Walker & Ward

a musician and an author who make websites

We’re not a design agency and we don’t have an office or an impressive portfolio of identical brochure sites to show you. But we are very good at making websites, and we know the internet.

We want to build websites for people who have something to say: academics, authors, makers. We have the experience, the creative power and the technical know-how to make you a website of which you’ll be proud.

If that sounds good to you, get in touch with Ben by email, on Twitter or on 07812 204396.

Who we are

Ben Walker is half of rock band Little Fish, who toured with people like Blondie, Hole and Placebo, then came back to Oxford to make great music in their garage. He wrote the Twitter song, created Myzbase, worked as a social media reporter for Amplified, a front-end coder for Torchbox and a pub pianist. He has been hand-coding websites for 15 years.

Miranda Ward has written online for Cool Hunting, Matador Network, Hello Giggles and more. She spent two years as a research assistant to an Oxford English tutor, working on a book of P. G. Wodehouse’s collected letters, and is currently writing a crowdfunded music book. Miranda also freelances as a copywriter.

What we’ve done recently

Spring Offensive (Feb 2012)

We built a new site for Oxford band Spring Offensive.

The main feature of the site is a full-screen Vimeo player, and the rest of the content drops down from the top when it’s needed. There’s an overlaid newsletter sign-up form to capture as many new fans as possible.

The problem with most full-screen video sites is that they don’t work on mobiles and tablets. Everyone checks out websites on their phone these days, and having a desktop-only site just isn’t good enough so we created a responsive site that works differently at several different screen sizes.

Phone users get a simple one-column layout with the video at the top and all the useful information and links underneath. Tablet users get a larger video (and they can still use the full-screen button) and the information laid out in columns. Desktop users get the full-screen video with overlays.

Responsive design is well-known in the web-building industry but still relatively new. We want our sites to work for everyone, so we always use it.

The morning we launched the site I wandered into our local record shop, and was greeted by an unexpected shout of “Nice website!” from behind the counter. That’s the kind of feedback we like.

—Ben

Become a patron of the arts

Arts funding has been slashed and the music industry as we knew it is dead. But we’re looking forward, creating new opportunities to live and work at the point where art and technology meet. You need a website, and there are plenty of people who can do an OK job of it. But here’s our promise to you:

Hire us to make your website, and you will enjoy every moment of the process.

We’re not interested in taking your money to make something boring.

We will create a website that takes your message and makes it shine.

We will use the money to pay our bills while we create beautiful pieces of music and writing that will enrich your culture for many years to come.

You should really drop us a line.

More than websites

We’re also part of a network of local artists called GENE. Between us we can write, code websites, screen print, letter press, make books and stationery, write and perform music and poetry.