we’re used to today.
“Recently, it occurred to me that I have been building and designing websites for 20 years now and just how much the web has changed in that time. Website design has grown to what it is today because designers refused to let their creativity be limited by the technology.”
Fast-forward to 2021 and, after years of working with clients on their branding, graphic design and website projects, Trudie runs Avery Creative, a company that offers those skills to predominantly start-up businesses and small firms looking to upscale. It is a world Trudie is very happy in, relishing the opportunity to use her knowledge and experience to create branding and websites for small businesses that help them gain recognition and trust and reveal what makes their business special.
“On average, people decide within the first three to five seconds if the website they’ve landed on is the right place for them, so you want them to see a professional, beautifully designed website that showcases what your business does to make them stick around,” said Trudie. “With every project, I aim to create a website that lights a creative spark for my client, something they can get genuinely excited about and that breathes life into their business. I want to design a site that jumps off the screen and resonates with the right audience, that talks to them, showing how their problems can be solved while putting across the company’s personality and what makes them special.
“I’m passionate about making sure my clients are 100% proud of their websites. I recently spoke to a client I designed a website for a year ago. At that time, he wasn’t excited about his business, but his new branding changed everything for him. It made him realise how proud he was of what he does, and he now shows off his website to everyone. It has also made a significant difference to his bottom line – the year following his new branding and website launch being easily his most profitable year to date.
“The truth is you can do so much with websites now, from selling services to booking appointments and live chats. They are so important to the customer journey. The possibilities with web design today are almost infinite and the technology is there to make websites truly interactive and exciting – you really are only limited by your imagination.
“I’ve seen many changes over the years but my passion for web design and helping my clients has never altered and this is what keeps me pushing for more.”
If you want to find out more about designing your dream website contact Trudie at trudie@averycreative.co.uk
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