The new division, to be based in Delhi, will offer high-end web-designrelated services to clients in India and the United States. Apart from adevelopment centre in Delhi, also in the offing is a design studio inBangalore. The company plans to invest up to Rs 2 crore in the interactivedivision over the next one year.

Speaking to The Financial Express, Confluence Communication chiefexecutive officer Tapas Gupta said the new entity Confluence-ScreeInteractive will be one of the few advertising companies in the country tojoin hands with an international web-design company. The new division willbe completely devoted to creative and design work for the web and theInternet. "This is expected to be a trend setter for the Indian industry,"Gupta added.

Confluence Communication is 50:50 joint venture company floated byCalifornia-based NRI software professional Yogesh Vaidya and Gupta. WithScree coming in, the stake of existing promoters will be diluted equally.Gupta said Scree president Jay Tompt may at a latter stage join the board ofConfluence Communication. Both the companies are expected to arrive at themonetary detail in relation to the alliance over the next one week,officials said.

Apart from targeting the Indian market, the new division would also downloadcreative work from Silicon Valley. Confluence-Scree Interactive would be ina position to deliver complete web solutions to clients, Gupta said.The company would look to expand its activities to other markets in theMiddle East and South Asia in 2001.

According to Scree Interactive president Jay Tompt his company would help totransfer their latest state-of-art technology and design know-how toConfluence-Scree Interactive through training of creative andsoftware professionals both in India and the United States.

Gupta said the new division would be headed by creative director Anwar Abbaswho has recently undergone training in web and Internet design from Scree.Several professionals from Confluence are undergoing training in the UnitedStates.

Gupta said Confluence Communication recorded a turnover of Rs 10 crore inthe first year of its operations. He expects the turnover to double in thecurrent fiscal.

Confluence's rooster of clients include STG, Ernst & Young, Baba Zarda,Boroline, Ion Exchange and Chand Chhaap Urea Scree's client list includesIntel, Cisco and Applied Materials. "We would like to change the way webdesigning and advertising is done in India," Tompt added.