Web design — not just a pretty face
Japan Interface believes in good web design. That means two things:
- Web sites that look good, but more importantly...
- Web sites that are easy to navigate, work well in all the most popular browsers, and comply with the main recommendations for accessibility by people with disabilities
Good looks are certainly important, but they're wasted if pages take a long time to download, or if information is hard to find. Even worse, if visitors are confronted with both...
An editorial eye
With more than 30 years' experience in international journalism, the Senior Partner in Japan Interface approaches each project first and foremost from an editorial point of view. There is little point in having a beautiful website unless it conveys the message you want to get across. Only once the right structure is in place can any sensible decision be made about graphic design. In this way, the design enhances the message rather than obscures it.
Getting the technical standards right
You can rest assured that all websites designed by Japan Interface comply with the latest standards — HTML 4.01 or XHTML 1.0 — and make full use of properly validated Cascading Style Sheets. To find out why you should insist on this from any web designer, take a look at our design standards.
As its name suggests, Japan Interface specializes in building bridges between Japan and the English speaking world — and that includes bilingual websites. All pages of both languages are thoroughly checked by native speakers of the relevant language before going live on the internet. Page layout and design is also done by a bilingual expert, avoiding the need for costly revisions.
Bilingual sites created by Japan Interface include the BBC World Service Japanese site (no longer live), Oxford Analytica in Japanese (a subscription-only site), and the Japan 2001 Gardens Website for the Japan Society (no longer available). Japan Interface also created a trilingual website in English, Japanese, and Korean, for Bioedit.
Easily maintained searchable sites
The website created for Oxford Analytica in Japanese is an online searchable database that already contains more than 10,000 records and is growing daily. It was designed using a combination of Active Server Pages (ASP) and PHP, and incorporates a dedicated content management system. This enables any authorized person to insert, edit and delete records using a simple web form — an ideal solution for organizations that want to update their own sites without the need to learn HTML. The site also automatically e-mails subscribers with a regular newsletter that is created in seconds with just a few mouse clicks.
Cost
Each project is individually assessed and priced according to the client's needs. A simple site consisting of a small number of static pages would cost a few hundred pounds. A tailor-made online database in both Japanese and English would cost considerably more. Rather than charge a set price for each individual item, thereby laying the client open to rapidly escalating costs, Japan Interface will agree an overall budget before commencing work.
