Archival website for a
Canadian artist‍

For over 40 years, Giuseppe has practiced drawing and watercolour, participated in a many exhibitions, curated at the Warren G. Flowers Art Gallery, and taught at Concordia University and Dawson College.

+50 artworks since 1978

+62 exhibitions across the US, Canada, and Italy

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The build

Giuseppe needed a new website that would not only to act as a portfolio gallery to sell new commissions and attract new exhibitions, but also as an archive of his many works, which span a 40 year career as an artist and teacher in Canada.

He entrusted me to design and develop a modest site with an “library index” look and feel. Since the website was launched, the artist saw an increase in exhibition invitations and in sales of his more recent works.

The impact

+13

Commissions sold

Exhibitions

Residency

Business

Arts & Culture

Website

Role

Web Design & Development

Team

Freelance contract

Year

2020–21

Business case

Can a well-maintained archival website drive new engagement with gallery curators?

Curation is a critical task in any art gallery, and curators consider many factors as they sift through applicants.

Their greatest painpoint?

Disorganized and incomplete portfolios.

Giuseppe’s portfolio at the time was formatted as a PDF. In the current era of digital media, this might be considered unprofessional—and it certainly doesn’t promote his maturity as an artist.

He also lacked a digital copy of his collection, despite having taken many photographs of his work.

The artist’s body of work lacked centralization, as some artworks were public and on display and some were kept private.

His portfolio also lacked browseability, as his works were neither grouped nor categorized.

My analysis:

The artist lacked a digital copy of his collection. This reduced his exhibition acceptance rate, which is necessary for new commissions of his drawings.

3 competitor analyses and 2 user interviews

I researched 3 portfolios of the artist's colleagues, as well as interviewed 2 gallery curators as prospective end-users

COMPETITORS

COMPETITOR

Landing pages display moderate variety of works

Long menus create a bulky viewing UX

Image height detached from browser height reality

USER INTERVIEWS

Sarah is an experienced art gallery curator who has been working in the art world for over 15 years. She manages a well-known gallery in a major city and has a strong reputation for curating successful exhibitions.

Prefers portfolios with comprehensive information about the artist’s background, influences, and thinking

Looks for a well-maintained, up-to-date online presence that demonstrates the artist’s commitment to their practice

Insights

Strong written presence, artistic statement and biography

Website links to social media platforms

Alex is a younger gallery curator who recently joined a smaller, up-and-coming gallery promoting emerging artists. They have a few years of experience in the art industry and are eager to make a mark.

Looks for websites that are visually engaging, showcasing the artist’s unique style and personality

Appreciates artist statements that convey a strong sense of purpose and perspective

Insights

Demonstrate detail and in-progress sketch images

The research made clear that the website would need to both display artworks as large images and carry a strong written presence, such as a biography and artistic statements.

Also known as a “Slidesheet”

Allows more vertical space

Displays complex content or workspaces

Used for heavy subtasks while staying “near” main task

digital page-turning

Giuseppe had a vision:

a “coffee-table book” viewing experience.

To simulate this, I deployed CSS Scroll Snapping.

So how did the new website increase engagement with gallery curators?

By demonstrating collection cohesion and artwork interrelatedness

Persistent, index-like menu

Collection: themed series with artistic statement

Variety of image sizes and orientation

+13

New commissions

Exhibitions

Residency in Spain

The website launch coincided with the re-opening of galleries post-COVID. The site was well received by the local community and has led to a number of client successes.

More Projects

Operations

Feature Re-Design

Scheduling Optimization of In-Home Healthcare Visits

View Project

+20% Conversion in 6 months

Operations

Feature Re-Design

Scheduling Optimization of In-Home Healthcare Visits

View Project

+20% Conversion in 6 months

Digital

UI/UX

Business case

B2B2C Landing Page for Sales Partner Program

View Project

+20% Conversion in 6 months

Digital

UI/UX

Business case

B2B2C Landing Page for Sales Partner Program

View Project

+20% Conversion in 6 months

Archival website for a Canadian artist‍

Giuseppe needed a new website that would not only to act as a portfolio gallery to sell new commissions and attract new exhibitions, but also as an archive of his many works, which span a 40 year career as an artist and teacher in Canada.

He entrusted me to design and develop a modest site with an “library index” look and feel. Since the website was launched, the artist saw an increase in exhibition invitations and in sales of his more recent works.

Giuseppe’s portfolio at the time was formatted as a PDF. In the current era of digital media, this might be considered unprofessional—and it certainly doesn’t promote his maturity as an artist.

He also lacked a digital copy of his collection, despite having taken many photographs of his work.

The artist’s body of work lacked centralization, as some artworks were public and on display and some were kept private.

His portfolio also lacked browseability, as his works were neither grouped nor categorized.

COMPETITORS

COMPETITOR

USER INTERVIEWS

Strong written presence, artistic statement and biography

Website links to social media platforms

Demonstrate detail and in-progress sketch images

digital page-turning

Persistent, index-like menu

Collection: themed series with artistic statement

Variety of image sizes and orientation

More Projects

More Projects

Archival website for a
Canadian artist‍