Who we are
Big S Design started in 2007, building websites for organisations in and around Glasgow. A good number of them are still running, and some of those clients are still with us. That work taught the studio something it has never let go of: the interesting problem is almost never the interface. It is what sits behind it.
What we build now is a good deal heavier. RailGard AI scores fatigue risk on every shift a rail operator rosters, against the expectations of the ORR, HSE and Network Rail. ECS Group Command replaced nine service areas’ worth of spreadsheets and paper packs with one platform, captured on a phone and working with no signal. The Performance Centre runs grassroots club administration, academy performance analysis and first-team recruitment on one multi-tenant platform, with each club getting its own branded app.
We are a small senior studio, and we work inside your teams rather than at arm's length from them. The people who scope the work are the people who build it, which removes the gap where most of the cost in this industry hides. Product design, engineering, cloud and AI sit in one team — twenty-five years of software delivery across the people doing it, and five spent putting AI into production rather than into slides.
We are based in East Kilbride and work with organisations across the UK, mostly in rail and infrastructure, sport, and the other regulated and operational sectors where somebody eventually asks how a decision was reached.
Our purpose
To build software people can trust, because they can see how it works, challenge its decisions, and keep it running long after we’re gone.
Most software asks to be taken on trust. In the work we do, that is not good enough: a fatigue score has to be defensible factor by factor, a compliance pack has to assemble itself from what actually happened, and a volunteer has to be able to use the thing on a Tuesday night without training. These are the four commitments that follow from that.
Show the working
If a system contributes to a decision, it should be able to say why. Every score RailGard AI produces carries the factors that produced it; every record in ECS Group Command carries who did what and when. Evidence rather than assertion is the thread through everything we build, and it is what makes software usable in a regulated setting.
Build for the person doing the job
A volunteer treasurer on a Tuesday evening, an engineer in gloves and daylight, a coach with thirty seconds at the door. None of them chose to become software users. If a feature costs more than the workaround it replaces, it will not be used, and nothing else about it matters.
Say what we would not build
We would rather talk you out of a product you do not need than bill you for it. That usually means doing the research before the build, prototyping cheaply enough that being wrong early costs very little, and telling you when the honest answer is a smaller piece of work.
Leave you able to run it
Contract-first APIs, infrastructure as code, and documentation written for the team who will own it. Nothing about the way we build assumes we stay. That is partly principle and mostly practical: software that can be handed over cleanly is software that can be understood.
What our customers think
In their words rather than ours. Some of these go back a fair way — they describe the web work the studio was doing at the time.
We contracted Big S Design to design and develop the user interface of a new health and safety compliance web and mobile application using HTML and JavaScript.
The project's primary requirement was to deliver an application with outstanding user experience and involved working closely with our own developers. Big S won the contract due to their proven technical expertise, web application know-how and ability to work closely and advise our own developers to deliver a web and mobile application that is second to none.
The customer service and project management delivered was exemplary and I would have no hesitation working with Big S in the future or recommending their services.
David McMahonShe Software I have worked with Big S Design on a number of projects over the years and they have always produced work of the highest quality. Big S builds websites and web-based applications that not only look good but are also well-coded, adhere to strict web standards and perform consistently well. I would not hesitate in recommending them.
Ryan PrenticeBrinn Marketing Web design isn't about software. You need a designer who understands the complexities of your organisation and what you're trying to communicate. Big S Design takes time to listen and understand and then produces a website of stunning clarity and absolute ease of operation.
The Rev Kevin McKenzieWestwood Parish Church Stewart is a great web designer who is full of inspirational ideas and has great vision. With his help and expertise our website has been created, maintained and is a valuable part of our business. He also designed our logo which has helped us create a brand; with our logo featuring on our building, uniforms, promotional and marketing material.
Nicola McReynoldsGI Motorsport I am a small business just starting out. I found Big S Design to be very helpful and professional in their approach to designing my website for Trailblazing Pet Services. Stewart took the time to explain the advantages and options they could give me and had options on how to optimise my site once it was up and running.
Big S Design are not about selling you the most expensive packages but rather they try to match your needs to your budget. I would certainly recommend them to anyone thinking of producing a website or needing a current website optimised or revamped.
Donna FlemingTrailblazing Pet Services We needed a website that looked good and worked well. Big S Design were great, the process was so simple, they took care of every detail for us. Great service and great people.
StuartMorton Joinery
Let’s talk
Have a problem you need to solve or an idea you want to explore? Let’s talk about how we can make it happen.