Telegraphs | Website Design

Telegraphs needed a website that could provide a platform for all of their digital developments. With the music industry edging further and further into the digital world, it was really important that the band had a strong and defined digital profile. Part of this would be designing a look and feel for the site which not only represented the band, but could be extended to other areas of branding.

The Solution

We did a lot of research on band websites to design a format for the Telegraphs site. We decided that there should be seven main areas of the site - ‘News’, ‘Band’, ‘Media’, ‘Live’, ‘Photos’, ‘Contact’ and ‘Links’. With this in mind, we started work on designing the site’s look and feel.

Telegraphs were keen that the design of the site should reflect both their sound and their image. We used natural, organic colours to give the website a ‘retro’ feel, and used handwriting to mark the navigation. Each of these design elements can be extended to other aspects of Telegraphs’ digital profile, such as their MySpace and Bebo pages. They can also be developed across CD artwork and merchandising to further strengthen their brand.

We built a simple Content Management System (CMS) to allow the band to update areas of the website themselves. They can add photos, news or text easily through these tools, enabling them to keep the website up-to-date independently. With the music industry becoming more dependent on the online arena for marketing, promotion and sales, this is more important than ever. It also means that the site’s content can continue to change and be updated, encouraging fans of the band to keep checking back.

The site boasts its very own media player, included in the ‘Media’ section of the site. This was built using Flash, and plays tracks which are uploaded by the band through the back-end. The home page also now features the band’s music video and an advertisement for their single release, ensuring that users see it as soon as they land on the site.

This was another step for Digital Marmalade into the entertainment world. The success of the site was confirmed when it was shortlisted in the "Best Official Music Site Top 200" at the BT Digital Music Awards.

www.telegraphsonline.co.uk