New web designs help draw customers

Art and Pixels have pursued innovative web techniques. Art and Pixels

Most organisations now recognise the importance of getting their message out on the Internet. But the way the message is presented is changing.

The Swiss web designers, Art and Pixels, specialises in providing not just space on the web for its clients but also a full range of multimedia and graphic solutions for their needs.

The company, which is based in the Swiss-Italian city of Lugano, came to life in 1993 when husband and wife team Gabriela and Athanasios Alexandrides decided to marry her graphic design talent with his experience in the information technology industry.

The company’s use of animation in the websites it designs is certainly one of the ways forward for future web design as Athanasios Alexandrides explained to swissinfo.

“When we talk about animation we are referring to web animation such as flash movies and shock wave movies,” explained Alexandrides. “Anything that can either illustrate a customer’s process – such as an engineering company that wants to show how a product works – or basically animation can give an extra dynamism to a website as either an introduction or a complement.”

More and more animation is creeping into web design across the Net, and Alexandrides expects this trend to continue.

“There are really two trends at present on websites. These are more animation as more flash technology is asked for. And secondly people are trying to focus on improved content. No one wants to just put up whatever they like as more and more clients recognise they might be able to sell their content through the web.”

Melting pot

As technology moves ahead more and more quickly, the web is becoming something of a melting pot for different forms of media. This means that web designers have to be ready to involve all these various media in their designs when necessary.

“If we talk about design on paper, years ago you only needed a graphic designer and maybe a layout specialist – that was pretty much it. With the web you might need sound engineers, you may need animation specialists, photographers if necessary and even people who can write scripts. And then once the website is ready it needs to be hosted so you need highly capable people to configure the machines and secure and protect the machines.”

Universal truths

Art and Pixels has worked with clients as various as city information site Lugano On-Line to department store Manor. However some things hold true for all clients when trying to get a message across in this ever-expanding world of the web.

“The major difference is it’s a non linear production that contains cross information and cross links to information in text or as images,” explained Gabriela Alexandrides. “A presence on the web leads to a network and a global image. It’s also important for clients to understand that you have to prepare more information as electronic media allows vaster presentation of images and text.”

Art and Pixels not only works as a web design company but also takes customers by the hand and leads them from the concept of a web page to managing the final product.

“You get to meet interesting customers with very interesting projects,” added Athanasios. “And you have to stay ahead of technology and stay ahead of the competition so there’s absolutely no time to sleep which makes it really, really challenging.”

Shying away from rapid expansion, the company plans to grow by opening more small teams in other locations, keeping its service personal and close to the client.

Certainly Art and Pixels’ recognition of the importance of bringing together design know-how and high-tech expertise should guarantee its success in this competitive field as the worldwide web continues to merge more forms of media.

by Tom O’Brien