Accessible Site Design
“Communis continues to do an excellent job and their support and input is very valuable – if the site itself is being seen as an example of best practice by the Agency then I think the relationship we have with Communis as contractor is also an example of how such contracts work at their best – They are making active recommendations and suggestions for improvements, not just sitting back and thinking ‘job done’.”
Mark Scott, Environment Agency
Site Template Rewrites
Sometimes, solutions to the access problems on an existing site will require such a degree of accessibility expertise that the cost of training staff to such a level of specialism is prohibitive. In this case, we can provide our own accessibility consultants to rewrite page templates, Macromedia Flash animations and interactive scripts and applications.
New Sites
For clients wishing to construct new sites, Communis offer a full site building and design service. We take a user-centred design approach, and work with you to develop a visual language for your site. It goes without saying that the site will be built to the highest standards of accessibility. Our recent work for Proshare / HSBC was nominated for a Visionary Design Award by the National Library for the Blind.
Recent Site Examples
Cardigan Sand & Gravel Co Ltd is an independent quarry trading in West Wales. They needed a web site to collate their reams of advice on specialist and general construction products, and from which they could sell sand and decorative aggregates online. Communis provided their original website in 1997, and have been working with them ever since.
The Environment Agency invited Communis to construct their Sustainable Management of Urban Rivers and Floodplains (SMURF) site, asking that it not only be accessible, but also be made available in French, German, Gujurati, Punjabi and Urdu as well. Urdu presented a particular challenge as it is written from right to left, necessitating the site design to flip around to accommodate the language change. This was accomplished elegantly using cascading style sheets.
The Your Money Be Wise website is a Teacher's resource for Keystages 3 and 4, and Post-16. The site provides young people with interesting and relevant information on money, savings and investment. The site was nominated for a Visionary Design Award, in the Education Category, by the National Library for the Blind. Communis attended the awards dinner and met Dermot Murnaghan, although sadly were pipped at the post by a talking duck.
What next? And how much?
We can provide estimates, based on a formal brief, on request. Our time and expertise are charged out at an hourly rate or, where appropriate, on a fixed fee basis. The hourly fee will depend on the seniority and experience of the consultant involved and the complexity, urgency and importance of the work. Time spent on your account is recorded in units of one hour. Fractional units are rounded up each week to the next whole unit. We will normally bill on a monthly basis to agreed credit terms.
Estimates will be based on a specified number of hours of work. We will try to let you know as the project progresses whether this estimate needs to be revised. This will happen if, for example, the scope of the initial work changes, or any complications arise not mentioned in the original brief. We must charge for expenses we incur on your behalf such as travel costs, couriers' fees etc., and will give you an estimate of these charges on request.
Pro Bono Work
We consider a limited number of charitable and disability related sites annually for rewrites and site builds on a pro bono basis – the work is done at no cost to the client. Our most recent pro bono site was FloraMusica, the Nottingham Cathedral flower and music festival. If you would like to be considered for such work, please contact us.
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Communis Ltd
Hillmarton House, Ridgeway, Frome, BA11 4NT
Tel: +44 (0)1373 836476
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