NEW DESIGN AGENCY AIMS TO DEVELOP WEB TECH
New Plymouth design agency aims to develop web tech
By WILLIAM TELFORD, Business Editor, Herald
A NEW design agency has been set up in Plymouth with the mantra that quality beats quantity – and it’s already looking to invent tech kit.
Konstruct has been formed by Jan De Braun, Lee Penton and Stefan Mountjoy and has just taken up residence at Stoke’s City Business Park.
With a combined 30 years’ experience between the three directors, the business creates visual communications for clients ranging from Plymouth-based start-ups to national brands.
This includes printed materials, brand identities, website designs, photography and video. Konstruct also provides creative direction, design consultation and marketing advice.
And the directors are looking at forming spin-off companies to take forward their innovative tech inventions.
“We wanted to build our own futures; there are a lot of companies locally and nationally,” Mr Penton said. “There’s also a big wave of companies buying pre-designed templates. So everything we do is from scratch.”
Mr Penton, a Plymouth College of Art graduate, previously worked for agencies in Plymouth and Manchester.
He had studied alongside fellow PCA student Mr Mountjoy.
Mr De Braun has 18 years’ experience, including working for a publicity company and the same Plymouth agency as Mr Penton.
Mr De Braun said: “If people come to us wanting the budget option we can show them what’s open to them.
“But we want to position ourselves at the high end.
“We didn’t want to churn work out, but to get in on the ground level with companies and develop long-term relationships.
“We point people in the direction of high-quality. That may be more expensive but it will paint them in a better light.
“And it will hopefully position us where larger companies recommend us.”
He added: “Since we moved in at City Business Park we have found ourselves to be really busy.”
Mr Penton said: “Collaboration is a big thing. A lot of places I have worked at met the client for half an hour and then not for months until we delivered the product.
“But if someone wants a high-quality design that delivers a return on investment, that’s where we come in.
“We don’t want to get into the situation where we are competing on price with people.
“We want people that want to work with us, rather than chasing other agencies.”
He said the three directors are also keen to build “micro” companies, as stand-alone entities and said: “Client work is the heart of this business but we have put time aside for projects we have dreamed up.
“We are working on some innovative web technology we’ve come up with.”
(Publicity generated by Dorcas Media)