%2520copy_edite.jpg){kind=logo}
Craig Thatcher was asked to lead a digital creative team to design and build a new website for Rapport that reflects the diversity of the people employed and the variety of workplace services provided by the company. It needed to clearly communicate what makes Rapport different as the market has changed significantly and the number of competitors has almost doubled since the company was originally launched in 2011.
the story for two audiences or personas
Craig interviewed sixteen people comprising Rapport employees or ambassadors as they are called, as well as clients and individuals from the senior management team to find out why they all love working with Rapport. He asked them what surprised them most about the company and why it is unlike any other they have experienced. Then he drafted the copy for the website, as if it was spoken by a Rapport ambassador chatting to and welcoming visitors.
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
Significant time was spent at the planning stage, creating engaging content and designing the user experience, long before the design and build of a new website started. The user experience must represent the brand promise as well as conveying the personality of the company and the people working there. So that visitors could build their trust.
WEBSITE DESIGN AND BUILD: welcoming visitors
When visitors lands on the home page, a Rapport ambassador greets them by saying ‘Good Morning’, Good Afternoon or ‘Good Evening’, depending on the time of day wherever they are in the world. These words gently fade in and are encapsulated by the Rapport speech bubble followed by a short description of what the company does.
responsively designed and EASY TO USE
Craig worked with Andrew Wicks to design the website to be easy to use on desktops, tablets and mobiles, with a mega-menu in the top navigation and a small number of long pages so visitors do’t have to jump about to find what they want.
The website consists of a simple home page, then separate pages for two distinct audiences or personas - one for clients and another for prospective employees - because they both need to understand distinctly different things about the company.
balancing design and user experience
Discover how Andrew and Craig perfectly balanced the design and user experience whilst developing the new Rapport website and share some great tips at the same time.
writing compelling copy
The copy was written by Craig in blocks of text of about 50 - 100 words to make it easier to organise them into a coherent story for each persona. He drafted the copy so that visitors could skim read just large section headings, float across the sub-headings and if something caught their attention, quickly dive into a short paragraph of copy.
Still images or films were used to support the sub-headings. The latter playing on mute, so they would not be distracting, but easily turned on if necessary.
animated ILLUSTRATIONS display key numbers
Craig thought it would be interesting and fun to communicate Rapport in numbers and so Andrew created doodle illustrations to help articulate key figures, and the numbers can easily be updated by Rapport in the coming months and years.
Engaging FILMS
Rapport has asked Craig to produce many films over the years and he has always worked hand-in-hand with award-winning film director, Nic Cornwall. For the new website Craig recommended that some of these existing films should be used alongside newly commissioned ones.
filming: A DAY IN THE LIFE Of SIX ambassadors
As Rapport is in competition with many other companies for top talent it is important to articulate why people should join and why they should stay. What better way than by meeting some real Rapport ambassadors? Six were filmed for a day in their lives to showcase their exciting roles and personalities, and to encourage people to consider a new career with Rapport.
The art in creating compelling short films is to meticulously plan everything in advance. So Craig was most active in the pre-production stage, whilst developing the storyboards with Nic and drafting the questions for the on-screen interviews.
THE THREE STAGES OF TO CREATING GREAT FILMS
Discover the three stages to creating great films as Nic and Craig discuss the process of making six Day in the Life films for the new Rapport website and share some great tips at the same time.
PHOTOGRAPHY: 30+ new Still images created
Once the overall structure of the website had been developed, along with the key messages and gaps in visual content identified, it was agreed that new still images were needed to show Rapport ambassadors in impressive contemporary buildings.
On reconnaissance Craig went to a few locations with a fantastic photographer, Tom Campbell. Then we reviewed our draft copy for the website before proposing shots of Rapport ambassadors in authentic scenarios. Before planning them out across two locations and art directing the shots with Tom and two assistants to ensure everything ran smoothly. Additional shots were also taken of ambassadors in other scenarios for use in bid and tender documents to win new contracts.
more than 85 people contributed
Over sixty Rapport ambassadors volunteered to take part in helping to create the content for the Rapport website over 5 days of filming and the 2 days photoshoot. All were enthusiastic and patient waiting to be called in front of the cameras. This is in addition to the original sixteen interviewees and the creative team of ten.
SECRETS TO A SUCCESSFUL PHOTOSHOOT
Discover how the art of good communication and creating a comfortable environment are just two of the secrets to a successful photoshoot. Tom and Craig share their insights having collaborated on this shoot for the new Rapport website.
LIve CHaT integration with real people
Craig proposed that a Live Chat function with real people should be added to the website, as this would help to create a unique experience for every visitor, inspired by Rapport's belief that 'Every Experience Should be Unique'.
"First and foremost – I think the new website is brilliant! I like the story, the tone, the images, the videos and the feeling it creates. We have made an incredible step forwards, compared to our existing website. So, thank you! It is our ambassadors that make Rapport special and therefore it was only right for them to take ‘centre stage’. The website reflects our dedication to excellence and our never-ending efforts to better serve our clients and ambassadors alike." Dirk Talsma, Managing Director at Rapport and Restaurant Associates Venues
“The distinctive personality of the brand bursts beautifully to life from the pages of the new website, with a Rapport ambassador welcoming visitors and talking about the company's inclusive culture. Designed to be easy and intuitive to use for the two primary audiences, with new navigate and clear messaging. The photography and films feature ambassadors in authentic scenarios in contemporary buildings. This was an outstanding project to be involved in and the team collaborated brilliantly to bring it all together.” Craig Thatcher, Creative Director & Founder of StrawberryFinch
Be Yourself FILM
Craig was instrumental in creating a Diversity and Inclusion film by award-winning film director Nic Cornwall. Called ‘Be Yourself’, Nic wrote the lyrics, whilst the soundtrack was created by music composer and sound designer Dom Jones, and the Rapport choir provided the vocals. You can discover why the film was made.
Building the Rapport brand over 10+ years
Discover how we have helped to build the Rapport brand over more than ten years.
Services provided
Craig acted as creative and art director, copywriter, film producer and led a small, experienced team of specialist professionals.
Creative & art direction, copywriting, film production & project lead - Craig Thatcher
Website design & build - Andrew Wicks
Photography - Tom Campbell
Filming - Nic Cornwall
Need a digital creative team your new website?
Contact Craig today to learn more about how we can help you launch a new website that will bring your company or brand to life.