How To Control The Show Online – Artists’ Web Design

No matter where else you promote your art, the only place where you truly control the show is on your own unique website.

You could opt for a traditional portfolio site, but that doesn’t show off who you are as an artist. Your site is a chance to not only show off what you do, but connect with your visitors.

Artists’ web design isn’t quite the same as a business site or a personal blog. If you want to control your virtual art space, make sure your site has all of these criteria.

“Financial success in the art world has very little to do with your talent” Tara Prendergast @Bitethebiscuit

Showcase Your Own Personality

Your website isn’t just a place to showcase your art. It’s also a place to showcase your personality. This is where many portfolio style sites fall short. For instance, some artists put as much focus on their blogs as their art. It’s a chance for them to show visitors who’s behind those incredible pieces they’ve been looking at. Going beyond a simple gallery and embracing blogging allows artists to control how they’re viewed. Take a look at some of these incredible artists and how they use blogging on their own sites.

Designs As Unique As Your Art

Artists’ web design has to be unique. It’s one of the reasons free site builders don’t work well for artists. All the sites look exactly the same. You have a split second to get a visitor’s attention and if the design is as unique as your art, you’ll grab their attention immediately. For instance, the street artist Blu’s site has a brown sketchbook as the homepage with tabs for users to click on. Each page is designed to look like hand drawn sketches.

Create A Virtual Gallery

Think of your site as a virtual gallery. The best part is you control how the gallery is set up. Want a traditional online grid theme? That works well. Want to be a little more whimsical? Even better. Wim Delvoye makes his gallery more interactive with a large cartoon city where each building leads to different works. Instead of just scrolling mindlessly, visitors get involved and are eager to see where each building takes them.

Guide The Eye Naturally

Artists have a way of guiding the eye and making certain aspects stand out from the rest. Artists’ web design means guiding the eye to various elements naturally, such as Amber Jean’s site. The homepage slider catches the visitors attention and as the images and quotes scroll, the eye’s guided to the menu. Other pages feature large clickable images and large navigational arrows so visitors stay focused on what’s most important – the art work.

Provide Ways To Connect

Obviously, you want visitors to connect with you. From purchasing prints or sculptures to sending in praise for your amazing designs, you need some way for people to contact you. Allow visitors to comment on your blog or display your social media accounts. Make it more artistic by designing the social media icons to look like your own art.

Sell Directly

While selling your art on other sites is a good way to increase your audience, the best place is still your own website. Artists’ web design involves not only showing, but selling your art. By selling directly, you stay in full control of the sales. You also aren’t limited in what you can and can’t sell. Plus, you don’t have to worry about competition from other artists on marketplace style sites.

Incorporating 360 degree views of sculptures and zoom-able images of prints are ideal ways to make your art come to life, even while it’s on a screen. Of course, even if you’re not selling, these help make your art more interactive.

Artists’ Web Design Your Way

You have full control over your art, so why not your site? Don’t let your art hide away on a plain site that’ll just bore your visitors. Add the same personality to your site and make visiting your website a memorable experience. The better the experience, the more often visitors come back to see what’s new.

Looking for web designers who understand your vision? Contact us today for a site that’s as artistic as you are.

Image: Eddy Klaus