Art websites can serve different purposes in the same way that art comes in different forms. For the most part, your online portfolio should showcase your best works, but there are also other key features that your site should have to improve user engagement and make sure your talents are rewarded financially.
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1. Complementary website design
Artists websites should complement the art genre they showcase. It’s important for your web design to evoke the same type of emotions as the art it is supposed to highlight. For example, your site design can feature a background that reflects your personal style. Or it can contain elements that reflect the medium that you use for your art pieces. You can use abstract images all over your site or geometric patterns depending on the type of art you create. Think of your website as an extension of your artwork. Build it to become one of your greatest works.
2. Maintain the focus on your work
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When you’re designing an art portfolio website, it’s easy to get carried away with adding decorative touches to your online space. It’s important to maintain a clean layout because you don’t want to remove the focus on your art pieces. In general, it’s better to keep it simple so as to not distract the user from your artwork.
Strikingly has clean and sleek templates that are great for websites for artists because they feature lots of white spaces and a blank canvas that you can easily tweak according to your personal preferences.
3. Interact with your audience
The best artist websites feature a section where they can update their fans about upcoming exhibits or shows. Creating fresh content on your site encourages your target audience to keep coming back for more. If you sell your work online, you might also want to create an easy shopping experience for your visitors. Strikingly’s Simple Store allows you to convert your art websites into an ecommerce store easily. Check out our post on how to start an online store to get started.
Don’t forget to add a section for contacting you directly, especially if you intend to sell your pieces online. Social share features will also come in handy for encouraging your visitors to share your work through their social media pages.
4. A great concept brings a portfolio together
A good art portfolio website should have an overarching theme or concept. Consider your art website as an online exhibit of your work. It should relate a story that brings all the different art pieces together. The theme can be reflected through the choice of color schemes or other design elements such as the text content and even the microinteractions you add into the site.
Artist websites should be cohesive so the choice of art pieces to showcase requires great consideration.
5. Let your unique personality shine through
An art portfolio website, more than anything, should reflect your unique personality. It should be a celebration of your best works so far. Don’t hesitate to share your story in your site. Make it about you and your passion. Visitors relate more to personal touches on a site. A story about each art piece will help your audience understand your work and the emotions you want to evoke with each piece.
Final note
Users should be treated to a grand display of your greatest works when they visit your art portfolio website. Don’t stop trying and testing new ways to engage your audience. Introduce new art pieces and content regularly to keep your visitors engaged. Pay attention to site analytics and how your users interact with your site so you can improve on your online portfolio.
