Introducing our Principles

When we founded webdna more than twenty years ago, our vision was simple: produce outstanding work for our clients while creating a great place to work.

As we've grown, we wanted to define what that vision looks like in practice and what it truly means to be a webdna'er. So, after months of collaboration and reflection, we're proud to unveil the Principles that guide how we work, make decisions, and support one another every day.

These Principles are not a rule book designed to tell us exactly what to do. They’re a framework that helps guide us, helps us communicate more clearly, and helps us build stronger, more productive relationships with each other and our clients. They’re a constant reminder to think beyond simply delivering a project and to focus on building lasting relationships, to solve the right problems, and to always look for ways to do things a little better. A North Star, helping us stay true to who we are as we grow. 

The way we work hasn't happened by accident. It’s been shaped by more than 20 years of learning, growing, and figuring out what really matters to us as a business. We put our principles into words to help new team members and our clients understand what we’re all about and what they can expect from us.

 

Organising our Principles into Head, Heart, and Voice

The process began with a very long list of values. As a group, we had a lot to say about our business, but we needed a better way to articulate these and bring them to life. After many conversations, we decided to split the values between head, heart and voice. This gave us a clearer way to define not just what we value, but how those values shape the way we think, work and communicate every day.

Head Principles describe how we think and solve problems. It captures how we approach creativity and staying curious. For us, this feels especially important because as AI continues to evolve, it's these human skills that will really set us apart. 

Heart is about the way we treat each other, our clients and partners. It defines the care we bring to the work we do. For us, it’s important to build relationships based on trust, respect and kindness. 

And finally, Voice is all about how we communicate. We believe great work only has an impact if people understand it. As a business, it's important that we explain things clearly and avoid jargon, but without using complicated technical terms that can appear patronising. Equally, an important part of Voice is having honest (and sometimes difficult) conversations. Even if these conversations feel challenging in the moment, they ultimately help ensure the quality of our work and build trust. 

Together, Head, Heart and Voice help keep us thinking clearly, treating people properly and communicating in a simple, honest way. 

Our Principles shape the way we work

Because we have embedded them in our business, our Principles show up in everything we do, even if we’re not always thinking about them directly. They remind us to think a bit more carefully about what we’re doing and why. 

They mean that we don’t simply follow the brief. When approaching projects, we take the time to understand what our clients actually need, both in the short and long-term. It’s not just about delivering what was asked for but about helping clients build something that works properly now and into the future.

Our Principles also help us call things out when they’re not quite right or give us the framework to guide projects back when they risk veering off course. At the core, they help define what good webdna behaviour actually looks like in practice. 

How do our Principles impact the people we work with? 

We’ve found that our approach makes a big difference for our clients and their success. It means we’re not just focusing on getting a job done; we’re trying to actually understand what our clients want or need to achieve and how we can help them get there. 

It helps us have honest conversations, where we ask the right questions, rather than just taking a brief and running with it. And yes, sometimes that means suggesting a simpler or more cost-effective option if it's genuinely better for them in the long run!

When it comes to our approach, we’ve had loads of feedback from clients about how open and helpful we are. A lot of it comes down to trust and our clients feeling like we’re genuinely on their side. 

Our Principles are always evolving

As we said before, our Principles are not a rule book, but a guide. Something that gives us structure and direction. As we continue to grow, learn and change, we will continue to evolve them.

At the heart of it, we believe that how we work is just as important as what we deliver. Thinking things through, treating people well and communicating openly are all part of what makes us who we are.

These Principles are here to support that, helping us stay true to ourselves, work better together and keep building great things along the way.