Let’s point out this website was designed over a decade ago, in 2005, but it still looks good! It’s proof that investing in a good design does pay off!
The Biographers’ Club started as a small dining society based in London, founded by literary agent Andrew Lownie. Over the years it expanded and has since become an organisation in its own right, with an extensive events programme.
Our designer Mike created their first website in 2005 using a simple palette of colours. Every member was offered the opportunity to include a one-page profile about themselves, plus the site included an archive of past talks. The navigation was purposely straightforward, with news shown on the home page.
Work for the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency
We also worked with the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency between 2004 and 2006. We replaced Andrew’s small ten-page site, which was only attracting around 500 visitors a month. Soon after the launch of the new expanded website, visitor numbers soon rocketed to 10,000 people per month and it was a key factor in the agency’s growth.
Innovative features, suggested by our designer Mike, included an advice section for new authors, allowing them to build up a sense of trust with the agency and this helped to attract new clients. We also gave the site a “personal” touch rather than making it too corporate like the other agencies, which included having messages written in the first person from Andrew and commissioning cartoons to be displayed on some pages.
The website continues to be one of the leading sites amongst literary agents. Some aspects, such as the colour scheme from the original website, are still being used in Andrew’s site today.