Most online buyers of art quit browsing through many artists’ websites because of a number of things. First and foremost, web designers recommend that artists choose a domain name related to art and to the specific art they create. Build your domain name with silocoupon. We have come up with six important tips for artists when building their websites.
Mistakes To Avoid On Your Art Website
1) Show, don’t tell
All the websites I viewed were from visual artists. And on many of them sites I saw remarkably little … .. picture. Many artists apparently see a site as a textual medium and therefore may not be so good at it. They see it as a ‘folder’ and fill it with texts about themselves, reflections on their work and sometimes even a resume of five sides. That is as if you would make the text plate in the museum three times as large as the artwork to which it refers. Focus on what you are good at: your work. In the case of a visual artist, the more so: show, don’t tell.
2) But beware, it can also be crazy
You can also make it crazy. The site zuidhollandimages.comis beautiful at first sight: a playful reference to the click-through option on the homepage and then all the attention to black and white photography. But…. who is that photographer anyway? Where does he or she exhibit? How do I get in touch? Wait a minute … is there any more information on this website besides the photos? It could of course be that this is a stand-alone project, and that the artist does not want to make himself known or want to sell or exhibit work. But that seems strong. Don’t make it too difficult for yourself and make sure that you are findable and accessible.
3) Don’t be ashamed of your prices
What is it about artists and the prices for their work? Do I have to pull it out? I almost never come across websites of artists where prices are mentioned for all works. I was actively looking for something to buy this week, but this time I didn’t feel like approaching all kinds of artists with the question ‘what prices should I think about in your work?’ Are they ashamed of it? Does the asking price differ so much from the price to which they may be willing to drop? I have the idea that it scares customers a lot more if they have no idea of the price (and that is often the case!). Just think of a restaurant without prices on the menu: outrageously expensive.
I suspect that most artists are uncertain about their prices, or even have no idea at all what they can ask for their work. I once even advised an, albeit beginning, artist to triple his prizes. He asked so little that people saw the prize as a sign that his work would not be much good. Not to mention his own hourly rate at those prices. My advice: write down for yourself how long you have been working on a work. Don’t forget to include the research phase. What have your material costs been? How much work do you have to sell to earn a reasonable income? That way you will soon find that your prices are not that bad, and probably even too low.
4) Keep a good agenda, including ‘open studio’
Art must be seen, and often touched. That is why I want to know where I can view your work. Not last year in that one solo exhibition in a gallery in the east of the Netherlands. But also just in the cafe where you can exhibit, or in your own studio. Many potential buyers do not know that it is very possible to make an appointment to come and see your work in your own studio. Put it prominently on your website or regularly plan an ‘open studio’ and put it in your agenda. And, keep your site up to date!
5) Show who you are and what you do
Many people do not know what is happening in a studio. That you are sometimes chopping days on an image of only 30 centimeters high. That you pack all your paintings yourself, carry them and transport them to the art fair of one day. The preliminary studies, the misfits, the making process: show it! With this you help yourself right away with regard to point 3: when people see what your work entails, how much time it takes, the prices suddenly no longer seem so crazy.
6) Being experimental is allowed. But preferably not on your website.
Artists do not shy away from the experiment. And that is good. But be careful when designing your website. Experimental websites are usually hell for people who want to quickly find what they are looking for. Bright colors, flashing lights, automatic downloads of music files, ‘invisible texts’ or a navigation that suddenly disappears into nothing. I’ve come across it all. With perhaps one of the ‘highlights’ perhaps the website of Floris Kaayk . This winner of Volkskrant Art Prize 2014 makes great work, but who told him that this website shows that well? There are articles that I want to click on but cannot click on. Pieces of text have been placed over each other. There are films that are not films. There are texts with bold, underlined and italic passages. And there are colors. Many colors. In this case I would advise the artist to admit Mies van der Rohe’s adage: ‘less is more’.
But luckily I also came across a few sites that looked super clean, visual and creative. Plus you can add basic SEO for your website too.