What do we have to offer?

Template design are two very dirty words in our studio. We approach every brief with a nice new, shiny white canvas, working with you to create a design that fits with your requirements. We’re not going to talk you into using a fixed template that means you have to change the way you work; we’re collaborators, so we work with you to make sure that your site grows to be exactly what you had hoped and dreamed for. Because we’re not limited by a restrictive CMS, we have complete creative freedom, and that means you and your website do too. We can craft the way it looks as well as the way it works to enhance your users experience.

Many people think that this creative freedom is about making pretty pictures. We love a pretty picture, but there is far more to it than that. Everything is designed, but few things are designed well, our extensive knowledge of UX design means that we understand the way users behave and engage with your website. People have 7 seconds to make an impression, but with web design we ain’t so lucky. One twentieth of a second is the amount of time a website has to make a first impression. Now, not all web designers are created equal, but thankfully the Brownpaperbag cohort know how to impress in the blink of an eye so that the user comes back for seconds, and thirds and fifty-fourths. It’s still going to look great, it’s also going to work like a dream.

We care and get great feedback from clients about our design process. It’s a heck of a journey creating a gorgeous, functional, engaging, yet memorable website, but thankfully we care a lot about design, getting people to where they want to be and that they have a say in where they’re going along the way, right up to the final destination.

We hear the comment from new clients to the world of eCommerce ”I want to sell online” and yes we can help. However we know one shoe doesn't fit all as some would try and say in our industry. Therefore we are the folk you come to saying ”I have an eCommerce site and it's not working well”, or “I’m now aware of what I really need”. Then sit down with us with a clean sheet of paper and tell us all your ‘pain points’, all your 'wish list requests’ and let us open your world to the possibilities of what we can do. Most clients we deal with have been squeezed into some kind of off-the-shelf template system, that has no foresight of your growing business needs. Okay if you’re purely an online business... but more often than not painful if there are other systems in your business that need to be considered.

We have a few options available and each can be tailored to suit your needs. We can build a straight-forward shop selling 50-100 items through to a medium site of 200-800 items with various extras that create an efficient back office system right through to complex ground up rebuilds with complex integration with current ERP or inventory management systems. And yunno we can also develop online ecommerce that builds a kitchen, house, skateboard or marine park with various options, tying into an online procurement system.

Plus our advice and experience can partner with you to develop a leading solution that adds value to your business.

Your website looks pretty flashy, so flashy in fact that you’re wondering whether you can update it yourself without it crumbling into dust. Good news! You absolutely can update your website yourself; we actually tailor our custom CMS to you and your processes to make sure updating your new site is a breeze.

No two CMS systems are created equal. We aren't limited by an off-the-shelf CMS, trying to be everything to everyone. This means not being pigeon-holed into generic templates restricting the way you work. Throughout our collaborative process we work with you to scope out a tailored solution unique to your requirements.

There’s more… when your site is ready we’ll come to yours to show you how it all works and put your first load of content in for you. We’re all human... sometimes we forget things. If you need help with any updates in the CMS, give us a call on our free helpline and one of the team can talk you through how to do it.

You’ve heard the argument ‘Proprietary vs Open Source’... we have the best of both worlds.

We don’t develop using a limiting solution. Any experienced CMS editor knows these make for following 4-5 steps just to perform a simple task. Using our tailored ‘Proprietary’ solution could cut this down to 1-2 steps. Add that time up for repeating that task 40-50 times a day.

Whilst a ‘one size fits all’ is great for entry level opportunities, it gets real expensive and real buggy if you try to add too much, or add something it was never designed to do. Our tailored approach has your scalable future in mind.

There have always been negatives to proprietary and open-source solutions. Proprietary solutions have led to clients feeling tied to their web designers after relationships have gone bad. Open-source is often thought of as limiting. Therefore we offer all our clients an enterprise version which is theirs to keep, so yes if things turn sour (we hope they don’t) you’re free to move to whoever you want.

So when you ask “Will I be able to update the website myself?”
Yes, you can. You might even enjoy it.

We have built some very complex custom applications. From procurement systems that integrate with some of the top airlines in the world, to an online marine reserve where people can purchase sections, lending itself to social iterations and future gameplay. We have built auction portals, custom web based quoting software, advanced franchise operating systems that include cloud-based bookings systems all transparent and seamless. These days we are building these systems that enable mobile device integration.

To enable the tailored design solutions that our company is known for, our development team is equally versed in quality deployment of large scale end-end system applications, developed for our clients. Often people have thought we are only good at web design, until we show them some of the large systems we have built for some notable clients.

Come and have a no-obligation chat with us and share what you’re trying to achieve. You’ll work out pretty quickly that we are more than just a capable development partner, but our experience and approach is what you need in a partner to ensure the outcomes accomplish what you need them to achieve.

Whether its SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), SEM (Search Engine Marketing), Analytics, Email Marketing, Social Media, Behavioural Conversion Marketing or just developing your online goals, we can assist.

More and more clients are understanding the importance of analysing trends, behaviours through website data and reporting. You’ve heard the newbie say “I just want to be number one on google, thats all.” and they think that's digital marketing in a nutshell.

There is more to digital marketing than this, we have observed the more versed a client becomes in the world of online marketing the more they value ongoing evaluation of goals, data, trending etc, to understand who their clients are and what they’re doing and when. Your understanding of your market is critical to success online and critical to build a sustainable online footprint. Rome wasn't built in a day and nor will your online empire be.

We can conduct usability studies, social platform segmentation reports and we can work with you to set credible goal-setting and benchmarking plans that are strategic and aligned with your brand without losing its brand values. Strategy and value-proposition needs to be considered. Whether your online strategy offers more a service or consultancy, how this plays out and how is this measured.

Got a great idea for a mobile app? We’d love to hear it.

Whether you want an app to refine a business process, or something more important, like deciding whose turn it is to do the coffee run, we can help.

We have experience in designing and developing iOS and Android apps. We build these from the ground up, taking apps from hand-drawn brainstorms, all the way through to deployment across app stores. During the process we work with you to map out and refine the users experience, making regular tasks easy and intuitive for a user on a mobile device.

People are so accustomed to using high-end apps that work so seamlessly and simply that they actually become part of their daily routine. If another app doesn’t give them the same experience they just won’t use it. No matter what we're working on, we always bring our passion for design and UX. Our approach to mobile apps is no different, the way it works is just as important as the way it looks. We’ll look at what the app needs to achieve and find the best way to guide your users through the experience.

So, still excited about your idea? Come in and tell us.

Sick of going to websites and seeing tiny text and images? Awkwardly zooming and moving the page around to find what you want, or just giving up and leaving? Chances are your users are as well.

Mobile usage is increasing all the time. How many times have you walked down the street narrowly dodging lamp posts as you check your Facebook? People are consuming their content on the go and it’s more important than ever that your customers have a good experience across all devices. That's no longer a nice to have, but more of an expectation.

Sounds expensive right? It doesn’t have to be. We’ll grab a nice warm flat white and have a chat about your options for making your new or old site mobile friendly. We can do anything from creating a full responsive site that will adapt, shift and change to fit the viewers device, to creating a completely separate mobile site that is tailored specifically for a mobile users experience or a streamlined mobile site, tailored for users on the go.

Over 50% of all connections to the internet are now made through mobile devices. With mobile connections expected to reach 70% by 2016, it is critical to make sure your website is formatted correctly when viewed from a mobile device.

We’re good at helping you work out which option is right for you.

So, you’ve got your shiny new website and you’re ready to show it to the world. Hurrah! Sharing is caring, so let us help you share it. In most cases we can look after everything for you, letting you know when your site is ready for the runway. For the other cases we’ll make sure we keep in touch so that you know what you can do to get things running and keep things flowing. We’re as excited as you are for the opening party.

From experience, we recommend hosting with the team that built your website. But wait, you could save $5 a month by hosting with a mate? When (not if) the unruly world of IT decides to smite you for no explainable reason with the dreaded ERROR 404, or ‘This page does not exist’, you’re going to need a web company with a vested interest in the site to get you back online quick smart. In fact, hosting with the creators of your website means that all problems can be solved in one place and all birds can be killed with one stoney phone call. In the long run, this is going to save you a heck of a lot more that $5 a month. You can trust us on this one.

Worried about reliability, speed or security? Don’t be, we’ve got your back. We use New Zealand’s leading data storage house and provide daily backups and database snapshots, so we can restore your site at any point to any available snapshot. Feeling better? If not, there's a helpdesk available for support on weekdays between 9-5 and priority staff contact for any emergency hosting or server related failures. If you’re still looking for the carrot, we’ll even throw in unlimited email accounts. Tell us we’re not good to you!

Let us take the hassle out of hosting.

Engage with your customers like never before.

When you have a great product or service you want to shout from the rooftops, letting new and existing customers alike know just what you're offering.

Similarly, you want to build relationships with your customers, engaging with them so you're always fresh in their mind. Email marketing allows you to do this, acting like a megaphone delivering the right marketing message, at the right time.

Whether it's strategy, data, creative, campaigns, reporting or channel integration, your email marketing will benefit from our experience.

It is important that your email creative renders well on all devices. Pixel perfect creative, ensures brand consistency and makes everyone smile.

Measurement analytics are key to find out your users behaviours and to change and adapt your emails to suit.