The client
You may recognise Richard Shelton as Emmerdale’s evil Dr Adam Forsythe, but there is a great deal more to this versatile performer:”I’m an actor who sings, a singer who acts…’aint nothing like the thrill of a big-band but I love the challenge of acting too!”
Like many performers, Richard had a website, but it wasn’t doing him justice. It had nothing about his speaking appearances, business workshops or fundraising activities.
The site styled Richard as a old-school jazz crooner, and he wanted the site to show that he’d moved on.
“He didn’t want to leave that entirely behind,” said Ian Hallworth, Creative Director of 72 dots. “But he was feeling pigeonholed, and wanted to present a broader, fresher profile. For us that meant both richer content and an update to his visual brand.”
I love it! It’s fresh and modern and the streaming video allows my showreels to showcase both my acting and singing work.
Richard Shelton, actor and singer The brief
Some clients are frustratingly unclear about why they want a website, but not Richard:
“Awareness and bookings! Everyone expects immediate access to information and being a performer is no different from any other business — you have to be able to show people what you offer as quickly and professionally as possible. A great site gives you the edge over the rest.”
This was very reassuring to us. “Websites for individuals can become vanity projects,” said Ian. “This can make the design process difficult. With Richard, we knew that he wanted to showcase his talents and reach new clients, and that set us a very clear brief.”
Design approach
The heart of a website is its content, and that’s where we always begin. So we asked Richard to gather photographs, testimonials, and any new information he wanted on the site. From this we created a navigation and site structure which showcased his talents to potential clients.
The branding brief was to update Richard’s look – “make it more modern” – without losing the cool, sophisticated feel. Ian started the brand revision by keeping the basic colours and exploring new typography.
The page layout took a more radical shift, focusing above the fold on on three elements: calls to action (‘Book Richard’), the star’s talents (‘Acting’, ‘Singing’ etc), and the performer’s showreel.
For Ian, the showreel was key: “Performers sell themselves with their showreel, and we wanted it front and centre on the site.” With Richard convinced, 72 dots brought in partners GraphicMotion to re-edit a range of showreels both for the website and for DVD.
It was time to Richard to review the design. “We were prepared for several rounds of design,” said Ian, “but he liked it straight away.”
Words and pictures
While the design was being coded, 72 dots was gathering assets and filling in gaps. “We wrote a fair bit of the content ourselves,” Ian said. “It’s something we’re used to, and we have plenty of experience in that area.”
Richard was very focused on his look, choosing photos carefully and supervising the production of the reel. These photos were being uploaded into the site’s content management system, which would allow Richard to edit and change the site at his convenience.
This flexibility means that Richard can update the site with news of his tours and events day by day. This gives several benefits, as Ian pointed out: “It’s not just about keeping fans updated – keeping a site fresh with content means that people keep visiting it and keep linking to it, which keeps you high on search engine results.”
Going live
With the showreels completed, the site went live. What was Richard’s reaction?
“I love it! It’s fresh and modern and the streaming video allows my showreels to showcase both my acting and singing work.”
And what about the reaction from those all-important potential clients?
“Very positive. I’m returning to the UK after a period away and am hoping for some big bookings!”
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