It says something about the people we are, how we approach the work we do for our clients, and the kinds of organisations that will have the most productive partnerships with us. We’ve even been recognised for our efforts in this regard, and actively contribute to ethical technology causes.
Best Ethical Web Development Enterprise
2024 Innovation in Business Developer Awards
Best UK-Wide Ethical Web Design Agency
2022 Northern Enterprise Awards
This page used to be called our ‘philosophy’ and has been here since we started up. It may have changed every no wand then top reflect the developing technology landscape we find ourselves in, but it has always been a promise to those we work with and has since evolved with our branding to reflect our ethical focus.
Positivity
We believe technology is a wonderful tool that can change the world for the better – it should give people a voice and help creators find their audience, not help sell your data to the highest bidder.
We also believe in technology as a power to change the way we work. We want to give people the flexibility to work around their lives. To take back control. That’s why we have policies that help the people who work for us balance their lives and don’t expect them to have to disproportionately give more than they get.
In 2023, we started promoting our ‘Free websites for good causes‘ initiative, to support organisations that have noble goals and strive to make a positive impact but, without our support, would find it challenging to fund a digital project such as a new website.
Sustainability
We employ a holistic and practical approach to sustainability, from our own growth strategy to our environmental impact.
Website hosting is by far the largest part of our carbon footprint, and it’s been on our radar for several years to try and reduce this. We’re happy to say that we now offer to host all our client websites using 100% renewable energy, independently verified by the Green Web Foundation. Furthermore, we’re working to migrate suitable existing client sites to this sustainable hosting.
We also approach our own commercial growth with a sustainable mindset. We prefer to grow slowly and modestly, preserving the level of quality and service we offer our clients over the inherent problems and impersonal drawbacks presented by pure profit-driven growth.
Accessibility
Honesty & Integrity
Contrary to some schools of thought, we believe that the truth isn’t up for debate. We do the work, understand the numbers and know that facts are facts. We’ll tell it how it is, even if it isn’t what we know you want to hear. This is because objective truth is the most important way we can understand our reality.
Some companies talk a big game about embracing noble ideals, or doing the right thing, but fall short of actually understanding or living their brand values. For some, it’s just words. A marketing gimmick.
Others try to convince people that everyone who works for them plays ping pong and drinks craft beer, or that they’re constantly enjoying competitive sports together, for some reason we can’t divine. We’re not. We’re all different and at various places in our lives. We’re human.
We mainly want to convince you that we will be honest, reliable and deliver on what we promise, and we’ll show this through the work we do.
In an ever-evolving world of changing technologies, complex ownership relationships, multiple specialities and a whole lot of choice, it can be difficult to keep up. You might not be sure of the right road to take, or how much it might cost to invest in so many different areas at once. Our world is a noisy one.
We believe that, unfortunately, some corners of the web are at odds with our ethical vision, so we don’t use them ourselves. These include services that have a detrimental effect on society, that divide people, spread disinformation or erode the ability to communicate and function efficiently.
We can still advise our clients who use these services, without judgement, but won’t be adopting them or working on them ourselves. Even better, we can suggest alternatives.
Ethical technology causes
We believe that when it comes to doing the right thing, actions certainly speak louder than words. That’s why we put our money where our mouth is and actively support or contribute to causes we see as aligned with our objectives to promote technology as a force for good.
The Ethical Move
A movement promoting transparent, responsible and honest marketing. We have pledged to put the person before the sale, communicate inclusively, truthfully, and clearly and to take responsibility for our part in changing our industry.
WikiMedia
The nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation provides the essential infrastructure for free knowledge. When you think about how many times you use Wikipedia for free in the average day, it seems almost criminal not to contribute.
Mozilla
The Mozilla Foundation works to ensure the internet remains a public resource that is open and accessible to us all. They work to rally citizens, connect leaders and shape the digital agenda.
EFF
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. It champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development.
Signal
The Signal Foundation works to develop open-source privacy technology that protects free expression and enables secure global communication. Signal Messenger provides a valuable, usable alternative to WhatsApp and other tools.
Below Radar
Below Radar is a community for business owners and freelancers who don’t want to rely on Facebook, Google or marketing techniques that fuel surveillance capitalism. We don't use Meta and have taken steps to de-Google the public-facing parts of our business.
What's in a name?
Ethical
We try to uphold our philosophy and principles in all of our conversations and actions. We’ll always aim to do right by you, and we hope this ultimately helps you to lead your own business in the most ethical way you can too.
Pixels
Pixels are what we build with. Digital goes beyond your website – computers, apps, online surveys, email marketing, social media, photos, videos, the list goes on! We aim to ensure your project uses 100% Ethical Pixels throughout.
