Life at Oxygen Graphics:
Fiona Brett

Like so many professionals working in the creative industry, brand stylist Fiona Brett has found herself adapting her skills to suit the ever-evolving digital age that we live in. Built on a foundation of print design, she has spent the past three years developing her skills at Oxygen Graphics….

With the world of websites exploding, it comes as no surprise that one of the main areas that I now find myself working on is web design. In fact, with 84 per cent of consumers believing that a website makes a business more credible, there’s never been a more important time for companies to make sure their online brand is booming.

When I say a business’s website is their virtual shopfront, you’ll probably be thinking it’s a saying you’ve heard a million times over but honestly, it’s true. And over the past 18 months, the pandemic has done nothing but put pressure on businesses to make sure they have a professional-looking website that tells their story. That’s where I come in.

I guess website design shares elements of print, except a website isn’t static and comes with a lot more layers. And, with each page of a website coming with its own unique interaction with a visitor, there’s a lot more focus on the customer journey.

And, while I’m constantly considering the journey of the website’s visitor, I’m juggling the client journey too.

I start by speaking to the client, mainly to find out their aims and objectives. The input from me varies depending on the client’s need and how much they want me to do. Sometimes, it’s just a re-design, a refresh of their current site. Other times, it’s the whole package – a totally blank slate, which requires me to work on the brand, the logo, the lot.

Regardless of how much input a client needs from me, it’s essential that I talk to them from the very beginning, so I know exactly what they want and like. Do they want an e-commerce shop? Or, alternatively, is it simply a platform to promote their brand? It’s so important for me to get that first conversation right and ask all the right questions. Having spoken to them, I create a rough layout of their website, which I share with them before they give me their input. We then work together to amend the designs, to ensure they are completely happy with the final result.

While pushing the boundaries, keeping up with industry developments, my priority is to ensure the website is as user friendly as possible – after all, to sell a service or promote a brand, the website needs to work for the audience, or else the business won’t make any sales. 

One of the biggest challenges that comes with any type of design is that it’s so subjective. Clients have their own opinions and I respect that, even if they’re not always the same as mine.

I’ve especially enjoyed working with the team at Meadow Field Luxury Glamping. They provided me with a whole host of strong imagery and content, which I could workaround.

Of course, it helps that I’m interested in glamping too – when you enjoy the topic, I think it makes things easier as a designer because you can put yourself in the shoes of the audience. If you’re able to do that, I think you’re halfway there.

My aim, when working with Meadow Field, was to totally immerse the audience in a world of glamping. As soon as visitors visited the site, I wanted them to immediately feel like they’re in a field, sat in front of a luxury safari tent, enjoying time with friends and family, while sipping hot chocolate – or something stronger – around a campfire. Basically, I want the idea of booking their next glamping stay to be totally and completely irresistible to anyone who visits this website.

As I’m sure you can tell, I felt that this was a very fun job to be part of and I loved working with the client. Better still, it was lovely to see a whole project through, from start to finish.

The thing is, there’s so much more to building a website than design. For example, at Oxygen Graphics, we work hard to ensure the content is optimised for ranking on Google. We each bounce ideas off one another and utilise our team skillset to create the best website possible.

When it comes to web design, the industry is growing at a rapid rate, which means my skillset and knowledge is developing at the same time. But while additional features, tools and extensions are introduced, ready to bolt onto a website, I still strip every job back to what I love doing most and that’s designing. 

If you’re looking to for a team of experts to help you create your next website, or redesign your current one, then get in touch with Oxygen Graphics. From website design, to giving your brand a refresh, as well as providing a high-definition printing service, our team of experts can help bring your ideas to life. Contact us today.