Beeb.com recruiting designers

BBC Worldwide has appointed a head of design for its relaunched commercial Web venture Beeb.com.

As part of a re-organisation of the business in advance of an expansion of Beeb.com, Sav Evangelou has been promoted to head of design for the site’s development.

The appointment gives the design team a management presence for the first time, including a degree of input into strategic direction.

Evangelou will be responsible for the “look and feel” and “user experience” of the Beeb.com brand. He will also work on the Beeb.com site’s six programme-related on-line sub-brands: Top of The Pops, Radio Times, Top Gear, Gardeners’ World, Good Homes, and Holiday.

Two further designers will now be recruited to Beeb.com’s central design team. The department will also take on responsibility for the branding of the broadcaster’s free Internet service provider – freebeeb.net.

Evangelou says there are no imminent plans for outsourcing any design work to design consultancies.

“This appointment gives design representation at brand level on the management team of Beeb.com. My remit covers the look and feel of the Beeb.com site and its sub-brands, as well as their navigational design – the user experience – or constructing the user journey through the site,” says Evangelou.

The BBC is simultaneously holding a design pitch for an unrelated Web project which is currently unnamed.

Consultancies understood to be competing in the pitch, to be held over the next two weeks include Web design specialists Deepend London and Digit.