Shane McCormack

Despite an extensive career in documentary editing, Shane McCormack lacked a digital presence. As the industry becomes more competitive, he needed to stand out and present his work as an editor with more confidence. The goal was to move the focus away from his technical skills alone and highlight his role as a storyteller in the edit suite.

The project was inspired by the W.B. Yeats quote: “Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.” This was a nod to Shane’s background in English Literature and Media Studies, and his perspective as an Irishman living in London. The design aims for a balance of academic weight and cinematic clarity, positioning the editor as an author of the final narrative.

The design had to work around industry realities: copyright meant we were restricted to using only stills, short clips, and cover art. Rather than letting the site feel static, we used blur effects, hover reveals, and parallax scrolling to give these limited assets a sense of movement and depth.

The identity is anchored by the typeface Lock Serif, chosen for its blend of calligraphic roots and modern minimalism. This is further personalised in the logotype through a custom capital 'M', tailored specifically for Shance. These typographic choices, paired with subtle film grain and a muted colour palette, evoke the tactile feel of a dark editing suite.

We also included a Beyond Docs section to showcase Shane’s own short films, showing a deeper approach to his craft. Built on a low-code framework for a tight budget, the site prioritises performance and accessibility while maintaining a cinematic feel through layered animations.

The strategy had a practical impact. Within two months of the site going live, Shane landed a major documentary project with Netflix, noting that the website was a key factor in securing the work. It shows that even with a limited set of assets, a strong conceptual hook can bridge the gap between technical skill and storytelling.