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Green Network web site launched
Wednesday, 09 June 2010 13:35
GCV Green Network aims to make the Glasgow metropolitan region one of Europe’s most attractive places to live, work and play. This will be done through the creation of a large functional Green Network. The GCV Green Network will connect our quality spaces from Greenock to Lanark and Cumbernauld to East Kilbride.
John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary, Scottish Government:“This project will not just transform the living and working environment for nearly two million people. It will make Glasgow and its surrounding areas a more attractive place for business investment, regeneration initiatives and sustainable development.”
Intended outcomes of the GCV Green Network include:
Increasing the attractiveness of the region as a location for business;
Creating opportunities for health improvement;
Building stronger, better connected communities; and
Protecting and enhancing wildlife and the environment, by providing accessible quality green space.
Michelle McGinnis, Communications Officer, GCV Green Network: “Our focus is shifting from awareness raising toward achieving physical delivery of the GCV Green Network Vision. Our new website is a crucial tool in encouraging key audiences to become hands on and get involved with delivery of the Partnership’s strategic projects.
Through development of localised map features we are able to demonstrate where activity is happening on the ground. Alienations approach has allowed us to take control of a complex website through content management, this will ultimately benefit our end users and lead to more effective communications.”
The new website incorporates a number of interactive maps of the areas covered showing the different types of projects throughout the region. The entire site – including the projects, videos and extensive publication library – is controlled by GCV through a content management system.
http://www.gcvgreennetwork.gov.uk/ Neil Barr, MD Alienation Digital says:“With Alienation’s carbon neutral status and social responsibility policy, the GCVs aims are something close to our hearts. We look forward to working closer with them to help make the GCV Green Network happen.”
Aquira is a specialist sales company working predominantly in the contact centre sector. Their unique techniques and processes manage every element of your sales function to deliver dramatic increases in sales and service results, maximising margins, increasing customer loyalty and creating a reduction in the cost of customer acquisition.
The company has grown rapidly in the last year following corporate clients wins with the likes of Vodafone, AVIVA, 3, SKY, Redstone, BT, T-Mobile and npower.
Aquira approached Alienation with the primary objective to create a website with character that reflected the branding, personality and ethos of Aquira and to show the dramatic extent of the improved results that Aquira can effect upon a major company.
Eden Solar is a fully accredited installer of both solar thermal (hot water) and PV (electric) systems. Based in Bristol, Eden Solar operates in both the Domestic and Commercial markets. They aim to help customers capitalise on the 4 key benefits of solar electricity.
Cut your carbon footprint
Cut your electricity bills
Sell electricity back to the Grid
Store electricity for a cloudy day
As well as a fully content managed website, Alienation will also be working with Eden Solar on branding for the business.
ODS provide consultancy, research and support to improve policy and strengthen communities in the areas of regeneration, community planning, community engagement, equalities and social economy.
Alienation have worked with ODS before on projects such as Home Argyll. This new project is for the redesign and development of the ODS website and rebranding of the organisation.
Neil Barr, MD Alienation Digital says:“After our most successful year ever, we’ve had amazing continued success in attracting new clients and establishing deeper relationships with existing customers. We look forward to working with all of them in replicating the results we’ve already produced for our other clients.”
All 3 sites will utilise the open source content management system Joomla!, and will be launched some time in the autumn.
Alienation Digital has been specially selected for a new and exciting digital project being developed by Mytownhomepage.co.uk Ltd (MTH).
Managing Director, William Wilson, of MTH explains; "The purpose of Mytownhomepage.co.uk is to offer businesses, public agencies, not-for-profit organisations, voluntary groups and individuals the opportunity to use a creative and innovatively designed web page to reach their range of customers. This will be done in a number of different ways and we need a site that will have instant visual appeal along with very precise and sophisticated functionality.
Alienation Digital stood out in the process to choose Mytownhomepage's web design partner. William explains more; "We recognised that the decision about who our web design partner was to be was crucial to the future success of our project. Having been designated as a High Growth Pipeline Business by Scottish Enterprise, this entitled us to support from their I.T. specialists, and this led to us being very thorough in the production of a detailed design brief which was sent to a number of web design companies throughout Scotland. Alienation Digital's previous work highlighted that they were forward-thinking and modern and showed that they could deliver on the high standard of design and functionality required. The quality of their proposal document was also second to none."
Mytownhomepage.co.uk will initially be launched in the West of Scotland area in Autumn 2010 with plans are to roll it out nationally as soon as possible. Further information on the project can be obtained by contacting them at
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Alienation have won the contract to design and build a new website for The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations following a competitive 3 way pitch. The new site will improve communication and manage information to ensure they are "Fit for the Future".
As part of its ongoing development of the SFHA brand, the new site will be a modern, user friendly & accessible website which will make use of new media technology in order to improve business processes, make SFHA more efficient and ultimately to deliver a better service to members, service users and stakeholders.
Some of the functionality to be delivered includes an extensive members area for SFHA’s 132 housing associations, 59 Local Housing Organisations members in Scotland, and over 200 Commercial businesses. Members will be able to interact, search and share information, book and pay for events and view an interactive map of Housing Association members.
The SFHA are a non-profit organisation owned by its membership and exists to support the work of housing associations and co-operatives in Scotland by providing services, advice and good practice guidance. Established in 1975, SFHA also provide commercial services from their subsidiary body - Housing Scotland Social Enterprises (HSSE).
Neil Barr MD of Alienation Digital said: "SFHA joins us at a time of considerable growth at Alienation Digital. We are delighted to see them join our roster of clients that already includes a number of SFHA members. We look forward to working closely with them to develop a world class site fit for the future."
Alienation Launches New Website for Leading Social Care Charity
Thursday, 22 April 2010 09:28
VSA is a leading charity working to help build a caring and inclusive community for the people of Aberdeen in Scotland.
Inaugurated in 1870, VSA has evolved since then to continue meeting the changing needs of the local community. Alienation Digital has designed a new website which will help VSA to continue providing support to thousands of people by making its resources available and accessible online.
The new website has been built with ease of access and usability in mind. Clean lined styling has been used with a colour palette that complements the brand.
Senior Designer, Aidan Martin developed the interactive design features in consultation with the client:
“The propeller animation was born out of the brand. VSA were looking for features to engage users and make the banner more graphically appealing, so the subtle animation has been designed to do that.”
The design style evolved from VSA’s print material into an online presence which integrates features such as an online scrapbook and events calendar, designed to make the site more interactive and appealing.
VSA’s David McCready summed up the project, and the working relationship:
“Alienation are an excellent development company who communicated well from the start of the project through to completion. They took a very professional approach to the project and explained each stage in detail. Alienation's creative design was impressive and had considerably more flair than other developers we considered. The project ran to schedule on Alienation's side and we are very happy with the final outcome.”
Alienation is pleased to extend its relationship with the Kingdom of Fife by announcing a new contract win and two new website launches for independent support agencies.
Fife and Forth Valley Community Justice Authority (FFVCJA)
Furthering our work to enhance the online profile of community justice authorities, Alienation has been contracted to create a new website for Fife and Forth Valley Community Justice Authority.
This new site will engage with a variety of stakeholders to reduce reoffending and aid rehabilitation through the close working partnership between community and prison services. The online presence will be an integral part of FFVCJA’s commitment to engaging with the wider community and will promote its vision to create safer communities and support public protection.
Fife Law Centre and Opportunities Fife
We are also delighted to announce newly launched sites for Fife Law Centre and Opportunities Fife, for which we have provided refreshed design and new back end functionality.
Fife Law Centre works to improve access to justice for those that either cannot afford to pay for legal services, or have difficulty accessing legal aid and representation.
Opportunities Fife is responsible for driving forward the employability and skills agenda within Fife’s Community Planning structures.
The new websites will work to enhance organisational performance by connecting with a larger audience online.
New Partnership for Alienation and Scottish Ballet
Friday, 16 April 2010 11:23
Alienation Digital is delighted to announce winning the contract to develop an exciting new website for Scottish Ballet.
Scottish Ballet is Scotland’s national dance company, presenting a wide range of high-quality dance to audiences across Scotland, the UK and abroad. The Company presents a broad repertoire, ranging from new versions of the classics through to seminal pieces from modern ballet.
The new microsite will be designed to engage Scottish Ballet with new youth audiences online. Design and creative development will focus on interactivity, fun and a social user experience.
Alienation to Create New Royal College of Surgeons Websites
Thursday, 01 April 2010 16:15
Glasgow based digital marketing agency Alienation Digital is to redesign and revamp the entire digital platform for The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, one of the oldest surgical corporations in the world.
The contract for web design and Internet marketing was won following a competitive tender process which placed Alienation in direct competition with some of the leading web design agencies in the UK.
New digital platforms will further improve accessibility to information for both its surgical community and allied professionals as well as for the community at large.
The Royal College of Surgeons has a rich history. It celebrated a 500-year anniversary in 2005, and continues to be a cutting edge, innovative organisation at the forefront of an ever-evolving industry.
The project will comprise web design, search engine optimisation and internet marketing for a range of websites as well as an intranet developed on SharePoint. The new public facing websites will be developed using the open source Umbraco CMS with a view to enabling future development in-house at the College.
Kevin McDermott, will be one of the first people in Scotland to own the latest 'must have' gadget after winning an Apple iPad, which Alienation Digital donated to Glasgow’s Twestival.
Software developer Kevin said: "I'm really delighted that Alienation gave me the chance to get my hands on an iPad and help a good cause at the same time.
"I am permanently connected to the internet, and the iPad will take my addiction to new heights."
Glasgow’s Twestival, which was held in the city's Lansdowne Bar, raised nearly £6,000 for the international charity Concern Worldwide, generating more money per attendee than both the Edinburgh and the London Twestival’s held on the same night.
Neil Barr Alienation's MD said: "We were proud to be the event's official 'Live Act' sponsor as well as putting up the iPad, which created a tremendous buzz at the event and helped the Twestival raise so much money for such a good cause.
"We have pre-ordered Kevin's iPad to make sure he is one of the first to get his hands on one when Apple official releases it in the UK."
Many of Alienation's staff attended the event which included live bands, mind readers, raffles and Alienation's Sales Director David Johnstone, who was one of the DJs on the night.
For the 2nd year in a row, Alienation Digital is supporting the local Twitter Festival by donating one of the most sought after pieces of technology around.
Alienation Digtal, the official 'Live Act' sponsor of the Glasgow Twestival on 25th March, will mark the event by donating an Apple iPad to the charity auction on the night.
This year, the Twestival has been organised to raise money for Concern Worldwide, an international humanitarian organisation
dedicated to reducing suffering and ending extreme poverty.
All of this year's local Twestivals will be held on the same day, and the popular Lansdowne Bar & Kitchen in Glasgow's west end will host the Glasgow Twestival.
The ticket only event will include live bands, prize raffles, auctions and of course lots and lots of tweeting. All money raised on the night will go to Concern, so get your tickets now if you want to help a worthy cause and be in with a chance of getting your hands on some amazing prizes. Check out the official Glasgow Twestival site for more details and to buy tickets.
Check out the video below to see how far the cash raised will go.
New Websites Launched for Chiltern Training and the NHS
Friday, 05 March 2010 09:38
Alienation Digital has developed brand new websites to enhance the online aspects of two extremely valuable community services.
Chiltern Training provides childcare courses to over 300 apprentices each year in the English Midlands, whilst the NHS Smokefree Services website is a key portal of information about smoking for people in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Chiltern Training
The new Chiltern Training website www.lostsocks.co.uk has been developed with vibrant and interactive features, making it an online resource for existing and prospective students.
The homepage design is streamlined through the use of quick links within the site banner that direct the user to key features of the site, prominent links to Facebook and Twitter integrate the website with social networks, and the latest news is pulled into the homepage to keep the site fresh and up to date. An interactive course search tool has been developed for prospective students to quickly locate information about their course or area of interest.
Existing students can visit the site for a student services section with comprehensive advice and links to helpful resources. The careers and progression section is designed for students looking to take the next step in their childcare career.
Elizabeth Boyd, Chiltern Training CEO said:
"From day 1 our experience was extremely positive. It was a real joy to work with professionals. Every single process ran smoothly and every member of staff was exceptionally helpful and supportive. We were particularly impressed with the market research carried out on our competitors and have found this to be very useful. The completed site far exceeded our expectations and within a few hours of going live we began receiving positive feedback from our students and the childcare settings with whom we work. We are so delighted with the site, we are looking forward to continuing our relationship with Alieantion and working with them again in the future."
Smokefree Services
Smokefree Services is an NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde project aimed at reducing the damage that tobacco causes to people in Glasgow. The new website marks a continuation of Alienation Digital's relationship with the NHS following the W-West website that we launched last year, which provided pro-choice information about smoking for a young demographic.
The Smokefree Services website has been designed with simplicity and easy navigation at the forefront, so that even internet novices can quickly find the information they are looking for. Videos provide true life support stories from people who have successfully quit smoking, and a 'service search' map feature allows users to access support in their area via an interactive postcode search.
Alienation Digital is delighted to announce a major contract win to provide web design and web copywriting for Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, the second largest fire and rescue service in the United Kingdom, and one of the largest in Europe.
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue serves 2.3 million people across a 14,000 square kilometre area which ranges from rural and island communities to Scotland's largest city, Glasgow.
The fire fighters are based at 113 strategically sited fire stations as far flung as Argyll to the north, South Lanarkshire to the east, South Ayrshire to the south, and the Isle of Tiree to the west.
The new website will be a hive of information about the Fire Service as well as a resource for the community, complete with up to the minute incident reporting, recruitment and fire safety advice.
Scotland’s Alienation Digital Beats London Agencies to Condor Cycles
Friday, 05 February 2010 11:27
Alienation is excited to announce a new digital partnership with London’s Condor Cycles: designers and builders of premium bespoke bicycles since 1948.
In today’s marketplace, a bespoke bicycle is a rarity. At Condor, it is what they have done every day, for over sixty years.
Condor Cycles is a fully equipped retail store, a manufacturer and has one of Europe’s largest cycling clothing departments. Beyond consumer products, it’s team Rapha Condor Sharp is the number 1 ranked road cycling team in Britain.
The Condor Shop on Gray’s Inn Road, London is a hub, a focal point and a social meeting place for the cycling community.
Alienation Digital’s experience delivering integrated digital marketing strategies for clients in competitive market places, its design credentials, and ‘unique design for each client’ approach were fundamental to its selection as Condor’s digital agency.
The new website will be an online presence for the brand, a resource for Condor enthusiasts, and a home for the cycling community online.
Grant Young, Managing Director of Condor Cycles said:
"It is vital we are represented online in a way that reflects Condor offline. Alienation understood that we set ourselves apart from the competition and need to continue that online with regard to design and digital marketing enabling us to advance our consumer offering. Going forward the website will be far more functional and usable for both entry level riders to enthusiasts as well as strengthen our reputation within the industry and wider fitness market."
Starting as we mean to go on, Alienation will round off the first month of the year with a major contract win, which will utilise our innovative multi-site manager tool to deliver a range of websites for a community focused Scottish charity.
Alienation won the contract following a competitive tender process, and has been briefed to create three new content managed websites for Paths For All. The charity promotes the health benefits of walking, its mission is to create a “happier, healthier, greener, more active Scotland”.
Alienation’s multi-site manager will be used to help the charity and its 20 plus partner organisations as they grow with the project. The multi-site manager, which has already been implemented for Somerston Hotels and Maclay Inns, gives clients the ability to manage multiple different web presences from within one content management system. This streamlines the administration of the websites as well as reducing the cost of web development.
The three new websites will feature interactive maps, resource databases and will integrate with a variety of multimedia applications to help visitors find out more about the walking facilities available throughout Scotland.
This is the first major contract win for Karen Morris, the newest addition to the Alienation Digital sales team. Congratulations to Karen!
You can contact Karen to discuss your digital marketing requirements on 0141 33 11 323 or by email at
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Alienation Digital has developed a new site for outdoor retailer Vango. This camping specialist was established in the West of Scotland and is part of the AMG Group. The forward thinking company with a 40 year heritage are known for quality products that are essential for outdoor use.
Vango came to Alienation Digital late last year looking for a new web platform that could take the brand ahead of the competition in 2010 and beyond.
The cornerstone of the new site is an interactive product search function showcasing the comprehensive product offering from Vango. This impressive functionality gives visitors to the site the ability to narrow their product search down to colour, capacity and other key features. Making it simple for shoppers to find what they are looking for and compare products.
Vango are continuing with the interactive theme throughout the site. They will be using the site to introduce visitors to various team members throughout 2010 and there is a news feed on the homepage where visitors can see the latest updates.
Vango are increasing their web presence through social media and are connecting with visitors though Facebook and Twitter. YouTube is used to feature information about products, with a series of short films coming soon that will show customers the correct way to pitch their Vango tent.
Alienation look forward to building on the success of the Vango site and will be working with AMG on other projects with some more sites launching soon.
AMG is the UK's leading owner and distributor of an impressive portfolio of premier footwear, outdoor and snow brands, such as Wayfayrer, Lichfield, Phoenix, Trangia and Blacks of Greenock.
Scott Beveridge, the AMG Group's Creative Manager said:
"As a business, Vango strive to put our customer at the centre of our online marketing philosophy. As a market leader, we insist on setting ourselves apart from the competition. Alienation helped us deliver on that promise. From the first meeting Alienation understood what we were about as a brand, how important design was to our business and enhanced how online technology can help advance our consumer offering. The finished result was a website which has raised the bar for an entire industry."
Alienation Digital has been included in the Top 100 marketing services companies of 2009, as compiled by Recommended Agency Register. We were also ranked 3rd for percentage profit growth.
It is the first time that we have made the list, which compiles the top 100 agencies in the UK, outside of London, by reviewing criteria such as turnover, profit and percentage growth to rank agencies based on the quality and the efficiency in which they are run.
On top of making the cut at a very respectable 74th place, Alienation Digital is ranked 3rd for percentage gross profit growth, thanks to a profit performance which has increased by 300% in the last 12 months. Effective project management, bespoke web development, and major contract wins have all been at the core of this performance, and we look forward to targeting similar improvements in 2010.
You can find out more, and catch the full Top 100 listing, on The Drum website.
The year that started with one of our busiest months ever and continued in the same vein all year long has ended in style with some major contract wins.
First up is a project for an existing client – The Beatson Institute for Cancer Research. Alienation launched the new Beatson web site in 2008. For 2009 we have been awarded the contract to design and develop an extensive intranet for the institute. The intranet will act as an information hub for all Beatson staff, academics and students. The intranet will be fully customisable to each individual user's needs and allow access to key functionality and resources such as room booking, event information, contact information, the e-library and research databases.
Chiltern Training is the leading COVE partner providing independent childcare training courses and childcare employment placement in Berkshire. Training over 300 apprentices per year, Chiltern will have a new content managed web site designed and developed by Alienation that will allow users to search for and book courses online. Alienation will also undertake digital marketing in the form of competitor analysis and keyword research to ensure the new site meets its objectives from day one.
The Glasgow & Clyde Valley (GCV) Green Network Partnership is an ambitious 20 year programme, which will link parks, walkways, woodlands and countryside along miles of path and cycle routes bringing a range of social, economic and environmental benefits to the Glasgow metropolitan region. Along with a new content managed website, Alienation won the competitive tender to design and build an interactive map that will help site users easily navigate the 51+ projects that the network is involved in through a user centric interface.
Another competitive tendering process saw Alienation awarded the project to design and develop a new web site for Edinburgh Investment Consultants (EIC) and Independent Women - Scotland's first IFA firm dedicated to offering friendly, professional financial advice for women. Based in Edinburgh, one of Europe's most important financial centres, EIC has grown significantly in recent years. The firm was founded by independent financial adviser Lesley Collins in 1993 and is a leading expert on financial matters.
Finally, there is the ENPROTEX project - an EU led project to establish public procurement networks in support of the Lead Markets Initiative for protective textiles. Based in Surrey, the project is led by Firebuy who act as a central procurement body working closely with the National Procurement Board (NPB), English Fire and Rescue Authorities, Regional Management Boards (RMBs) and the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA). The project will involve branding for ENPROTEX and a fully content managed website to facilitate the procurement network.
New website launched for a united Scotland’s Colleges
Wednesday, 09 December 2009 13:47
Alienation has developed a new group website for Scotland’s Colleges: the key policy and development agency for Scotland’s 43 colleges. The new web presence will be a central information portal and communications channel allowing new ways for Scotland’s Colleges to interact with its members.
An interactive customisable homepage, with drag and drop functionality, ensures the site appeals to a broad user group of varied interests. Once logged in, members will be able to personalise the site to keep track of their subjects, news and the events management system.
A dynamically generated newsletter will allow members to sign up for the news they want to receive, and have it delivered direct to their email inbox.
The site has been built using Alienation’s multi site manager, which allows individual marketing microsites to be managed from within the main content management system. This will streamline administration for the marketing team and provide a platform for alternative designs such as the Alienation designed ‘Scotland’s Colleges Mean Business’ website.
Communications Officer, Joanne Buchan said: “Developing a new website for Scotland’s Colleges to a very tight deadline was a massive undertaking; however Alienation Digital delivered. The new site looks great and has given us flexibility of design and greater functionality which will ensure that the website evolves as we do.”
Alienation to Create U.S. Targeted Website for Global Market Leader
Thursday, 03 December 2009 10:45
Alienation Digital has won a competitive tender to design, build and market a United States targeted website, as well as redevelop the UK website, for Scottoiler: a Milngavie based company which has grown to become global market leaders in motorcycle chain lubrication systems.
Fraser Scott invented the Scottoiler following successive motorcycle trips between Glasgow and Manchester to meet his ‘lady of the time’ in the in the late 1970’s. He could no longer tolerate his motorcycles grinding to a halt as the chains froze, so he developed the Scottoiler and in 1983 the first major batch of 10,000 was launched.
Nowadays the Scottoiler is fitted to 1 in 10 new motorcycles in the UK, and whilst the company manufactures a range of accessories, its core product has become synonymous with quality, performance and endurance.
Scottoiler products are exported globally to 25 countries, including Germany, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. In its established markets, Scottoiler is a strong brand with high customer loyalty, however there is much room for growth in the United States market, hence the need for a new targeted website.
Nick Muddle, Scottoiler’s head of Export and Marketing said:
“From day one Alienation proved very competent and thorough with a really comprehensive proposal document in response to our tender.
Upon meeting the team, their enthusiasm and knowledge was ever present, this combined with their obvious talent for design, was a winning formula.
The project will target a significant increase in our U.S. market presence, and ultimately it’s got to generate revenue. Alienation’s scientific approach to web development should ensure we achieve all our objectives.”
Alienation Creates 27 New Websites for Maclay Inns
Wednesday, 18 November 2009 10:14
Alienation Digital has developed twenty-seven new websites for Maclay Inns: the owners and operators of 26 distinctive pubs and inns across Scotland.
Maclay Inns’ premises share a mission to provide ‘a quality pub experience for everyone’ and following a competitive tender process, the team at Alienation Digital was tasked to communicate this ethos online.
By focusing on accessibility, bold imagery and clear content, a suite of twenty seven user friendly websites was developed on which visitors can access location specific information ranging from upcoming events to WiFi availability and special offers.
Image galleries, including photography by Alienation’s Martin Bryce, showcase the unique design features of each location, from the mural in the conservatory at the Lansdowne Bar and Kitchen, to the iconic Three Judges pub in Glasgow’s west end and the scenic Loch Lomond setting of the Village Inn in Arrochar.
Staff at each location will be encouraged to use their website as a new way to engage with customers, and social media will play a large part in this development. Leading the way, the Lansdowne Bar & Kitchen website brings the latest updates from the bar right into the heart of its homepage by integrating a Twitter feed from on of Glasgow’s most influential tweeters, @lansdownespy.
Alongside design and development, Alienation provided Internet marketing consultancy. This consisted of research into targeted keywords for each website, establishing the size of the market for each location and providing web copywriting training so that new content can be effectively managed by the Maclay Inns team.
Marketing Manager Lynn Lovelock said:
"Online presence has become increasingly important in the hospitality industry and we have worked closely with the team at Alienation to create a website that is not only user-friendly, informative and functional but also reflects our company values and the personality of each venue.
"We are delighted with the results and look forward to developing the site further in the future."
The launch of Maclay Inns marks a further expansion of Alienation Digital’s unique multi site manager platform, which has been successfully employed for clients across the hotel and leisure industry, including a suite of 35 websites for Somerston Hotels.
Alienation Digital and Tangent Graphic have partnered up to design and build two brand new websites for the Glasgow North Regeneration Agency (GNRA): Access North Glasgow and NG Youth.
The new websites have been developed in order to enhance access to community information for the people of Springburn and Western, Glasgow East, and Maryhill, Kelvin and Canal.
Key features of the sites include ‘local information’ and ‘your community’ sections where partner organisations can promote services from mobile crèches and community arts organisations, to sports facilities and youth networks.
Alienation to Design Top Social Care Charity Website
Tuesday, 10 November 2009 17:38
Alienation Digital has won the contract to design two new websites for Aberdeen’s leading social care charity, VSA. We will design a new VSA group website as well as a stand-alone website for its Behavioural Support Strategies department.
Since 1870, VSA has evolved to meet the changing needs of the local
community, and today it provides a wide range of caring services, which
touch the lives of thousands of people each year.
Alienation’s
web designers and Internet marketing team will focus on how the charity
can enhance its online presence and renew its objectives for a
community that is increasingly reliant on the web as an information
resource. Keep a look out for the new websites launching in the coming
months.
Alienation Digital has launched the new website for Campbell and Kennedy (C&K), industry leaders in satellite installation and aerial installation throughout the UK. Working with a wide range of clients, C&K creates bespoke systems to meet the specific needs of its customers.
Alienation Digital has developed a new website which will encourage NHS employees to submit their ideas for improving the health service.
Scottish Health Innovations Ltd (SHIL) works in partnership with NHS Scotland to protect and develop the new innovations and ideas of health care professionals. By developing ideas, such as these Prism Glasses, SHIL creates new products and technologies that improve patient care and generate financial income for NHS Scotland.
SHIL markets itself to two key target audiences: NHS Scotland employees
and the commercial sector. It markets to NHS employees to encourage
them to bring forward health innovation ideas and to industry in order to provide
commercial opportunities to become involved in the development of NHS
Scotland intellectual property.
The new website is a marketing platform for the products that SHIL has
developed, a starting point for people looking for information about
patents and intellectual property, and a hub for commercial
opportunities.
Independent Special Education Advice (ISEA) Scotland is a charity set
up by parents, for parents. Its purpose it to provide free independent
advice for parents of children with special educational needs.
The ISEA website had not been updated since 2006, and not only was the
design out of date, the content itself had not been updated for over
three years. An ex-employee developed the original site, and this had
left ISEA with a site that those within the organisation could not
update on its existing platform.
The website was no longer fit
for purpose, and those in charge at ISEA had turned down offers of
links to the website because it lacked the up-to-date information and
professional image needed by parents and supporters alike.
#freecharityday
Alienation’s Free Charity Day provided ISEA with a unique opportunity to gain a complete overhaul of its branding and website design. Following consultation with ISEA, it was decided that an entire new website would be built. Joomla, the open source content management system, would be at the core of the site to allow any employee or volunteer to make consistent updates and ensure the site would not become as out-dated again.
To kick start the project, a new brand was designed which would be a new identity for the charity. Through discussions with ISEA, Alienation’s designers came up with the theme of ‘jigsaw pieces’, representing ISEA’s role as the ‘missing piece in the jigsaw’ for parents, children and families who need access to additional educational support.
A new Twitter account @ISEAScotland will provide an informal news platform for the charity, and tweets will be pulled into the website homepage to keep the site regularly refreshed with the latest updates from the charity.
Lorraine Dilworth and Rebecca Samaras from ISEA said: “The team from Alienation’s knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm has surpassed all our expectations. The team have created an up to date website which will now enable parents throughout Scotland to access appropriate and relevant information in a quick and easy format.”
“ISEA are extremely grateful to Alienation for making this possible.”
The website Alienation built in a day is currently available on the ISEA Scotland development site. It will be formally launched once it has been fully populated with content.
It’s finally here, like a bunch of kids running to the sweet shop we’ve arrived at work this morning for the Alienation Digital Free Charity Day.
We’ve already held free digital marketing seminars in London and Glasgow. Today we invite Independent Special Education Advice Scotland (ISEA) into our office and get the whole team together to design and build them a new website.
We will be posting updates throughout the day via @alienation_ on Twitter, will keep followers updated with images of the team hard at work and blog about the process involved in taking the site from concept to completion within just one day.
This month we are celebrating a raft of new contracts won and new clients to work with. Amongst the many, we are delighted to welcome the AMG Group, Pure Lochside and Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
Alienation Digital won a competitive tender to deliver an interactive, engaging and accessible website promoting the work of The Scottish Recovery Network (SRN): an initiative set up to raise awareness and promote the issue of mental health recovery.
Carnbooth House is a magnificent luxury hotel set within the idyllic country setting of Carmunnock. Surrounded by breathtaking grounds, it is hard to believe that this hotel is only five miles from Glasgow. Carnbooth approached Alienation Digital to design and develop a web presence that would live up to the elegance of its location and attract new visitors to the hotel.
The final design communicates the luxurious nature of the hotel through rich imagery and sumptuous use of colour, inviting the visitor to explore the site, and encouraging them to want to find out more.
Intuitive navigation makes it as easy as possible to go find your way around the site, to book one of the eight luxurious suites, reserve a table in the restaurant, or a organise a conference suite for a business event.
They're still making finishing touches to the hotel. Once that's complete, the room booking system will be launched and some more photography will be added to the site to show the hotel in its full splendour.
We were overwhelmed by the response we received for our Free Charity Day, with over 200 charities contacting us from across the UK and abroad (including Namibia!).
Due to the fantastic response, we decided to extend the offer. Along with the original offer of the company's time and resources for a day, we are now adding in two digital marketing seminars which will be held in September, one in Glasgow and one in London.
The seminars will cover the basics of search engine optimisation, using social media for business and web analytics. The purpose will be to give the chosen charities a grounding in how to attract and monitor visitors to their websites. The aim is to help them start up their own digital marketing campaigns, or to inform them about how to get the most out of an agency.
By adding the digital marketing seminars to the event, we were able to broaden the scope of the charities we can help by inviting 30 representatives in total.
Our designers and developers will also design and build a new website for ISEA Scotland. ISEA, Independent Special Education Advice, enables children and young people with additional support needs to receive effective resources in order to help them reach their potential.
We are incredibly excited about all aspects of the event, and are greatly looking forward to working with all of the charities that have been selected to take part.
In the News: Alienation's Recession Busting Performance
Wednesday, 05 August 2009 09:56
Alienation Digital the Glasgow-based web design and online marketing specialist has announced it’s best ever start to the year.
Managing Director Neil Barr revealed that turnover has increased 100% on last year and he is still recruiting after increasing staff by a third.
He said: “Despite the recession we achieved our full year sales targets in the first six months of 2009, and with margins holding up well we are on course for an excellent year."
“The market is really tough and the competition is intense, but we are winning business from both public and private sector clients by ensuring they see a real return on their investment, and that’s crucial in the digital world.”
Already this year Alienation Digital has achieved major contract wins from Maclay Inns, Business and Enterprise North East, Scottish Social Services Council and the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care.
As a celebration of its success, Alienation recently announced that the whole agency would be made available for free for a day to charities.
Following a response from 200 charities from the UK and abroad the company has extended the offer to include a day plus two seminars which will be held in September, one in Glasgow and one in London.
Successful applicants will be notified over the next few weeks.
Yesterday’s digital marketing breakfast seminar was a huge success, with a fantastic turnout from decision makers and entrepreneurs representing a wide spectrum of industries across the Glasgow business community.
It has been clear for some time that the web is an important and cost effective channel for lead generation and communications, so the session focused on how companies can get more out of their websites, make them more accountable and use them to generate more business.
The session engaged discussion about the role of the web and internet marketing as part of a company’s overall marketing mix. The questions discussed included the challenge of attracting links from the right sources, the additional value that an agency can add to your search engine marketing and the use of social media for business.
Feedback on the event has highlighted the benefits of gathering together representatives of different industries to discuss the challenges they share and the issues they have in common. One participant wrote to us following the event, saying that digital marketing “is an area most of us don't feel that comfortable with, so it is useful to improve general knowledge and perhaps provide a few areas for further thinking - which this session did”.
We really enjoyed engaging the business community on the topic of digital marketing and will be arranging another seminar as soon as we can. Watch this space for further details, or contact us if you would like to find out more.
New Web Site Design: Why Waste Everything Smoking?
Tuesday, 07 July 2009 15:12
Why Waste Everything Smoking Tobacco? (W-West) is Scotland's first smoking information service for young people - run by young people.
Recently in the news, W-West aims to provide information to inform choices about smoking. Young people living in the west of Scotland can sign up to W-West the website, which is being run by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. The group's members (some are smokers and some aren't) realise that there is a vast amount of information about smoking 'out there', and want to offer the facts, so that young people can decide what is best for them.
W-West member, Michael Caine, 16, from Glasgow, said: "W-West is here to give young people information, but it's their choice. The great thing about the group is that no-one will try and pressure them to make any decisions they don't want to. We are just a group of young people here to tell our age group about smoking and smoking issues." Sheila Duffy, chief executive of anti-smoking group Ash Scotland, described the involvement of young people in the scheme as "crucial".
"Tobacco companies are in the business of recruiting new consumers all the time and they will do this through every method available to them," she said. "W-West can help counter that by appealing directly to their peers with the facts. The more young people start getting active to identify and resist the industry's target marketing, the better."
It is estimated that about 15,000 young people in Scotland become addicted to smoking every year. The new site gives young people the facts about smoking in an entertaining and informative way. With games, a scratch card contest where iPods are up for grabs and the ability to customise the site, the site works in parallel with a range of awareness-raising events across each Community Health (Care)Partnerships in the west of Scotland.
New Web Site Design: M&M Theatrical Productions & Scottish Outward Bound Association
Tuesday, 07 July 2009 14:35
M&M Theatrical Productions Making a theatrical entrance is the new website for M&M Theatrical Productions - the UK’s largest and most successful children’s theatrical production company. Bringing the "Magic of Theatre" to UK and international audiences, each hand crafted production is fully self contained and can be adapted and performed in any size venue to any size audience.
The eye catching new theatre web design for M&M features a host of interactive features from animated 7 step guides, to childrens games, doodle pads and a large collection of videos. Each production has its own movie and there is a fascinating time lapse film of a venue being transformed in to a theatre, the show performed and then dismantled at the end.
Working closely with M&M, Alienation were tasked with developing and designing an interactive content managed website that would appeal to both children and adults. M&M have full control over the site, from adding in new shows, videos and downloadable posters.
The new M&M branding was developed by our partners Tangent Graphic.
Scottish Outward Bound Association The Scottish Outward Bound Association (soba) is a Scottish Charity set up to assist young people in Scotland to develop in confidence and aspiration and to attain high order skills of team working and self appraisal through participation in courses run by The Outward Bound Trust. The charity specifically supports young people whose circumstances are such that they would otherwise find it very difficult or impossible to participate.
This is the first site soba have developed and it is a major change to the way the organisation works in Scotland. The new site brings together the soba team and gives them a central point to share and diseminate information on soba and the good that it does. A new online donation system has been set up and a fully featured content management system gives them full control over the site and the ability to share documents.
The new soba logo was developed by Angie Gray who also acted as a consultant on the project.
Alienation Welcomes SHIL, Maclay Inns and Access North Glasgow for Three Diverse New Projects
Tuesday, 30 June 2009 08:32
Alienation Digital ended June by welcoming three brand new web design and Internet marketing clients. We are delighted that Scottish Health Innovations Ltd, Maclay Inns and the Glasgow North Regeneration Agency have chosen the A-Team as their new Internet marketing partners.
Trio of Clients Commission New Web Design and Internet Marketing Projects
Friday, 12 June 2009 16:34
We are delighted to announce three new web design and digital marketing contracts won this week. Firstly, we are proud to welcome two new clients into the Alienation fold, MCE Scotland and Montgomery Litho Group. We will also be extending our relationship with Stringers Music.
Montgomery Litho Group (MLG) is more than just a print company. It offers a complete range of services from logistics and stock management, to printing, die cutting and binding. Its people and quality of service make it one of the top print houses in Scotland, and this has ensured that the business has grown into markets across the UK and abroad. The challenge for Alienation is to communicate this broad scope within a clear and concise web presence. We will be providing our full range of services, web design, web development and digital marketing to develop a state of the art MLG web presence.
MCE Scotland is a leading provider of Building and Energy Management Control Systems. Using the latest technology, MCE helps managers of large buildings to accurately control the amount of energy they use. By partnering up with some of the leading lights such as Cylon and T.A.C, MCE ensures that its services are at the leading edge of the industry. Alienation will be providing web design, development and internet marketing to develop an MCE website which reflects this prominence.
We will be continuing our fantastic relationship with Stringers Music by creating a new website to replace the one we originally designed for them in 2003. The new website will be fully content managed, with added functionality to enhance the customer experience. In particular, we will be looking to advance the e-commerce facility which will support the sales generated by Stringers’ stores in Edinburgh and London.
It’s a Goal and Bear Hunt Web Design Contracts Won
Tuesday, 09 June 2009 15:47
Cheshire based Social entrepreneur Malcolm McLean has enlisted Alienation’s web design and development skills to create two new websites promoting his activities supporting young men with depression, and inspiring people to make a living from doing what they love.
Top hotel franchise operators Somerston Hotels has clicked with visitors to its new website, designed and built by Glasgow-based new media agency Alienation Digital.
Somerston Hotels is one of the UK’s most successful franchisees of the Express by Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Ramada Encore Hotels brands.
The company launched its new suite of websites at the end of March 2009, and attracted a 17% increase in visiting traffic within the first month.
In the same period, 43% more visitors were referred to the site from Google as a result of a carefully managed search engine optimisation campaign.
Somerston Hotel’s Leisure Marketing Manager Lesley-Ann Cardow said; “We believe that our online presence is critical to the continued success of our hotels in these challenging times.
“We asked Alienation Digital for a complete overhaul of our websites to engage our customers, highlight the benefits of our properties, portray a professional online image and ultimately drive incremental revenue growth in a competitive market.
“Alienation Digital interpreted our brief and worked hand-in-hand with us to create a fantastic new website which continues to meet our objectives.”
Alienation Digital won the project following a competitive tender process in which agencies were briefed to present 33 unique hotel presences without the cost and complexity of a separate website for each hotel.
Alienation Digital’s MD Neil Barr said: “Our solution was to unite the hotel websites within one content management system, with individual templates designed for each of the four separate brands, including a central portal site for the Somerston Hotels brand.
“We concentrated on using our search engine optimisation skills to increase traffic to the site and our designs skills to make it a pleasure for visitors to use.
“We are delighted the new site has produced such impressive results.”
You can visit the new Somerston Hotels website at http://www.somerstonhotels.co.uk, where you will find links to each of the individual hotel websites and a special offers website.
Charities offered a free day with experts from Alienation Digital
Wednesday, 03 June 2009 09:58
Leading edge new media company Alienation Digital is celebrating its most successful year ever by making the charity sector an offer it can’t refuse.
Managing Director Neil Barr said; “Following our most successful year to date and our continued success in 2009, I am delighted to be able to give something back by offering the agency free for a day.”
“We aim to help as many charities as possible during our Free Charity Day, but we can’t say exactly how many until we identify their needs.”
“Our experience in the Third Sector has shown that charities can really reap the rewards of a great website, by using it as a tool for fundraising, volunteer recruitment, or simply to communicate their work to the people that need them most.”
Alienation’s decision to thank the market by working free for a day means charities will have Alienation’s entire resources at their disposal. That is one day of 15 experts’ time dedicated to helping the selected charity raise more revenue.
Jackie Beesley whose charity the Beatson Insititute for Cancer Research is an Alienation Digital client said: “They were very professional, excellent to deal with and came up with great designs for a website that more than meets our demands.”
Alienation Digital’s customers range from the public to the private sector and include numerous charities throughout the UK, including Acevo, Children’s Hospice Association Scotland, Richmond Fellowship and Cranstoun Drug Services.
Neil Barr believes Alienation has survived the economic gloom through its understanding of how to deliver return on investment to customers, an approach he says will work well for charities.
To be considered for some pro bono work, simply call 0141 33 11 323 or e-mail
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
to register your charity for this fantastic opportunity.
This could be the fastest return on investment your charity has ever made!
May has been a fantastic month of new business for us, and although there’s still a way to go, we just couldn’t wait to tell you about these three great new contract wins:
Website design for the MOBO Awards, a web presence for TBD-UK and intranet development for CHAS.
MOBO Awards Website Design
In 2009, the MOBO Awards will be held in Glasgow. It’s the first time the awards ceremony has been held outside of London since it began in 1995. Glasgow City Marketing Bureau has asked Alienation Digital to design a website that will be the central online portal for fans of the event. The site will initially go live in June and new features will be added right up until the awards ceremony on September 30th.
TBD-UK Website Design
Funded by the medical research council and based at the University of Strathclyde, TBD-UK is a research body set up to focus on Tuberculosis research. A site has been commissioned to promote the work of the group to a wider audience, and help its mission to promote further research in the area. The site will allow TBD-UK to integrate further into the research community and provide useful tools such as a molecule database that allows scientists to compare their work from remote locations.
CHAS Intranet Development
Continuing our fantastic relationship with the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland, we have been commissioned to develop an intranet that will allow staff across the various hospice sites to keep in touch with each other, keep abreast of the latest information and remotely access services such as room bookings.
New Business Link Events Website Designed to Raise the Profile of Free Business Advice
Wednesday, 20 May 2009 17:15
As unemployment figures rise above 2 million, and small businesses close at a rate of almost 300 a week across the UK, it has never been more important for businesses and the unemployed to be able to gain access to the impartial, expert advice that could help them through the recession.
Today sees the launch of Events North East, the new Business Link website which will be the online home of everything you need to know about Business Link events in the north east of England.
Business Link provides free business advice to organisations of all shapes and sizes, to help them beat the recession by improving in areas such as financial management, leadership, and marketing.
Alienation Digital won a competitive tender to build an events website which would make Business Link events more accessible to the public as well as making the events programmes easier for administrators to manage. The site has been designed intuitively so that options unfold that help the visitor narrow their search until they find what they’re looking for.
True to the Business Link philosophy, accessibility has been enhanced through the search engine optimisation of key pages on the site, so that events are not only clearly laid out but also easy to find through searches on Google, Yahoo and MSN.
A Month of Contract Wins, a Portfolio Update (and we're Carbon Neutral!)
Friday, 01 May 2009 09:02
Regular visitors to our website will have noticed the new spring feel to the site. This coincides with a refresh of our portfolio and a bunch of new web design projects for you to browse. It also felt right that we should celebrate spring with the announcement that we are now a carbon neutral web design company. We are committed to improving our environmental impact, and have begun by offsetting 25 tonnes of carbon as well as developing a plan to reduce our carbon footprint year on year.
Web Design Contract Wins
We are delighted to be working on new websites for Warwick Sustainable Materials (our second project for University of Warwick), Campbell and Kennedy (Sky Retailer of the Year), Carnbooth House Hotel (part of the Montgomery Property Group) and the next generation of the South Lanarkshire College website. Keep an eye out for the launch of these websites and more over the next few months. In fact we have some exciting new website launches coming up next week so watch this space for more details!
Web Development: Alienation Fort 2nd Generation
The new version of the Fort system that we have developed alongside the Fife Rights Forum (Fife Council) is almost complete.
Fort is a tried, tested and secure online referral system that allows agencies such as advice and rights groups to refer clients to the appropriate organisation within the network, track the referral through to its completion, and report on the results.
The new system features a more efficient and user friendly user interface that has been developed based on user feedback. If you think your business could benefit from using an online referral system, and would like to find out more, please contact us with your questions.
It is not every day that the Government announces the launch of a new £270 million programme. In April 2008 the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) announced a £270 milllion programme to provide world class youth facilities for communities across England. The funding is being delivered through the Big Lottery Fund, who have committed £240 million so far to 62 projects.
The myplace project demanded a class leading website to attain the project goals of communicating to, engaging with, and inspiring young people to become actively involved in their communities' projects. In keeping with the demands of this target audience, the site was has user led content and using social networking tools to allow users to engage with each other and display their work.
Alienation Digital were awarded the contract for the website as a
result of achieving the goals of other organisations, such as the newly
opened Warwick International Digital Lab. Alienation worked closely
with leading Economic Development Consultants Hall Aitken, who led the
overall support and development contract.
Take a look at what’s happening in the animated flash banner, designed to visually communicate the story of the myplace project – there’s always something different going on.
Register for the website and you can stay connected to your projects through your very own customisable, interactive myplace page. One of the key features of this is a ‘drag and drop’ mechanism that lets you move modules around to design your own homepage.
You can also follow myplace on Vimeo, Facebook, Bebo and Flickr to keep up to date with the latest developments.
Somerston Hotels owns and operates Express by Holiday Inn, Holiday
Inn Express and Ramada Encore hotels across the UK; it is the largest
Express by Holiday Inn franchisee in the country, was the first group
to open a Ramada Encore Hotel in the UK, and is leading the way in the
global initiative to rebrand Holiday Inn Express.
Alienation Digital won a competitive tender to redesign the Somerston Hotels website, uniting four distinct brands into one manageable online presence, whilst retaining the individual character of each brand with individual micro site templates.
Alienation developed a total of 35 websites which are all interlinked using a bespoke hotel management component which takes information from each individual hotel website and displays it on the Somerston Hotels and Special Offers web sites. This ensures that hotel information is kept right up to date across each individual website, making information management much simpler for the Somerston Hotels marketing team.
An interactive map on the homepage unites all of the hotels within an intuitive, accessible and easy to use menu system. The map allows regular visitors to Somerston Hotels to instantly select one of the group’s hotels whilst also providing a simple method of navigation for new site users.
Alongside the design and development of the website, Alienation provided a programme of Digital Marketing which included a comprehensive review of the online competitors in the UK hotels market, search engine optimisation and a strategy for ongoing site development.
Lesley-Ann Cardow, Marketing Manager "From initial discussions right through to delivery of our site I found Alienation to be approachable, flexible, professional and responsive. Both technically and creatively they have created a site which absolutely fulfilled my brief to them and exceeded my expectations.
Unlike a number of web designers, the team at Alienation were able to articulate and explain the process and detail of our website and the whole process without jargon. They're happy to explain the technical aspects if you want, but can also explain things in a user-friendly way.
Despite the scale of the project and extent of bespoke development we required the team went above and beyond to make sure that we got what we wanted and needed."
