I’m in the process of updating my artist website, so I did something that I rarely do; researched.
I do different things as an artist, such as writing books, illustrating, and doing photography, and though I could have a different website for each of these (which is what I did before), it is simply too much to manage. I still have my professional photography website (www.housestoriescanada.com), but I wanted my personal artist website to an online where all of my other work can live.
After scouring the internet for tips and advice, I’ve curated a list of everything that I think applies to me.
But First: Why Have a Website
Why does an artist even need a website? If you create art as a hobby, then having a website may not be important, but there are dozens of reasons why having one can be necessary to getting your work infant of an audience.
To have a presence - he first thing every artist needs to do before having an audience is to exist.
To have an online home for your art - a website can be a great place for the things you do can come together with images, words, and context.
To be reachable - because no one owns a phonebook anymore
To be relevant - we are constantly growing as artists, and a website is place where that should reflect that
To show credibility - because every professional needs a website
General Guidelines
Throughout my research, there are a few general principles for artist websites that came up again and again:
It should be clear and concise
Visitors should immediately have an idea who you are and what your art looks like
It should be easy to navigate
Art is subjective, its creation is often messy, and an artist’s mind is often in strange places, but having a central understanding of what you do and why it’s worth seeing is a great start at communicating your work to an audience in a clear and effective way. That doesn’t have to mean that you peel the mystery off of your art, you just need to present the gist of it in a cohesive way.
Menu Options
As mentioned, an artist’s website should be easy to navigate, which means the menu options should be minimal and intuitive. There are a few must-have pages:
Home page - this is the face of your website. Most likely it’s the first page that people will see, and it’s the place that they will form their first impression of you and your work, or at least be intrigued enough to dig a bit deeper. Like the rest of your website, it should be clean, and to the point, containing a title, an image, and your website's menu.
Work/Portfolio - this is where you get to show off your best work. It may be tempting to showcase everything you’ve ever done, especially if you’re just starting out, but this is an opportunity to curate your art and show off your best self. Generally your work should be organized into series of related themes. In any gallery, a good number of pieces to shoot for is 10-30. A brief description of each series will give context to your audience. For myself I have a separate page for photography, illustrations, and book, each divided into smaller, unified galleries.
About Page - let people get to know you. If you’re like me, this is the hardest thing to write. You’ll have to say nice things about yourself in a modest, but flattering way. You will probably want to mention some of your credentials, some of your achievements, but also make sure that your personality shines through. You might also want to include an ‘artist statement’ (a little blurb about your work), and you’ll definitely want to include a cool looking picture of yourself.
Contact Page - assuming you want to people to contact you, this is essential
Blog - this is my favourite part of a website. You can share information, show recent work, share some behind-the-scenes, or whatever tickles your fancy. There are an endless number if things that you can blog about that shows off your work, expertise, and personality. I’m so excited about blogs that I might write a separate blog post about them.
Social Media Links - whether you’re on Instagram, Twitter, FlipFlop, or Glurb, let people know where they can follow you.
Bonus Pages
Press Page - you can build on your credibility by showing all of the great things that has said about you in the media9
Store - obviously if you sell things this is the place to do it, whether you do it through your website or if it links to a serrate online shop.
Newsletter Opt-In - I love seeing examples of good newsletter. If you have a newsletter, let me know where I can opt-in
In Conclusion
Above all, your website should be reflection of you. It is an extension of your work, or at the very least, it is the package in which you and your work are presented to the world. It doesn’t have to be flashy, but it should be nice enough to make people want to stay.
By the time you are reading this, hopefully I will have finished updating my website, and it will be a gorgeous example of what a good artist website looks like. If you have any advice of your own, I would love to hear from you.
