Biography and Credentials
Common Sense Design, Biography and Credentials
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About Nigel Gordijk
Nigel Gordijk is an independent creative director and graphic design consultant based in Brighton
Common Sense Design, Biography and Credentials, First Draft 1 (Revision 1) July 25, 2005
and Hove, East Sussex. Trading as Common Sense Design, he produces successful Web sites that
are easy to use and visually engaging. His client list includes:
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BP International Ltd
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Honda
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Thomson Holidays
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Royal Shakespeare Company
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Ladbrokes
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No 10 Downing Street
After graduating in 1988 with a B.A. (Hons) in Graphic Design from the London College of
Printing, Nigel's early professional career saw him developing his skills and experience at print
design consultancies before he began concentrating on Web design.
From 1994 to 2000, Nigel worked as an independent designer, contributing to teams working on
high-profile client projects. He was the Senior Design Consultant at Interactive Bureau's London
office, where he designed sites for the government's Office of the e-Envoy and
LearndirectScotland.com. More recently, he was the Senior Designer at Brighton's Wild Dog
Design before establishing his own Web design consultancy in 2003. Now, he provides clients with
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unique Web-based solutions, both independently and alongside technical development partners.
Nigel is a co-founder of Creative Latitude, a worldwide network of creative professionals that
promotes ethical business practices within design and related industries. He devised its name and
created the organisation's Web site.
He has contributed articles about Web design, usability and project management to Ecademy,
Webreference.com, CreativePublic.com, and eGrindstone.co.uk.
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Client list
2.1
Major clients
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Accenture
BP International Ltd
BT Openworld
GKN Driveline
Honda
Ladbrokes
No 10 Downing Street
Royal Shakespeare Company
Scottish University for Industry (SUfI)
Sussex Community Internet Project (SCIP)
Thomson Holidays
University for Industry (UfI)
Vodafone
Windsor Festival
2.2
Additional clients
Almack's Gaming Club
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ASB Law
Child Safe Zones
Debtfree Day
Digitalbrain
Engaging Images
Ethical Marketing Consulting
ICP Search / Quant Resources
Museum Food Halls
National Horseracing Museum
PPL Sport
Primus Mobiles / Planet Talk
Sabre Telecommunications
Scottish White Fish Producers Association (SWFPA)
Surrey House Public Relations
Society for General Microbiology
Sussex Air Quality Steering Group
Trans-Siberian Russia Experience
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Client testimonials
3.1
Dan Spacie, Marketing Director; BP International Ltd
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Nigel has completed several projects for me over the years, and his work is excellent. He manages
to cut through the noise and deliver exactly what my teams need to the highest standards. I have
no hesitation in recommending him.
3.2
Kristy Cardwell, Application Development Manager, ISD; Honda (UK)
Nigel worked for us as designer and HTML developer of our ATV part of the main Honda site. He
worked off-site which didn't cause us any problems; Nigel ensured that he maintained constant
communication with me, so I was always aware of his progress. He quickly familiarised himself
with the product range and competitor offerings, asking all of the right questions and conducting
careful research.
Nigel is extremely professional, quick to adapt, and is very structured and thorough in his
approach. I look forward to working with him again in the future.
3.3
Michael Hughes, Managing Director, Wild Dog Design
I genuinely appreciate the quality of design, superb service and the “therapy” sessions (sadly all
too often required!) when you try to get us out of this week’s production hole that we’ve found
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ourselves in. I really can’t thank you enough.
3.4
Jessica Phelps, Business Manager, Museum Food Halls
Nigel's work can be summed up in one word: exceptional.
He possesses a high level of creative talent, but also is very commercially astute. Nigel handles
pressure and multiple priorities with ease - a gift of especially high value within the New Media
industry. His easygoing nature coupled with his business and professional skills make him an
absolute joy to work with and have around and I recommend him without any reservation.
3.5
Simon Napper, IT Manager; PPLSport.com
Nigel was brought into the project to provide us with a fresh insight and some new ideas as to how
we could update our old Web site into one that could compete with our rivals.
This proved to be a wise choice as not only was Nigel's pricing structure competitive with others,
but his ability to quickly come to terms with what our Web site was trying to achieve and where we
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wanted to go with it, made it feel like we were working with someone who had been familiar with
our business for many months rather than days.
I certainly will have no hesitation in employing Nigel's services again and I look forward to
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working with him again in the future.
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Book Excerpt
Excerpt from “The Savvy Designer’s Guide To Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career” by
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Jeff Fisher
In a relatively short period of time you can go from primarily a local designer to one with
international connections - all because of the incredible capabilities of the Internet, web sites,
overnight delivery services and e-mail. A designer complaining about the job or project
opportunity limitations of a local market no longer has a legitimate gripe. There are no
boundaries for a designer making effective and efficient use of available technology.
Nigel Gordijk, a designer based in Brighton, England, also finds himself working remotely quite
often. Still, he doesn’t want working out of sight of his clients to translate to being out of their
minds.
“Regardless of where I’ll be executing the project – my home office or the design consultancy’s
office - I always try to have the project briefing face to face if possible,” says Gordijk. “There are
always questions that arise in meetings that may not be apparent to either party when writing an
e-mail or talking on the phone. It gives me an opportunity to get to know the client and, more
importantly, for them to know a bit about me.”
According to Gordijk, “Communication is essential. When working from home, I email weekly
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progress reports to the client, describing what I have achieved in the past week and what remains
to be completed. It’s important that the client is aware that you’re still alive and working on the
project, not slouched in front of the box watching daytime TV and billing it as research. Also, I
find that asking questions about an ongoing project shows that I’m continuously thinking about it.
No one will think you’re dumb if you ask for clarification; on the contrary, it looks good for you if
you raise intelligent points.”
“Ask for regular feedback from clients, but set deadlines for their comments, preferably in writing
or by e-mail,” Gordijk recommends. “There are two reasons for this: it allows them to feel part of
the project, while setting a deadline keeps the whole thing moving along. If they fail to respond by
your deadline, then you may have a useful fallback position if the project timing slips.”
Paperback 192 pages. Published: December 19, 2004. Publisher: How Design Books
ISBN: 1581804806
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Project Process
The methodology described in this section refers to the design and build of a typical Web site
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project.
5.1
Design Direction
Three homepage designs will be presented for the client to choose from. These will show different
creative approaches for the design of the Web site. The client will be asked to select one of the
designs.
Up to two sets of amendments to the chosen design will be carried out as part of the project’s
design direction stage. If more than two sets of amendments are requested by the client, these will
be charged at a set hourly. A written quote for the requested changes will be emailed and must be
approved by the client in writing (e.g. email) prior to any such work commencing.
Although the designs may be discussed in person or on the telephone, only requests approved in
writing will be acted upon. For the purposes of this project email requests are acceptable.
The designs will be uploaded to Nigel Gordijk’s server so that the client can view them in a Web
browser. The design will look as close as possible to a coded page but will have none of the
functionality, such as active links or rollovers, that would be present on a finished, live page. The
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purpose of the design stage of the project is to determine the site’s look and feel. The technical
aspects will be addressed once the overall design has been approved and agreed in writing.
5.2
Design Development
Using the homepage design approved in the design direction stage as its basis, the design
development focuses on the look and feel of lower level pages. These will show sample pages that a
site user would encounter when moving through the site.
As with the homepage design, two sets of amendments are allowed, based on the client’s written
instructions. If more than two sets of amendments are requested by the client, these will be
charged at an hourly rate. A written quote for the requested changes will be emailed and must be
approved by the client in writing prior to any such work commencing.
5.3
Technical Implementation
During technical implementation, the approved design development work is used as the basis for
progressing towards fully functioning, programmed Web pages. This involves the programming
(HTML, JavaScript, CSS, etc) as well as the creation and optimisation of any imagery used on
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the pages. Although the client might provide some of the images, it is expected that they would
need some work to format them correctly for use in a style that matches the site’s design.
The programmed site files will be presented on Nigel Gordijk’s server during this technical
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implementation stage. Once the client has approved the site’s development, all the relevant files to
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their server, making the new site live.
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Contact Details
6.1
Nigel Gordijk – Creative Director, Common Sense Design
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Phone: 07944 170 293
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.nigelgordijk.co.uk
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Address: 54 Dyke Road, Brighton, BN1 3JB
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The Argus
11 December 2001
The Argus
27 August 2002
The Argus
28 January 2003
© Nigel Gordijk 2004
Royal Shakespeare Company
www.rsc.org.uk/collection/
Web development company Bright Interactive approached me to design this site for the RSC. It is a
series of online exhibitions with a Shakespearean theme.
I provided the design direction for the project - creating visuals for the various types of exhibition - as
well as HTML templates; bn2web provided the backend development, including a bespoke content
management system that allows the client to add and update exhibitions.
© Nigel Gordijk 2004
Ladbrokes Casino
www.ladbrokescasino.com
Ladbrokes wanted a more exuberant design for its existing casino site and briefed HHM Interactive, with
whom I was contracting.
Following the presentation of ‘mood’ boards - showing different imagery, design and typographical styles
- I created this modern design that incorporates elements from the client’s corporate identity. This gives
the site an unmistakeable Ladbrokes look and feel.
© Nigel Gordijk 2004
Honda All Terrain Vehicles 2002
www.nigelgordijk.co.uk/honda/
Honda (UK) required an online presence for its All Terrain Vehicles division. With a tight deadline of only
three weeks, this substantial site needed to be designed and built in a short timeframe.
I produced 3 design routes which I presented on my own extranet. Once a direction was chosen, I built
the complete 70 page site within the required deadline.
Not only does the site feature improved navigation and layout, it is more engaging and easy to use. The
client was extremely happy with the quality and accuracy of my work - as well as the speed with which it
was executed.
The live site at www.honda.co.uk/atv/ has since been redesigned by another designer to show the 2003
range of vehicles. A live prototype of my version may be seen at www.nigelgordijk.co.uk/atv/ .
© Nigel Gordijk 2004
Brighton & Hove Virtual Festival 2003
www.virtualfestival.org.uk
For the past six years, SCIP has been organising the Brighton & Hove Virtual Festival. Running
throughout May 2003. Its aim is to give Internet access and training to as many local residents as
possible.
This year, I was asked to provide creative direction by designing the festival’s logo and various on- and
offline collateral including it’s Web site, t-shirts and advertising. As I was the sole designer for the
project it was possible to ensure a consistent look for all visual elements of the festival.
Photographs from previous years’ festivals were used to give the Web site a much more friendly and
engaging appearance than before.
The site’s backend development was provided by Jane Dallaway and Richard Dallaway.
© Nigel Gordijk 2004
Adventure Network International
www.adventure-network.com
US-based Adventure Network International (ANI) - an Antarctic tour operator - is a long-standing
client of Wild Dog Design, the company with whom I was working at the time I designed this site.
The brief was to update ANI’s online image by creating a clean, elegant site that provides easy-toaccess information of the company’s many tours to the South Pole. Imaginatively used photography supplied by ANI - and a ‘cool’ colour scheme combine to show that the tour operator is experienced and
trustworthy, while also encouraging adventurous travellers to find out more.
I provided programmed templates for the client’s chosen backend development firm in the States to build
the live site.
© Nigel Gordijk 2004