Bute's winning website

Press Release

February 2001

The Bute Fabrics website launched in October 2000 is already attracting a discerning audience. In January 2001 it won "Site design of the Month" in Internet.Works and Create Online has similarly judged the site, and the work of its designers Airside, to be worthy of special mention. Little did Bute Fabrics know when it took its first steps into the virtual arena that the site would be so successful. Internet.Works said of it "Bute Fabrics have produced a unique retail site. It's simple to navigate and has a minimalist style."

In the autumn of 2000, following an essential visit to the Isle of Bute to soak up the atmosphere and philosophy of the company, designers Airside set out to produce a website which was a true reflection of Bute Fabrics. The result is a site that is visually clear and simple, very informative, yet with the bonus of being a lot of fun to use. What comes across is a company that is professional enough not to take itself too seriously, and it works.

Airside collaborated with Sam Burford from Transient, a post production company, to develop the animated "fabric characters" on the Bute site using high-end TV graphic techniques and innovative coding. Alex MacLean, director of Airside and lead consultant on the Bute site, commented "it was a step into the dark for us, and we are very pleased with the results". The Bute Collection, made up of a number of fabrics with their own special characteristics, was transposed by Airside into a series of animations, each with their own idiosyncracies.