We are creative web design and development partnership based in the United Kingdom.
We build websites that specialise in e-commerce, social networks, digital delivery and content management. All wrapped up in eye-catching, standards-compliant design, delivered with love and care.
Radium are a leading music and sound design company based in London. They work in the fields of television, film, advertising, computer games and digital media. In 2008 Radium Audio asked us to build them a brand new website.
With all graphical assets supplied by the acclaimed design studio Elmwood, we set about building a standards-compliant site tied to a comprehensive content management system. The site has a large amount of video playback embedded so it was important to make sure that from a design point of view, those elements stood out.
In 2010, we went back to the site and gave it a new lick of paint. Tightened up the design and added new features and sections. Video was ramped up to HD standards via Vimeo whilst audio playback was added via SoundCloud. An innovative new direct marketing tool that harnesses the power of Spotify was also integrated.
One of the most enigmatic and respected dance labels in the UK, Rephlex has been proudly flying independently since 1991. Primarily dealing with acid techno and electronic music, the label is run by Grant Wilson-Claridge and Richard D.James. Richard is also known as The Aphex Twin - one of the most innovative and respected producers of modern electronic music. Based in Cornwall but with a worldwide fanbase, until now none of their material was available to download anywhere else.
They approached us to build and design a bespoke download store which would allow you to download back-catalogue and new releases in both MP3 and WAV formats. In keeping with the label's attitude and approach, we went for an incredibly simplistic approach to design. Resulting in a look that almost feels retro, but this also tied in with the reductive functionality of the site.
The Leaf Label is one of the UK's longest running independent record labels. Having notched up over a hundred releases since 1994, they've consistently nurtured new and challenging music from a roster of artists scattered all over the world. Needless to say, they've been one of our favourite labels for quite sometime. So we were naturally pleased when they came knocking on our door, asking for a new website.
The label and their artists are very active on several social networks, religiously keeping their MySpace, Vimeo, YouTube and Flickr accounts updated and loaded with relevant content. So we built a site that would bring all these elements together on a functional level whilst presenting the label with a distinctive look. The discography is represented visually; a catalogue of impressive record cover design. There's also a deceptively simple but very powerful live listings system as well as news and blog feeds.
The Sustained Theatre project aims to provide a national platform for black and ethnic minority artforms. To establish several 'spaces' throughout the United Kingdom, the first of which is a virtual space in the form of a website. The Arts Council of England and Wales then approached us to design and build the site.
Since its launch in July 2008, the site has been through two major phases. The first phase saw debate and discussion as the primary activities. To engage a hungry audience through a series of commissioned articles and to allow registered users to make their comments. The second phase saw the introduction of several new services; these included a classifieds section and events. Events we felt would be a very powerful new feature; a way to directly communicate what was going on in the world of black and ethnic minority artforms.
Decibel is a biennial event showcasing the best work from artists with diverse practice, including those who may have had limited opportunities to participate in the arts. This includes, but is not limited to, artists from black and minority ethnic backgrounds and disabled people. Fail were commissioned by the Arts Council of England and Wales to build the website for the 2009 Manchester edition.
As well as delivering a flexible and comprehensive Content Management System (CMS) which allows them to edit all public-facing content. We also integrated a booking system, allowing delegates to register and book shows direct from the website. Increased communication with the audience was assisted with the introduction of a Twitter feed, RSS for the blog as well as embedded video content from their Youtube and Vimeo channels.
Warp Records are one of the most revered and influential independent record labels in the UK. Starting up in 1989 and dealing with electronic music from their Sheffield HQ. They've since relocated to North London, where they established Warpmart and Bleep. The former was a physical music retail whilst the latter was one of the first specialist digital download stores on the Internet. In 2005, Fail were asked to redesign and rebuild Warpmart from the ground up.
The original Warpmart was regarded as a design classic, so we decided the only way to move forward was to reject everything that had gone on before. Eschewing obtuse graphical motifs and quirky navigation for simplicity, functionality and speed. The site had a light, breezy design. The content management system was sophisticated, comprehensive and covered all facets of running a busy online store. From stock intake to billing, multimedia management to statistical analysis.
Since 2009 Warpmart merged with Bleep and no longer functions as a standalone site.
Sound 323 was an experimental music shop located in Highgate, North London. Primarily selling CD's, it offered music from a wide variety of leftfield genres. Drone, Electronic, Improvisation, Free Jazz, Musique Concrete and Field Recordings amongst others. It was a unique shop and often sold titles that you be hard pushed to find anywhere else in the world, let alone the UK.
Having closed up the retail space to focus purely on online sales, we wanted to build a site that would ooze simplicity. So that the activity of choosing specialist titles from a large catalogue across a wide spectrum of genres would be easy and pleasureable.
Lex Records started out as an offshoot imprint of Warp Records. Initially releasing left-field and experimental hip-hop, it soon broke away and became a respected label in its own right. Having an established web presence already, Lex asked us to create their very first online store.
The brief was to integrate a fully-functioning e-commerce store with their current label site. Both in terms of the creative direction already laid down by the their in house designer Eh-Question-Mark and on a technical level too.
Working in conjunction with web development agency BDR and BMW Germany, we were asked to create standards-compliant templates based on BMW's stringent design guidelines for the BMW UK site. Accomodating Flash and other embedded multimedia elements whilst maintaining strict w3 compliant code that would work on a variety of browsers.
Despite the fact that the work we did was completed way back in 2005, we're pleased to say that code we deployed is still being used on the BMW UK site today.
Fail is a formalisation of a partnership that stretches way back to the mid-nineties and to the start of the Internet boom. We had worked together on several projects since 1994, from experimental self-initiated works to academia-based sites. Gradually moving to the commercial sector and working in the realm of E-commerce for small-to-medium sized enterprises.
We both chose different paths in our own careers but always continued to work together throughout this time, regardless of where we were geographically. Eventually finding a niche in helping businesses become aware and realise the potential of trading online. From launching the Internet's first online Indian sweets store (Gulab Jamun delivered straight to your door!) to helping a traditional century old company widen their appeal and engage with an international Internet-savvy audience.
Currently we work with a wide variety of clients; from sole individuals wanting to establish an effective presence to large government-based organisations harnessing the power of social networking. More recently we've been working closely with the music industry as new markets emerge and old models disappear. From high-impact, content-driven presentational sites to new delivery methods of music: namely digital downloads.
Previous clients have included Warp Records, BMW, Native Instruments, BBC, Tiscali, Yahoo!, Easynet and British Telecom.
Designer
Having had over fifteen years experience of working with the web. From self-initiated projects to Fortune 500 companies. His keen design-led eye for detail and sense of web-standards have resulted in an impressive body of work. His ability to manage teams and projects to come in on time and to budget have proved a valuable asset to the growing client base at Fail.
Client liaison, project management, web development and design prototyping are what mainly keeps Sheikh busy at Fail.
Developer
An internet user since 1991 and led by a curious mind, Vijay moved rapidly into web development honing his technical skills with each new project whilst contributing to various open-source projects along the way. Through his experience he has a keen understanding of technology and knows how to choose the right tools for the job and use them in the most cost-effective manner. This has consistently helped Fail to exceed client expectation and set the bar high for competitors.
His main roles include web development, technical architecture, programming and system administration.
To get in touch with us, you can e-mail at info@designbyfail.com
Or you can call Sheikh directly on +44 (0) 772 0772 898
We look forward to hearing from you!