For as long as you can remember, you’ve always been a creative person, whether your specialty’s taking photos, writing short stories, or commercial graphic design. Lately, you’ve been thinking of turning your passion into a business, because you’ve read enough success stories out there to know that your creative skills have value. You’ve been working so hard to hone them, from staying up late working on a painting to spending hours at art and art history class learning from the masters. So now that you’re you’re going to make your artistic passion into a business, it’s time to think about building your website.
The fact is, if you want to draw customers to your page and impress potential clients, then you need the right structure. By following these structural design tips, you’ll make a page that’s beautiful, practical, and impressive:
1. Homepage
Unless your clients are finding you via your blog (which is something we’ll cover soon), the first impression they’re going to have of you is your homepage–which means this need to be a stunning page. Your name, what you do (painter, sculptor, etc.), and a few images showing off your aesthetic as an artist are all you need, considering that minimalism is a big trend in web design this year. You also need to optimize for mobile, which means using simple fonts, an uncomplicated color palette (though you can be a little dramatic if it works with your art), and testing your site in its entirety with one of these tools.
If you want to get inspired, check out some templates from Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly. As of 2017, Wix had 114 million users, and it’s also free, so by checking out their templates and the others, you can determine what you want your homepage to look like.
2. Portfolio
Your portfolio section is arguably the most important part of your website. It’s where you’re going to show off your best works and how your work has changed over the years. It’s important to have the right technology for this section of the site, and your images have to be high quality – otherwise, anyone looking at your portfolio might end up seeing only half a picture, or getting stuck while they’re scrolling on your phone. Just like with your homepage, the most important rule is to keep it simple. Readers need to focus on the images, and nothing more.
According to Creative Bloq, “You don’t want to go too crazy, though. Fill your portfolio with too many tricks and visual flourishes and you’ll end up taking attention away from the work itself.” Not to mention that it’ll slow down your page–and considering that one second of added page load data speed can cause sales to drop by a whopping 27 percent, you need your timing to be as efficient as possible.
3. About me
Even though your homepage and portfolio are the most important when it comes to truly impressing clients with your artistic skills, your about me page is where they can learn who you are and what your mission is when it comes to your art. According to Oberlo, an “about us” page “is your chance to make the best out of this opportunity and present yourself and your brand in the best possible way. This is where people come to learn more about your brand and the people behind it. There’s also a high chance that your About Us page will be your most frequently viewed page.”
When it comes to what you include, it’s going to be slightly different than a business bio or personal website so check out this ten-step guide to writing a spectacular artist statement for the page. 86 percent of buyers are willing to pay more for a better customer experience so by providing them with the bio they want, they’ll be more likely to buy your art.
4. Blog
Finally, you need to blog. Sites featuring a blog tend to have 434 percent more indexed pages than those without, which means your website is more likely to come up on a Google search. You can write about anything in your niche, from a guide on how to sell your artwork to what it was like to tour the best art museums in Italy.
It’s all about staying informed in your niche. According to FiveHundo, attorney Aaron Kelly stays updated about his industry and clientele by attending tech shows; you need to be aware of current trends, too, so you can attract readers.
By including a homepage, portfolio, an about me section, and a blog on your artist business website, you’ll have everything you need to be successful in the long-term. So get out there, and start building!
What do you think will be the most challenging aspect of web design for you?