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Friendly, personal, easy-to-use service and responsive websites that work on a wide range of devices and browsers - all for a clear affordable price.
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we offer...

Full Design Web Service

the website you always wanted...we do it all - we will help you write the text, commission the photos (or take some ourselves) talk you through what you need, and come up with your own best website. And it will work on the widest range of devices and browsers possible.

Or perhaps you have an old website you're particularly fond of but it doesn't work in iphones, tablets, or anything other than a traditional computer screen? We'll overhaul the design and upgrade your website to be fully responsive. Or if you prefer, we can even duplicate your old website so it will look the same but work fully in all devices - the choice is yours.

Apps

for Android and iOS. We provide apps that are responsive and reliable to give your organisation the best complement to a strong website. Our focus is firmly on your clients, giving users the best possible introduction to you, your product or your service. We can work to your brief, or we can work with you to come up with ideas for an app that will showcase you perfectly in this fast growing market...

Hosting and Ongoing Support

for our own clients. Cheap, easy and free hosting for the first year when you buy one of our web packages (see prices). We register and set up your domain name (name of your website) and host your website on superfast servers - we take away the headaches and make sure that your website works just how you want it to 24/7.

We can also provide ongoing support with office hours customer service and various options to suit your situation (and budget!) We can either update your website for you

OR

provide it with a Content Management System in place (links you use to update it yourself).

Social Media

we will set up and design your facebook page, set up your twitter or instagram account, (or any other social media you want) and then hand it over to you or manage it for you - a phone chat once a week will give us all we need to post and tweet your latest news and views on your behalf - easy!

how we work...

We talk about it!

We can talk on the phone - though we quite like to meet for a cuppa while we talk in person - then we can chat through our list of questions that will give us all we need to know to come up with your website. Or we can email them to you for you to complete as a questionnaire if you prefer. We will also talk you through our packages (see 'prices') and advise you on which package is likely to work for you, or whether you need a custom quote.

Pick your package...

We can do as much or as little as you like - pick a web template from one of our recommended suppliers, and we can simply turn it into your website, or we'll design from scratch based on our discussions, adding packages such as maintainance and social media management as you decide. As for price, pick a package or packages, or we can charge by the day/hour - it's up to you!

We do the work!

You will get feedback throughout the process, and if you like, a prototype to check before we develop it fully. We will optimise your site in line with current standards (though we can advise you and work with a specialist on your behalf if you want more guaranteed results) And within the agreed timescale your website will go live!

We write code!

We write websites from scratch using code (mainly HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and PHP). We don't use Dreamweaver, or MS Expression, or Wix or any other such tool because we like to have full control over our own code. This will give you full control over your website...If something is wrong, we can usually fix it in seconds by getting straight back into our code and re-writing something. The 'stack' of tech that we work with also includes various JavaScript 'frameworks' or 'libraries', mainly React & React Native and styling libraries such as Material UI, Bootstrap etc which help to ensure that your website will be fully 'valid and responsive' i.e. it will work as you intend it to in the widest possible range of browsers and devices (tablets, smart phones, desktop computers etc). And we offer the Content Management System that will work best for you, either a system such as

Who are we (actually it's mostly just me!)

Hopefully the most important thing is for you to see my portfolio and qualifications and know that I'm reliable, professional, qualified, and a perfectionist, and I love design and coding! If you want to know anything else - see below...

My name is Carole Nissen. For many years I worked in music and the arts but about 5 years ago retrained as a web designer and developer. I have various qualifications including CIW's 'Web Design Specialist' (a leading certification credential for Internet and Web skills), CS50 - Harvard University's challenging and comprehensive Introductory Computer Science course, and I've undertaken a wide range of self directed learning on Freecodecamp, Treehouse and Udemy - all widely recognised Computer Science and coding training sites. This has given me a solid understanding of the code and skills needed to produce websites, apps and digital User Interfaces. I also now have been trading as Pixelist Design for over 3 years, working for a range of clients producing and maintaining websites and (more recently) apps.

As someone who has worked freelance for almost my entire working life, I have excellent time management and organisational skills and a wide network of fellow professionals in various disciplines who I am happy to bring on board if your project needs it - so if it's appropriate then you may get 'us' too...

(The short version) I have a long and complicated history - most of it based in the Newcastle upon Tyne & the North East! I started my working life as a puppeteer and actor in a community theatre company and after working freelance for some time after that I had a brief spell working for the local council (my "I just reached 30 and need a proper job' job) before settling at Riverside Independent Music Venue for the next 4 years, where I worked my way up to the post of Assistant Director. After leaving Riverside I worked freelance again, gaining experience in other artforms and areas. I then joined Northern Arts, as the Arts Council England northern office was then known. I started as the 'Arts for Everyone Co-ordinator', then was seconded to coordinate Radio One Sound City in Newcastle - an amazing experience! Then I became 'Special Projects Officer' and after a few more years of freelance Arts Consultancy covering a wide range of really interesting work and working as a salsa dance instructor/dancer I had some some time off with a major illness (now recovered) and then I was ready for a change. After retraining at the Inchbald School of Design in London as an Architectural Interior Designer in 2006 I moved to Spain for nearly 5 years, where I renovated property. After that market somewhat dried up in 2010, I returned to the uk to family commitments. As those commitments became more manageable, I retrained again as a qualified web designer/developer.

Throughout my working life I have worked on music both in my spare time and in my career - originally singing & playing guitar in various bands, and then promoting salsa music nights. I then moved on to DJing and dancing salsa, promoting regular salsa nights, and holding/being hired to run dance classes & dance exhibitions with my dance & DJ partners. After a major accident I could no longer dance for a living - now my interests centre more around cycling, travel (my favourite trip so far? A 6 month sabbatical backpacking round the world!), and remaining fluent in Spanish. I still sing & play guitar and I'm continuing to build my collection of salsa and other music. I also remain involved in various arts initiatives in an advisory capacity and am Chair of the Board of the Globe Gallery - a visual art gallery based in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Previous Work (examples)


Prices

These costs give you an idea of the packages available - you can choose one of these, or we can talk to you about your needs and quote you a specific cost for your site, or we can work on an hourly fee - we will talk you through all the options at your free initial consultation. And remember - and remember, we can help you to apply for a grant for over one third of the cost of your website!

£150

Single page 'homepage'

this is your 'foot on the ladder' of digital marketing - your own presence online while you work on a more detailed website or just see how it helps your business before you commit to a fuller package

£650

Website - up to 5 pages

with your own '.co.uk' domain name and free hosting for one year - this gives you a basic website with all the info you want your clients to see plus simple 'widgets' such as a contact form and photo gallery. Redesigns also start at this price point and occasionally may be cheaper - but though you may have all your photos and text in the old site the coding required to upgrade is usually as extensive as doing it from scratch...

£1200

Website - up to 12 pages

with your own '.co.uk' or '.com' domain name and free hosting for one year - the 'deluxe' package! This gives you plenty of room for advertising your services and can include more complex content to suit your business such as a basic shopfront with paypal.

from £450

Apps

Depending on the project, prices start at £450 for a basic app. We can show you a range of pre-made templates that we can customise for you so you can get your app up and running for a fraction of the price of a custom built app. Or we can design it from the ground up for you. Prices vary according to size and complexity. Talk to us about your ideas and we'll come up with a fully itemised quote for you with no obligation.

A consultation session discussing possible ideas for apps starts at £99 (refundable if you then go on to commission an app from us).

Hire Me!

Do get in touch! If you're interested in getting me to design your website then just say that below and I'll phone or email you to discuss it or to arrange a meeting - if you prefer me to email you just leave your phone number blank. Or if you have questions about your potential website, ask them here and I'll try to answer them!

Contact Form
Carole Nissen on 07541 819383