Web Design and Multimedia Development
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Plagro is a web design and multimedia agency based near Canterbury and Ashford, East Kent, UK. We offer all forms of 'New Media' including promotional web design, digital marketing, multimedia cd-roms and business cards, online games, Flash websites and Flash applications.
Our aim is to offer you a multimedia experience that is a little different and more enjoyable to use than your competitors. We cater for all shapes, sizes and budgets, so if you want to stand out from the crowd, why not give us a call for a no obligations chat on 01303 812885.
Although we always welcome clients from Kent in areas such as Canterbury, Ashford, Maidstone, Dover and Folkestone, we are also available to work with clients throughout the UK. We will happily travel to you to discuss your web design or multimedia needs, so please don't be put off if we seem a long distance away from you!
Please Note:
This is NOT the main Plagro.com website! The main website requires the flash plugin and is regularly updated with the latest news from Plagro and examples of our latest work. You are viewing this page because either you don't have the flash plugin installed or you require a newer version. Please download the latest version of the plugin for free by clicking here and then try again.
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Our Services
Submenu :
Web Design | Flash | Content Management Systems | Multimedia CD-ROMs/DVDs | Online Magazines |
Online Branding | 3D Tours | E-commerce Systems | Online Video | Banner Advertising | Touch Screen Kiosks |
Interactive Business Cards | Accessible Websites | Video and Audio Production | Professional Photography |
Viral Games | Flash Statistics | Advertising and Print Design
Web Design
Designing for the internet is exactly what Plagro was originally set up to do. As time has passed the technology used for web design has started to be used in other parts of the multimedia industry and so we have extended our portfolio of services appropriately, but essentially web design is still the core of our business.
The staff of Plagro have had the pleasure of working with some extremely well known web design clients over the last decade - including amongst others Madonna, Elton John, Microsoft, Nissan, Paul McCartney, MSN, Kylie Minogue, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Richard E Grant and Barclays. But at the same time we have worked with a large selection of unsigned bands, sole traders and new business start-ups. We design websites for anybody and everybody, so if you need web design advice, we are the people to talk to.
Whatever size your business is, we can offer you something!
For more information about our web design work have a look at our portfolio by clicking the link above, or alternatively give us a call on 01303 812885.
Flash
Here at Plagro we specialise in Adobe's 'Flash'. If you have no idea what Flash is, it is likely that you have seen something created using it but just didn't know what it was called. Put simply Flash takes your website to 'the next level' allowing for animation, online video and embedded sound. This site for example is created using Flash which is why the menu's are animated and act a little differently to other websites.
Flash can be subtly embedded into a 'normal' website, so that you don't even realise it is being used. For example, all of the videos on You Tube are created in Flash whilst the rest of the site is created using more conventional methods. Or Flash can be used to create an entire site such as this one. Flash can even be used nowadays to create desktop applications, multimedia CDs and touch-screen applications. Next time that you see something on the internet that you suspect could be Flash, simply right click your mouse on it and if it is you will see the words 'About Adobe Flash Player'.
Although we cover all aspects of web and multimedia design, we have chosen to specialise in Flash as we feel that it makes our projects a great deal more interesting. We will never push it onto a client that doesn't want it, but we will always highly recommend it for clients that want 'something a bit more interesting'. Flash isn't just about web design, its about online and offline applications and experiences. If you are simply unsure as to whether you want or need it, please simply give us a call on 01303 812885 for a no obligations chat.
Content Management Systems
Often referred to as 'CMS', Content Management Systems are simply a technically long-winded way of saying 'a website you can update yourself'. Becoming increasingly more popular, especially with clients who like their websites to be updated on a daily or weekly basis, a CMS can save you a great deal of money as you will rarely have to employ web designers to look after your website.
These systems are always bespoke to your needs and sit on your web server behind a username and password. Once accessed you can edit the contents of your website with a simple looking interface based around a traditional word processor. Anybody with a basic knowledge of computers can learn how to use a CMS and update your website with ease. If you're considering a new web design, you may find that implementing a content management system at the same time could save you money in the long run.
We even offer 'tiered' systems that allow for several levels of user access. This allows one 'webmaster' to read and approve several pages created by 'editors' before they go live. Effectively you can have complete control over who edits your website and what they put up - something that is very useful for companies that have a large turn over of junior staff.
Content Management Systems can be as simple or as complicated as you need them to be. If you're considering a new web design, please do ask us to take you through your CMS options. To discuss your requirements further, please give us a call on 01303 812885.
Multimedia CD-ROMs/DVDs
If it can be done on the web, it can be done on a CD/DVD and vice versa. But the added advantage of creating a multimedia CD or DVD for your company is that you are not limited by the connectivity of the user - ie. you can add high quality video and audio in large quantities, which is something that is normally limited on the internet. In fact, you're only limited by the space on the disc itself - which in most cases, is more than enough!
Multimedia CDs and DVDs can be used to attract users to your website, or to enhance the content on your website. You can send them out instead of a paper brochure, or to support a paper brochure. Either way, having an impressive disc to give out to your clients can make you stand out above and beyond your competition. If you would like to discuss the possibility of having a multimedia CD or DVD created for your company, why not give us a call on 01303 812885.
Online Magazines
This is a relatively new internet phenomenon - websites that look and feel as though you are flicking through a paper magazine. Changing section can be as simple as 'turning a page'. It is likely that you have have seen these types of websites before, but if not please get in touch with us on 01303 812885 and we will happily take you through a couple of examples.
Plagro have recently broadened their horizons with online magazines and can now offer fully-loaded systems that allow you to zoom in and out of a page and even gather statistics on your user's activities. Magazines can now include a text search facility, a quick jump, videos, music, links and you can even have pages that interact with other pages.
Online Magazines are a perfect sales tool, a simple and effective way to show off a portfolio or product list, or even just a great looking website. For more information, please give us a call on 01303 812885 and we'll step you through your many different options.
Online Branding
More often than not corporate branding is ignored on the internet in favour of cheap easy-to-reproduce templates. Less scrupulous companies will simply slap your logo onto a previously created website template, type in your text and then charge you for a week's work. Not only will you be out of pocket and left with a substandard website, but you are also likely to see your site appear elsewhere with somebody else's logo on it - which would especially disappointing it was one of your competitors.
Here at Plagro we believe in not only sticking closely to your existing branding, but also creating you something entirely original.
We approach every project with a clean slate and attempt to translate your branding in a unique and modern fashion for the internet. We will be very sensitive to your branding needs and above all else, we promise never to use your design for anybody else's website.
If you currently don't have any kind of branding, perhaps as a new start-up business, we can organise this for you as well. Our branding experts can create you a logo, a style guide and even corporate stationary if you wish. Simply give us a call on 01303 812885 to discuss it.
3D Tours
Have a new web design and now want to show off your new office space? Have an interesting product that needs to be seen from every angle? Perhaps you'd simply like to show the view out of your window? Either way, '3D Tours' are an effective way to allow people to explore a space or object. Created from a combination of panoramic photography, the user can can look at something from all directions (including up and down if you wish).
Allowing a user to move around a real image is an extremely effective way of getting something across. Users can become engrossed and can feel 'connected' with the product or space that you are trying to sell. You can even add 'hotspots' to your tours - ie areas that when you hover over or click, you are presented with further information. For example if you are demonstrating an electrical product, such as a laptop, you could add specifications to certain areas of the product to enhance the visual experience. Or if you are demonstrating the inside of a property, you can add hotspots to link you from room to room - allowing a fully immersive experience.
The possibilities are endless - you can enhance an ecommerce website by demonstrating your products beyond that of your competitors, or as an estate agent you can offer a unique online experience for your potential buyers saving you both time and expense.
To discuss 3D Tours in greater depth, please just give us a call on 01303 812885.
E-commerce Systems
Nowadays ecommerce is everywhere. If you haven't bought something online, you will most certainly know someone who has. In fact, ecommerce has become so common place nowadays that there are devotees that now refuse to shop on the high street and do all of their shopping online. So if you have something to sell online, you need to show it off properly and make it as easy and secure for the user as possible.
Plagro are web design specialists and therefore can create ecommerce websites of all shapes and sizes. Be that one or two products being sold via PayPal or hundreds of products being sold via a customised secure ecommerce system. Even if you have a Flash based website, we can come to some kind of ecommerce arrangement for you. For more information and to discuss your requirements in more depth, please give us a call on 01303 812885.
Online Video
With the dawn of broadband for the masses, video has become increasingly more popular on the internet. Whether its video blogging on You Tube, watching a TV programme that you missed or interacting with a 'presenter' on a website, it is likely that you have come in contact with video somewhere on the internet over the last couple of years.
Although only popular recently, Plagro have been playing with video on the internet since 1998 - members of our staff were part of the team that brought the record-breaking online Madonna and Paul McCartney concerts of 2000 to air. Whether it's a simple video or whether it's a live video experience that you are looking for, Plagro can help you.
We can synchronise video to a powerpoint presentation so that you can train your staff. We can create interactive elements of your website using video. We can arrange a live broadcast for you so that you can broadcast your AGM or concert around the world. Or we can simply add a video archive to your website for user's to browse. If you have any video requirements at all, simply call us on 01303 812885 to discuss them further.
Banner Advertising
If you are unsure as to what a 'banner advert' is, it is quite simply an advert that you may see on a standard webpage. Companies sell space on their websites for other companies to advertise. Usually they come in the form of long and thin, or tall and narrow strips - at the top or on the side of a webpage. Currently we do not offer a package that will allow you to sell space on your website (although we're working on this!), but we are more than capable of creating banners for you if you wish to advertise on someone else's site.
Banners do not just have to be boring, static images. They can be animated, fully interactive and nowadays they can even include video. In fact, the sky really is the limit when it comes to banner advertising these days. So if you have bought some space on a website and need something to fill it, please get in touch by calling us on 01303 812885.
Touch Screen Kiosks
If you want to demonstrate a product in a shop or at a trade fair and can't afford to have a salesperson there at all times, then maybe you should consider a Touch Screen Kiosk. Touch screens come in all shapes and sizes and can offer a fully immersive experience. It is likely that you have played with one before without really thinking about it - be that whilst walking around a museum or looking for traffic reports in a motorway service station. Touch screens have become such a large part of our society, they are no longer seen as a novelty.
Companies often completely overlook touch screens as sales tools because they believe them to be too expensive. But this simply isn't true. A touch screen kiosk does not cost a great deal more than a mid-to-high specification computer and the software on it is pretty much the same cost as an average website! If you can afford a new web design, you probably could afford a touch screen kiosk for advertising too. So next time you are preparing a stand at a trade fair or launching a new product nationwide in shops, why not give us a call on 01303 812885 to discuss your options.
Interactive Business Cards
If you are selling a product face-to-face you will know that when you hand over your business card it needs to be as attractive as possible, so that it stands out from your competitors in your client's wallet. But if you are going to spend time and money having glossy business cards produced, why not opt for something completely different - a business card that your client can put in their computer's CD tray and will play like a multimedia CD-ROM?
Interactive Business Cards are simply CDs that have been cut down to any size and shape that you require. Due to the unique way that a CD stores information from the centre outwards, you can trip a CD as small as you want to - you are merely cutting down the amount of content that you can have placed onto it. So why not offer your clients a CD business card that contains a video CV, or a cut down portfolio of your products, or even just a company profile and link to your website - either way, that card will stand out in your client's wallet and they won't forget you in a hurry.
As with multimedia CD-ROMs, the possibilities with Interactive Business Cards are endless. If you are interested in finding out what we can do for you, why not give us a call on 01303 812885.
Accessible Websites
Having an 'accessible' website is all about creating a website that can be seen by as many users as possible. Be that using a standard web browser, a disability enhanced web browser (such as braille browsers for the blind) or on a mobile phone.
Accessibility is an issue now to many users, not only to government bodies who need to meet certain standards but also to companies that wish for their product base to be seen by as many users as possible. Accessible websites are faster to download, quicker to browse around and generally easier to find using search engines. It has now become the responsibility of web designers to learn accessibility rules and regulations - and at Plagro we are no exception.
Plagro can help you achieve the accessibility standards. For simple advice on accessible web design, call us on 01303 812885.
Video and Audio Production
If you are considering adding video or audio to your multimedia CD or website, you may want to consider having it professionally produced. Whether it is simply a video testimonial, a full green screen production or simply sound effects for your website, Plagro can organise it effortlessly for you.
Our video technicians and professional editors have decades of experience and will step you through the process from beginning to end. No matter what the location we can supply all of the equipment to obtain the best results - be that miniature cameras for those tricky locations, or full size broadcast formats such as D9 and DIGIBETA, for larger events and conferences.
Our video editors use flagship Media 100 systems, offering technically superior quality, speed and agility along with industry standard 3rd party effects and manipulation tools. Soundtracks, animated captions, subtitles and special effects can be added to your video if needed and the end result can be distributed via the internet, DVD, CD-ROM or even live satellite if required.
If you have AV needs we can help. Simply call 01303 812885 to discuss your requirements with one of our video specialists.
Professional Photography
Why settle for low resolution snaps when you can show off your products using professional photography? Whether it's product shots, staff portraits or editorial photo shoots, our professional photographers offer a friendly and effortless experience.
Our photographers use Canon 16.7 megapixel digital cameras. This means that as well as the image quality being superb, the print size can be as large as you want too - up to billboard size if needed. All shots can be seen immediately on-site using a high definition laptop, to reassure you that the shoot is going as planned.
Our photographers have worked with a wide range of clients including Comic Relief, Radio Times, promotional material for the Slug & Lettuce chain and staff photography for PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Whatever your photography needs, give us a call on 01303 812885 to discuss it further.
Viral Games
Advertising doesn't have to be all about flyers and banner adverts. Many companies nowadays choose to advertise themselves by attaching their logo to a fun seasonal online game. For example, 'Christmas Pudding Space Invaders' or 'Easter Bunny Frogger'. These games are often passed from user to user without any additional effort, giving you free advertising to people that you wouldn't normally be able to target.
You may have heard this being referred to as 'Viral marketing' due to the speed at which they normally spread. If you get a good enough game, your advertising can reach millions globally in only a matter of days. If you have just shelled out a large budget on a new web design and nobody has seen it, perhaps a viral game could work for you.
So if you have an idea for a game or you would be interested in us coming up with a few ideas for you, please get in touch by simply calling 01303 812885. Please do take into consideration that it can take a while to create a good game, so try to contact us well in advance of when you would like the game to be released!
Flash Statistics
Plagro are Flash specialists and like to push the boundaries of the technology as far as possible. One of the downsides of using Adobe's Flash is that it can be awkward to gather statistics from, but Plagro has overcome this in the past by creating our own bespoke statistics packages that are aimed specifically at collecting the data you need from Flash websites. The bespoke package can be used with an existing statistics program or simply on its own - it's entirely up to you.
Additionally we have mastered a variety of techniques for getting statistics from Flash websites to work in some conventional statistic packages. If this is something that you may be interested in, simply get in touch to discuss how we may be able to help you on 01303 812885.
Advertising and Print Design
Plagro may be web design and digital media specialists but we like to think that we can offer you a 'one stop shop' service for all of your design needs, including designing for print. Our designers can help you with corporate identity and branding, logo design, stationary, brochures and even annual reports.
Our print designers can take your existing corporate branding and produce everything for you from your business cards through to a complete advertising campaign. Alternatively, if you're a business start-up we can produce your entire brand from scratch. Working closely with our digital media specialists, we can produce a logo and style guide for you that can be used throughout your offline and online advertising.
So if you have any questions regarding print design, or would like to discuss how Plagro can help you with a 'full solution' package, then please give us a call on 01303 812885.
Porfolio
Please view the flash version of our website for examples of our work
Unfortunately due to time restrictions we are currently only able to update one version of our website with examples of our work and the latest company news. We recommend that you view the main version of our website for more information.
You are viewing this page because either you don't have the flash plugin installed or you require a newer version. Please download the latest version of the plugin for free by clicking here and then try again.
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Contact Us
Call 01303 812885 for a no obligations chat
Plagro
Yew Tree Studios
Stone Street
Stanford North
Ashford
Kent. TN25 6DH
Plagro are based just off the M20 at junction 11. We are less than 20 minutes away from Ashford, Canterbury and Folkestone - and due to our proximity to the M20 motorway, we are easily accessible from the whole of Kent and the South East. Please click here to download a map of our location.
Privacy Policy
Above all else, here at Plagro we respect your privacy. When contacting Plagro we will hold your contact details only for future administrative communications and to allow us to keep you up-to-date with our services. We will at no time pass your details on to 'partners' or other sales related third parties.
If you do not wish for any of your details to be held, please inform us of this and we will happily delete any held details without prejudice.
We do not record your IP address or personal browsing habits and only use cookies to record anonymous website statistics. If you have any further questions regarding privacy, please feel free to contact us via email or call us on 01303 812885.
Plagro and the Environment
Here at Plagro we like to do our bit in reducing carbon emissions. We know that the world can't be saved overnight and that it isn't always possible to be 100% environmentally friendly, but at the same time we do believe that every little bit helps. With this in mind we pledge to do the following simple things to help the environment:
- Always question whether we really need to print or photocopy documents;
- Use electronic transfers whenever possible as an alternative to standard post and faxes;
- Make sure old office equipment goes to a new home or is fully recycled;
- Turn off our PC's and monitors properly when not in use;
- Reduce the need for air conditioning and heating by dressing warm on cold days and cool on warm days;
- Reuse or recycle empty printer ink cartridges;
- Switch unnecessary lights off;
- Reuse or recycle waste paper;
- Cut down on travelling to meetings by using webcam, chat, and video conference facilities;
- Cancel junk mail using the Mail Preference Service;
- Use digital cameras instead of traditional film whenever possible;
- Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones.
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