Science and research
Sites for spin-outs and technical firms on Oxford's science parks, written so investors and engineers can both follow them. Websites for spin-outs
An independent studio · Oxford
Web design for Oxford, written with care.
We design and build websites for Oxford businesses that would rather be read than shouted at: science companies, clinics, publishers, makers and the shops and cafés that make the city work.
Web design in Oxford, for Oxford businesses
Oxford is an unusual place to run a business. Your customers might be a professor, a patient at the John Radcliffe, a buyer at the MINI plant in Cowley, a family visiting for graduation or an investor flying in to see a lab at Harwell. Many of them read carefully, and almost all of them will look at your website before they get in touch.
Marginalia is a small web design studio built for that reality. We make websites that are calm, quick and clear: good typography, honest words, pages that load fast on a phone and work for people using assistive technology. We write the copy alongside the design, so your site says something specific about your business instead of filling space.
In the margin
Our name comes from the notes scholars leave beside a text. We think the best websites read like a well-annotated book: the main point clear, the detail close at hand.
Web design services
- I
Bespoke web design
A site designed from a blank page around what your business actually says and sells.
- II
WordPress development
Custom WordPress themes your team can edit without breaking the layout.
- III
E-commerce websites
Shops for Oxford makers, booksellers and producers, on Shopify or WooCommerce.
- IV
Website redesign
Rebuilding a tired site without losing the pages that already bring in enquiries.
- V
Accessible websites
Sites built and tested to WCAG 2.2 AA, for clinics, charities and public bodies.
- VI
Websites for spin-outs and labs
Clear sites for companies on the science parks, written for investors, partners and hires.
- VII
Website copywriting
Plain, specific words for every page, written alongside the design rather than after it.
- VIII
Website care and hosting
Updates, backups, security patches and small edits, handled every month.
Local Oxford knowledge, not a template
The city's economy is wider than its postcard. Oxford Science Park, owned by Magdalen College, and the university's Begbroke Science Park host companies spun out of research. The Harwell Campus and Milton Park, to the south, are home to space, energy and life sciences firms. Cowley has made cars for more than a century. Headington is built around three hospitals. Jericho grew up around printing and publishing. And tourism and hospitality run through the centre all year.
Each of those worlds needs a different kind of website. A spin-out needs to explain difficult science to investors and candidates. A clinic needs plain language and excellent accessibility. A supplier near the car plant needs capability pages a buyer can trust. A café on the Cowley Road needs opening hours and a menu, fast. We start every project by working out which of these you are and who your readers are.
How an Oxford business website comes together
- A conversation. Who visits, what they need, what your current site does well and badly.
- Words and structure. A page plan and draft copy before any design.
- Design. Mobile first, with real text in place, then desktop.
- Build and test. Fast, accessible code, tested on phones and with screen readers.
- Launch and care. Redirects, analytics, training, and a care plan if you want one.
Web design that is built to be found
We are a design studio, not a search agency, but every site we build is set up so search engines can understand it: one clear heading per page, descriptive titles, structured data, fast loading, clean addresses and a sitemap. If you work with a separate SEO strategy partner, we make sure the build supports their plans rather than fighting them.
Shops, cafés and visitors
Online shops and fast, simple sites for independents who trade with locals and visitors alike. E-commerce websites
From the journal
- What an Oxford spin-out needs from its first websiteThe first website for a university spin-out is usually built in a hurry, just before a funding round. A little planning makes it work much harder.
- Website accessibility for clinics and practicesHealthcare websites are used by people who are unwell, anxious or caring for someone else. Accessibility is not a technical extra for them.
- Getting your website ready for Oxford's visitor seasonOxford's year has a rhythm set by term dates, graduations and summer visitors. A website that follows that rhythm earns more from it.
Questions about web design in Oxford
How much does a website cost?
A small, well-made site for a local business usually costs less than people fear; a complex site with integrations or an online shop costs more. We send a written estimate, broken down by stage, after a first conversation, and we will tell you if a simpler option would do.
Do you work outside the city?
Yes. We work across Oxfordshire, including Abingdon, Kidlington, Didcot and Harwell and Bicester, and with organisations further afield.
Can you help with the words?
Yes, and we would encourage it. Copywriting is part of most of our projects, because the words shape the design.
Will we own the website?
Always. Your domain, content and files are yours, and you can move them anywhere.