Collective effort for C4 website

London Design Collective is developing a health website for Channel 4, which is due to go live on 25 July.

Health House will build on Channel 4’s existing education and health-related Web activities, which include advice sites on sex and drugs. The idea for the site follows the success of Channel 4 telephone help lines, according to Paula Snyder, commissioning editor of the broadcaster’s interactive learning department.

London Design Collective was formed about three months ago. Partner Noel Lyons said his consultancy has worked with Channel 4 on a number of website projects and was bought in to art direct the initial health site, which covered sex.

“Snyder had some very clear ideas of what she wanted and was very good at explaining them, without hemming in the design,” Lyons said. “They wanted someone who would understand them and translate their ideas.”

Health House will feature a series of rooms, corresponding to different aspects of physical and mental health, including sex, drugs, stress, mind, family and food. Users will be able to ask questions of specialist counsellors, with answers posted to the site within 24 hours.

The website is free and is part of a five-year Channel 4 budget of £250m for education projects in television, the Internet and other media.