Danny is our senior digital and web designer for Community Brands. He’s been working with us for just over 3 years, and he has almost 20 years of experience as a designer. Danny is a keen connoisseur to all things whiskey and an avid techno fan.
We asked Danny a few questions about his design process and style, as well as his favourite projects over the years. Get to know Danny and connect with him!
What’s your approach to designing a website?
The most important thing for me when designing a website is working closely with the client and creating a framework with guides, and being able to give your opinion on how to successfully create the website. It’s also essential to be able to bounce ideas off to the client, and to choose images and typography accordingly as these can either make or break a website. Also, I always make sure to use the client’s colour palette to suit all users.
Can you share any top tips or hacks for a successful school website?
In my opinion, every school website should be easy to navigate and accessible. I like to use big, bold, and fun and/or professional designs, depending on the target audience. It’s always a priority to bring the school’s ethos onto the screen and showcase it in creative ways, as well as keeping the overall website design and style consistent throughout.
What’s the biggest no-no for a school website?
My biggest no-no must be pages within pages, links within links, and using terrible colour choices! I also think you should try your best to avoid pixelated images as they can ruin the face-value quality of your entire website. And of course, stay away from Comic Sans! Remember that your website is your school’s foyer when on the web, so you need to make it as welcoming as possible.
What’s your favourite school website you’ve worked on?
This is a difficult question, because I really tend to enjoy most projects. My top three clients I’ve worked with are the KSI group, Auckland College, and Notre Dame Catholic College, but I think the winner must be KSI Group.
Click below to see the three projects Danny’s worked on with the Knightsbridge Schools International group!
KSI Montenegro →
KSI Bogota →
KSI Kids →
What your favourite feature from the Community Brands world?
Maybe I’m biased – but my favourite part has to be the websites! The reason for this is that I get to use my creativity to shape the school’s presence online. Nothing makes me happier than a happy client; when a client smiles, I smile. Building up a great relationship is one of the key factors I enjoy.
I also really like the way that each Community Brands product can be integrated to other products of ours, and have Community Brands as a central provider for their admin tasks, whether it’s payments, data, or messaging.
Connect with Danny today on LinkedIn, or contact him and the team directly if you’re interested in working together on your own school website project.