Media Coverage

Internet Magazine: The UK Top 50 2002

The Designers

Nobody's had an easy year of it, but design agencies seem to have had it particularly bad. Despite all that, meet a few who are truly thriving. Their secret seems to be a mixture of careful client selection, smart financial decisions and just plain being different.

James Byford

Getfrank's had a successful and varied year, with clients including Gorillaz and Middlesbrough Council

Title MD, Getfrank

Which means... Vision, strategy and operational management.

What do you like about the Internet industry?
The combination of brains drawn from different disciplines.

What's been your smartest business decision so far?
Appointing a business angel/uncle - someone at the end of a phone who encourages and invests rather than dictates and turns up to board meetings.

And your biggest regret?
None - I do what I wanna do and never hold back!

Who is your Net hero?
Marc Andreessen, founder of Netscape and now of Loudcloud.

What was your last online purchase?
A CD called And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead by a guitar band a bit like Sonic Youth.

Sum up the past year in three words...
Focused, determined, aware.

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Kate Drewett

Moonfish has done notable work for charities, including Amnesty and the WWF.

Title MD, Moonfish

Which means... Leading the agency. Deciding where it's going and what to offer. Plus I'm the lead creative.

What do you like about the Internet industry?
It's never the same, there's always the possibility of doing different things.

What's been your smartest business decision so far?
Not to sell out to someone who didn't understand what we wanted.

And your biggest regret?
There were a couple of projects we should have done. Even now, there's not much out there like them.

Who is your Net hero?
Steve and Julie Pankhurst for Friends Reunited - an absolutely cracking idea that uses the medium for what it is good at.

What was your last online purchase?
I buy all my clothes online. The last thing I bought was at Boden.co.uk.

Sum up the past year in three words...
Foolhardiness has gone.

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Catriona Campbell

Helping companies, and banks in particular, make their sites actually work.

Title CEO, The Usability Company

Which means... I manage the business to best effect.

What do you like about the Internet industry?
The pace. The speed of change. Helping businesses make a return on investment through good usability.

What's been your smartest business decision so far?
To help businesses enhance usability.

And your biggest regret?
I didn't do it sooner.

Who is your Net hero?
Jared Spool, founding principal of User Interface Engineering, or Jakob Nielsen, king of usability.

What was your last online purchase?
A Nokia 9210 mobile phone from Orange.

Sum up the past year in three words...
Exciting, cutting-edge, stimulating.

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Mike Slocombe

Designer and the man behind Urban75, which has been hitting the tabloid headlines

Title Editor, Urban75

Which means... I run the site. I dedicate sleepless nights.

What do you like about the Internet industry?
The potential to reach lots of people without a big budget. You can post alternative viewpoints and there's an equality of propaganda.

What's been your smartest business decision so far?
Keeping Urban75 advert-free.

And your biggest regret?
Headlong commercialisation of the Web.

Who is your Net hero?
The bloke who sends out the SMS text updates of the latest football scores. And all people keeping the spirit of the Web alive.

What was your last online purchase?
Train tickets.

Sum up the past year in three words...
Exciting, expansive, alcoholic.

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Richard Latham

Est. 1995, Bluewave was bought out this year by Maersk Data, so its future looks secure.

Title Chairman, Bluewave

Which means... Going to a lot of conventions and being a visionary.

What do you like about the Internet industry?
It's helping me to grow up fast.

What's been your smartest business decision so far?
Founding Bluewave.

And your biggest regret?
No regrets.

Who is your Net hero?
Douglas Engelbart (inventor of the mouse, and the man whose lab was the second node in ARPANET).

What was your last online purchase?
A subscription to Friends Reunited.

Sum up the past year in three words...
Reform, maturity, passion.

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© The Usability Company 2007