Patty Gollazzo

Top Tastes was a success from the start. It is an online magazine which focuses on the good things in life - fine wines, good food and exotic travel. The site is huge, with an archive of featured articles.

The site management felt that it needed a 'human' face, an identity which viewers could identify with and laugh alongside. It was also felt that the site needed a lighter, more humorous touch.

Tangled Spider devised the character of Patty Gollazzo. This is a play on the Italian word pettegolezzo - meaning gossip. Patty Gollazzo, the team decided, is an American Italian in her forties who lives in New York and has the typical Italian love of food, family and ... of course ... gossip.

Patty means well but, like us all, things aren't always perfect in her life, things she has no control over.

The brief was sent to illustrator John Shelley, who made Patty come to life with his interpretation of Patty - and the Tangled Spider team agreed that he had captured her perfectly and down to the last detail.

Top Tastes, in conjunction with Tangled Spider and John Shelley have many future plans for this character - watch this space!

More on John Shelley