Standfirst

The world is better when everyone is included.   Brands weren’t always conscious of this. And a glaring issue was companies failing to design for people who have disabilities.   That’s changing thanks to a shift my friend Greg Hoffman calls radical accessibility. It’s a movement where companies are challenging norms in a revolutionary way.   He writes…   “A flourishing culture of innovation starts with empathy. A team’s ability to look beyond their own life and deeply consider the conditions, environments, and experiences of others in the world. That means not only solving problems for their core consumers, but also striving to deliver to those that have faced barriers, or had not been offered an invitation to experience the benefits within a specific product category.”   For the full version, see the latest issue of The Business of Creativity newsletter. #radicalaccessibility #brands #businessofcreativity

Couldn't let the day pass without highlighting the team and the hard work they put in day in day out. #EmployeeAppreciationDay

When looking for a new supplier, considering lock-in is crucial. Remember to ask if you can extract your data and whether you can replicate your site elsewhere. While some services are inherently unique and suit the software-as-a-service model, websites and web applications should offer flexibility for migration between providers.

Client Spotlight: Prime Resi. Tailored branding & design, a personalised user dashboard, and exclusive membership features. You can read more here: https://lnkd.in/eMb7vH6w #ClientSpotlight #WebDevelopment #WebDesign

We’re happy to share the news that Standfirst has officially joined the community of Laravel Partners. After several years of working with Laravel to supply our customers, it was a natural next step to become a Laravel Partner. Read more on our site 👉 https://lnkd.in/diQjSK5y

Supply chain integrity matters to our customers. We don't use offshore developer services, we don't use white label developer suppliers, and usually we refer work on if we think it's better suited to a freelancer. We believe this costs us. A developer paid by the hour in Indonesia, for example, is far far cheaper than a salaried one in the UK. We simply can't compete on price. So instead we bring the reassurance of an auditable supply chain. Our developers all work for us in and around Liverpool, or are UK based contractors. This means that we have the advantage that we know where data goes, we know who they are, and we know that if one does happen to go rogue we can find them in order to have full legal recourse. Meanwhile, instead of having an onion style multi-layered communications strategy to hide this fact from clients, we can allow developers to work closely with customers, to attend workshops, and generally communicate directly - thus reducing errors, inconsistencies and mishaps. Longer term, we also have a distinct company development culture that aims to look after our clients' best interests and not deliver mish-mash solutions that work fine today but will cause trouble tomorrow. Imagine if buildings were done like that? Oh heck - sometimes they are. We call them money-pits!

If you're trying to come up with just one New Year's resolution for 2024, make it this one: "I will use two factor authentication wherever possible and especially on email, social media and CMS accounts!" Seriously, it's the best single tech move anyone can make for their security and for business protection. Keep the baddies out of your castle.

We're evolving! As Standfirst, our primary focus is to harness our brilliant design and development expertise to solve real-world business problems. We offer services such as contract software design and development along with innovative products like Standfirst Publish and Standfirst.io And that's not all! interconnect, now tightly focussed on developers, continues it's legacy backed by fifteen years of success in database search tools. interconnect also acts as the holding and tool building company underpinning our work. Why Standfirst? In the publishing world we've made our mark by skillfully managing the problem of great news sites that can handle huge traffic spikes without breaking the bank. Our unique tools have helped publishers to optimise their workflows, for example in building Kindle editions or feeding mobile apps. Standfirst isn't just for publishers either. We help businesses and institutions to stand first in crowded markets, through the application of excellent design and development strategies. Clients from various sectors, including Family Capital Publishing, The Fence magazine (too cool for LinkedIn!), International Gender Champions, Centaur Media Plc, Marketing Week Mini MBA with Mark Ritson and the University of Nottingham - have already experienced our impact. Whether Mark Ritson himself knows who we are is another question, but we've tagged him just in case! See our new site at https://standfirst.com/ What do you think of the rebrand? We'd love to know! Comment below 👇🏽 Photo is of nearby Media City.

It's been a pleasure working with Plaza Cinema over the last ten decades. The site has lasted beautifully over the years, but recently we decided it was time for a refresh. The Plaza Cinema is a registered charity, and we supplied the work free of charge as part of our policy of giving back to the local community. If you're in the area go and show your support. Find out more about Plaza community cinema here https://lnkd.in/e5hfys6b