Client Wants Site To "stand Out"

He's an actor, and he said that he only has a few seconds to make an impression when casting directors are looking at his site. I sort of understand what he means, though I feel that no matter how good his site is, its still only going to be as good as his photos, resume, and demo reel. The best web designer in the world can't make something from nothing. I would argue even that his site is just a framing of his resume/pics/reel...thats why so many photographers sites are minimalistic, the sites are not a work of art themselves, only a framing of it. What do you all think? Do you agree?

 

Nice sites, I especially like the savoy one....thank you for the reply. Clean but still interesting enough but not distracting. Did you design these by any chance? Just curious if savoy is wordpress and if so, which theme...

 

Just like on any other job you just have to do what you have to do. He may look like a Russian drunk, but has money, just cater to his wishes and give him what he wants. View your calling as a job (artists, designers, talented people in general have hard time doing that) do your best and don't think much about it afterwards.

 

I don't know shit about designing, but just taking a peek at the source code you can see that it is wordpress. You can also see that the theme is one called Classica, probably this one: http://demo.themezilla.com/?theme=classica&ref=tf

 

I'd look at the websites of other actors. Keep the loading time short so no Flash or other bells and whistles that need time to load or may not even be enabled by casting directors or other interested parties looking at his site.

It should be very easy to navigate since the people he's looking to see it have very short attention spans. The most important information should be the easiest to find, like his resume and head shots. His contact information should also be obvious and not hidden somewhere in a Tab, though putting it in a tab too won't hurt.

Think of it as a living business card(which he should also have those).

You can be creative with the theme, but not too creative. The theme should not distract from the content but compliment it. I'd embed his Reel on its own page.

 

I think you're both right - the presentation is important, he does have to stand out - if he doesn't catch their attention visually within a split second, or it'll be: "Next!" But you're right too, HE has to "stand out", and not let the site overpower his product (himself). Have you asked him what message he wants to convey through his site? What type of work does he want to do? What's his primary goal? The answer might give you an indication as to how to lay out his site to showcase him in the best light possible.

 

I agree, although you can really make a good impression with a well-made, well-designed site, and I think that is what he has in mind. While I do agree that the site will only serve to "frame" his current portfolio, you can make it so that it only shows him at his best.

My two cents. Have a good weekend!