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London's Virtual Villages16 May 2003 Feature |
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| The web promises to connect the farthest flung
corners of the world, but Denise Vale's new site, 21st Century Village, is
determined to introduce us to the hidden delights of local London ....
Denise Vale
Most websites that deal with the city tend to ignore this reality and opt instead for either a mega portal covering the whole place or a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to appreciate the street-by-street variations that make living here so fascinating.
Not so Denise Vale, whose striking
new site, 21st
Century Village, really gets down to the local level, taking
browsers on an illustrated tour through the finest independent shops,
restaurants and specialist businesses that the capital has to offer.
Mapping the Metropolis 21st Century Village: Home
page Convinced that she'd discovered a gap in the market, Vale set about
applying her skills as a graphic designer, map-maker and photographer to
produce local directories with a unique visual layout like nothing else on
the net.
The site divides London up into separate villages - to date there are
sites running for Connaught Village, All Saints Road, Westbourne Grove,
Westbourne Park, Clarendon Cross, Devonshire Road and Primrose Hill - and
offers enticing bird's-eye illustrations of each that are easy to use and
fun to navigate.
Graphic Guides Map detail from Connaught Village
Vale's arresting visual style - in the past she has worked making
illustrative maps for BBC Wildlife and Holiday Which? - seems well suited
to the task of capturing the unique identity of London's hidden hamlets
and she's convinced that the site - currently operating as a business
directory- has great potential to expand.
"It's still at a very early stage so we're open about how it will
develop. We're keen to network these independent businesses and give them
a presence on the web - but we also want to help promote the areas and
become involved at a local level."
In keeping with this aspiration, the site was actively involved with
the Connaught Village annual fair: "The local businesses stay open late
and have a village fete. We designed the posters and were involved in
organising it all - it was one of the most successful events they've had,"
says Denise.
Creating a Network Illustration of Connaught
Kitchens "Our presence on 21st Century Village is a great way to promote our
site, our business and the area. It's very competitively priced and as
more and more local businesses join its profile is increased and we all
gain".
Nick Leech of Clifton
Nurseries, who recently signed up London's oldest nursery to
its newest advertiser, is equally enthusiastic: "We love the visual look
of the site - it's very easy on the eye and easy to use.
"Maida Vale and Little Venice has a very strong community but to those
outside it can seem quite disparate. This shows that there's a real
community here and helps introduce people to one of London's best kept
secrets."
Denise says word of mouth recommendations have helped build the site
- "once a few companies come on the others don't want to feel left out"
- and is currently attracting revenue from the annual subscriptions the
companies pay.
At the moment her team are busy signing up customers
and finishing the London villages, but she is also looking beyond the
capital: "The response in London has been excellent and we plan to expand
across the country. We want 21st Century Village to become the first port
of call for Britain's independent shops and businesses".
Michael O'Flynn © Hallmark Projects 2000-2003 |
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| © | Hallmark Projects 2003 | |
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London may be one of the great capitals of
the world - a vast, heaving mass of 10 million anonymous souls - but the
people who live there know that it's really an eclectic patchwork of established
and evolving neighbourhoods with distinct personalities and clearly defined
borders.
"However, many remain hidden from visitors
who shop mainly in the well-known and highly- publicised areas. The idea
was to create a dedicated website promoting these interesting enclaves,
and the businesses that help give them their identity."
"In just the same way as you might pop inside
a shop when something in the window catches your eye - so you may wish to
'click for more details'. You can then view photographs of shop interiors
or particular articles on sale, price lists, restaurant menus and opening
times as well as contact details. You are also able to make quick, direct
links to available web sites."
"They came to us a year ago and showed us
a site they had up and running - we liked the design, which is very attractive
but also very straight-forward. It's perfect for us - a lot of our clients
are from the local area, but we also get a lot of brochure requests from
our website.
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