Commander Graham Gore

The Challenge

Passion has always been the driving force of my creative spirit. The client, driven to become a dedicated historian, began collecting and documenting the works, lineage, and legacy of a notable naval explorer, Commander Graham Gore. Their passion was evident in the depth of research and the sheer volume of content they had compiled. However, the website that housed this work suffered from a disorganized structure and a visual presentation that failed to reflect the professionalism and significance of the project.

Frustrations

Users struggled to navigate the site and locate key information, often missing the client’s in-depth blog posts despite the effort put into crafting them. The content was scattered across multiple pages, creating confusion and reducing engagement. The client also wanted artwork and visual storytelling to play a central role, while maintaining simplicity and ease of use as guiding principles.

The Redesign

Front Page

Overall, the website had heart. The creative vision was there; but it needed structure and clarity to fully convey the significance of the historian’s work.

The redesign began with the homepage. The hero section underwent the most substantial transformation, featuring a clear headline that immediately communicated the site’s purpose and guided users toward the historical timeline or blog. An “About” section provided context on the naval commander’s life and legacy, followed by a blog section highlighting the finer details of his history and accomplishments.

Next, a newsletter sign-up section was introduced, set against a striking vintage map background, inviting users to receive historical insights directly to their inbox. This was followed by a feature section dedicated to one of Graham Gore’s artistic creations, placing visual storytelling at the forefront. Finally, a section profiling the historian herself offered visitors a personal connection, sharing the motivations and passion that fueled her research.

The client responded enthusiastically to the new structure, particularly the elevated focus on visual and artistic elements that celebrated the subject’s legacy.

From there, we moved forward.

Combination and Clarity

Previously, the site’s content on Graham Gore, his history, artistic contributions, and role in the Franklin Expedition, was scattered across multiple short pages, each offering only a paragraph of information. This fragmented approach led to confusion, high bounce rates, and a disjointed user experience.

The redesign consolidated this content into three clear categories: Gore’s History, the Franklin Expedition, and Gore’s Legacy. This structure allowed users to understand his life chronologically, explore the story of the ill-fated Northwest Passage expedition, and appreciate the artistic works and media inspired by his legacy.

Supporting blog posts were strategically placed alongside these sections, encouraging deeper exploration and engagement. Microcopy updates also improved clarity, ensuring that links and buttons communicated exactly where they would lead—for example, changing vague labels like “Gore” to descriptive labels such as “History.”

Result

The consolidation of information, updated layout, microcopy, and user experience adjustments resulted in an immediate 6% increase in Blog page visits. User feedback highlighted the site’s clearer navigation and improved readability, with visitors noting that finding historical information felt intuitive and seamless.

In addition, the client was extremely satisfied with the changes, feeling that the site better reflected the sophistication and depth of their research.

Since launch, my website has seen a 50% increase in traffic and a reduction in the bounce rate on pages. Anthony helped trim the fat of the existing pages, streamlining the content into more manageable sizes on fewer pages. This, along with drawing attention to the pages I was most concerned with the user visiting, has received strong, positive feedback. The overall visual design was greatly improved, and more accurately reflects my original vision, but with better polish.

I was worried the changes may result in diminished organic growth, but I haven’t seen that. I want to emphasize how well Anthony interprets information from his clients. I never had to say that the art on my site was of great importance to me, he simply understood it and made thoughtful, well executed choices for visuals. On a personal note, the website is an extremely sentimental project to me, and I felt fully confident in his work and direction, and would recommend him to anyone.

—Katie Pitt, Historian