Why the heck did we build a new website?

Party poppers and streamers at Never Sit Still as we launch our new website. ??????

This is the third iteration of our company website over the last eight years of being in business. Designed by Christopher Doyle and developed by Ten Two , we’re super excited to release this new version into the wild.

But it’s no small task to rethink, redesign, and rebuild a website. In fact, it’s a mammoth job. It’s both costly and time consuming, especially when every other element of running a business is already demanding dollars and keeping us well beyond busy. So it begs a very valid question:

Is a website worth the investment these days?

Some studios choose not to have a website at all. Others display nothing more than contact details on their home page. So we definitely paused for thought to answer this question ourselves.

In the end we decided that yes, it was worth the investment. And here’s why…

Shopfront window

As a visual design studio, our work is our product and we need to display it in the most premium and elevated way to attract new clients. Like dressing a high street shop window, a website allows us to curate the display with a handpicked selection of our finest work.?

It’s all about presentation. And it’s on our terms. It’s our corner of the internet. Our very own patch for us to dictate exactly how we want it to look, how we talk about ourselves, and how we present our work to the world.?

Motion branding

The catalyst for this update was to further strengthen our positioning as experts in motion branding.

Previously our motion branding work was jumbled amidst all of our other animation work. Although with this redesign, our new website allows us to bring our the particular projects right to the front and centre of our shop window. We now have a specific menu item and dedicated page for our core area of expertise. On this page we’ve included a new video about our unique approach, supported by additional information about our process, along with examples of real-world applications.

We’ve also added functionality to our 'projects' page, so our users can easily filter and view our motion branding projects. Whilst we’re an animation studio that delivers a wide range of moving content far beyond motion branding, by making this offering more visible and accessible to users means we can continue to build our reputation as experts in this field.

Magazine

The other driving factor in wanting to build a new website was to create a premium ‘magazine’ of Never Sit Still.?

When you think of a good magazine, you think about how good it feels to hold, with a heavy cover, and just the right mix of matt and glossy paper stocks. But beyond the tactile beauty of a magazine, what a good editor brings is the curated mix of varied content inside its pages. Crafted design and layouts mixed with high-quality content, striking photography and well written articles. A magazine gives a diverse mix of stories and content.

And this is what we wanted for our website, to give more of the story of Never Sit Still outside of our portfolio of work.

Our website is an opportunity to display more than just our finest projects. It’s an opportunity to peek behind the curtain and gain an insight into our culture.

We include photos of our studio and the team and we talk about our values and our ethos. This gives both clients and potential hires or freelancers a look into what it’s like to work with us. We also have a journal which we keep up to date, celebrating our team wins, the initiatives we support, and our involvement in the creative industry.

So that’s why it was a yes for us in building a new website.

For a company like ours who specialises in very visual work, a well designed website is the most premium space to curate and display our best work to position ourselves strongly to new clients.

A website allows us to display more than just the work. It allows us to present HOW we work, and WHO we are. Giving more of a rounded view of our culture, ethos and values.

Of course, a strong website can't do all the heavy lifting and we still rely heavily on social channels to keep our conversation going with clients and talent.

It’s near impossible to be on all the platforms, so we choose a few to focus on, and then stay active on them. We post work regularly on Instagram, a visual feast for photography, design, and video. LinkedIn is great for making connections and building relationships. And Behance is a creative network where we share our great projects that might not make it onto our more carefully curated website.

If anyone out there is thinking about building or rebuilding their website, I hope this article has provided one argument in favour. But I would love to hear anyone’s opinions to the contrary, as I realise a website may not be for everyone.

Either way, please take a quick look at our glossy new shopfront. I hope you like what you see.

www.neversitstill.com