Stuff & Nonsense product and website design

CannyBill redesign goes live

It seems like months ago (it was) when I handed over my design templates for the redesign of CannyBill. Since then, the canny chaps have been working hard to implement the design and @RellyAB has been working her strange magic on their copy. Yesterday the new CannyBill site went live.



CannyBill’s previous home page

It was a pleasure to work with a team of smart people who really get it. They encouraged me to push the design as far as I needed and went with me in using HTML5 and CSS3 extensively. As client‘s go, they are also some of the bravest in allowing their design process to be open to the public.

With the site live, I thought it time to recap all of the entries that made up that open design process.

CannyBill open redesign project

While open to the public redesign projects have lately been popularised by Mark Boulton Design’s work for Drupal and by Happy Cog‘s work for Mozilla, it’s rare to find a commercial company involved in an open project.

CannyBill redesign peer research

I have to confess that when I’m designing, I often don’t take too much notice of a company’s peers or competitors.

CannyBill design process, package contents

Liked most of my projects these days, I’m designing the next iteration of CannyBill‘s front of house site in a browser rather than making static visuals of page layouts. I know I’m in danger of sounding like a broken record, but I genuinely do find the process to be faster and better at scoping ideas and demonstrating them to clients. So I thought I’d share the start of this process and the files that I use.

Designing the CannyBill home page

After two weeks on the CannyBill redesign project (one of which I spent traveling to Chicago for An Event Apart), it time for deep breaths as I talk about my design of the home page for the new CannyBill front of house site and ask for your thoughts and suggestions.

Bribes, ripped trousers and writing copy for CannyBill

Relly Annett-Baker guests on And All That Malarkey.

Write now, I’m cooking with Chef-O-Matic

A fascinating look at CannyBill and finding its voice.

Prices and plans design patterns

When is it the right thing to do not to attempt to reinvent a well established, tried and tested design pattern or convention. This question has come up while I have been designing the CannyBill prices and plans page.

A top down look at the CannyBill redesign

With the first phase of the CannyBill redesign process drawing to a close, I would like to say a huge thank-you to the CannyBill team for encouraging a public, open design process and to everyone who has commented and tweeted their helpful suggestions.

CannyBill redesign browser testing screenshots

A complete set of browser screenshots on Flickr.

What does browser testing mean today?

Before we send over our design files to the chaps at CannyBill, first a run through of the browsers that we have tested in the new design and some musings about what browser testing actually means today, in the face of an ever more diversified browser and device landscape.

CannyBill makes Monday morning admin easier

Relly Annett-Baker on first draft copy for CannyBill.


The redesigned CannyBill home page

Head over to CannyBill to see the final result for yourself and of course, your comments are still welcome.


Written by Andy Clarke .

Hire me. I’m available for coaching and to work on design projects.