Who We Are
Dynamic Designs was formed in 1991, originally selling Amiga public domain software.
What began as a small software distribution venture grew into a full software development house,
producing Windows security and utility applications used in schools, offices, and homes across the UK
and beyond.
Today, Dynamic Designs serves as the umbrella for Craig Wilkinson's ongoing work in
software, web development & hosting, and
photography — connecting visitors to projects including
Craig Wilkinson Photography,
Britain in Pictures,
SmartSnaps, and
ZiFi.uk.
Early Days — Amiga & Ser-Link
In September 1994, Dynamic Designs created Public Domain CD #1 with the help of
Weird Science.
The CD used a custom piece of software written by Craig Wilkinson and Garry Townend called
Ser-Link — a package that allowed the connection of the Amiga CD32 to a stand-alone
Amiga, transferring files via the serial port. It was, in effect, a very early networking package.
Ser-Link was later used on Weird Science's
Network CD 2,
including a cut-down version for file transfer between the two machines.
Lockout Desktop Security
Dynamic Designs' flagship Windows product was Lockout Desktop Security — a comprehensive
desktop protection suite for Windows 95, 98, NT, and 2000. Designed for schools, offices, and parents,
Lockout gave administrators fine-grained control over what users could see and do on a Windows PC.
Key Features
- Hide all Control Panel applets at the click of a button
- Disable or restrict Display, Network, Password, Printer & System Control Panel settings
- Hide all drives in the My Computer window
- Disable any window or program from being displayed
- Disable Ctrl + Alt + Delete while in Protect mode
- Protection tailored for groups of users or individual users
- Change Windows boot settings to prevent function keys & Scandisk at startup
- Clear MRU (Most Recently Used) lists
- File blocking of .exe, .bat, .lnk, and .com files
- Disable 'Cancel' and Close button on Network Logon or Windows Logon screen
- Full logging of Lockout's activities
Lockout received significant attention, including a feature on
ZDNet Screen Savers in April 1999,
when the website recorded over 2,000 hits in a single day. It was also listed on
Computer 911 and
SoftwareNow.com.
A dedicated product site was maintained at
lockout.co.uk.
Software Portfolio
Over the years, Dynamic Designs developed a range of Windows utilities and security tools:
Lockout Desktop Security
Full desktop protection and user policy management for Windows.
Lockout Window Hider Lite
A stand-alone module that closes any opened window matching a user-defined list.
CD Access Control Pro
CD drive access control and restrictions for shared computers.
Kids Desk
A child-friendly replacement Windows interface — later evolved into Lockout Desktop Security.
Hourly Scheduler
Run any executable or batch file at a specific hour — virus checks, scandisk, defrag, and more.
POP3 Email Checker
Tray-bar utility that periodically checks your POP3 account for new emails.
Web & Photography
Alongside software, Dynamic Designs has long been involved in web development and hosting,
maintaining sites and portals for its own products and associated projects. Photography became a major
focus from the 2000s onwards, with panoramic and landscape work showcased through projects such as
UK360s (panoramic photographs across Britain),
Britain in Pictures, and
Craig Wilkinson Photography.
Associated websites over the years have included
virtual-pudsey.co.uk
(photos and panoramics of Pudsey, between Leeds and Bradford),
kidsdesk.co.uk,
techsupport.org.uk, and
security.products.co.uk.
Contact
Dynamic Designs is operated by Craig Wilkinson. For photography enquiries, visit
cwilkinson.co.uk.
Historical contact addresses from archived records include
[email protected] and [email protected].
