Web Surfing

I’ve been thinking about redoing my website lately and I’ve been web surfing other artists’ websites. I’ve found plenty of really, gorgeous work but not too many websites that are as elegant as the art they display.

Just a few comments:

Keep it simple! The best websites I’ve seen are clean and elegant, without busy backgrounds, 10 different fonts, or bright screaming colors. They are easy to navigate and don’t make me figure out how to do something new. You shouldn’t notice anything other than the art and how well the site coordinates with it. Your photographs should be bright, crisp and clear.

Flash based sites can be done well but it’s rare. No matter how cute your tree branch movie/menu is, most people aren’t going to wait around too long for it to load. And it’s not a good idea to hide the navigation buttons – it may be clever but it can also be frustrating.

And whatever you do, do NOT have music playing when automatically on your webpage. People may not like the same music you do, or they may be surfing during lunch, or just enjoying some quiet time. Unexpected music can be jarring.

It’s also a good idea to answer some simple questions. Who are you, what do you do, what is this polymer clay stuff anyway If you have work for sale, mark it clearly and explain how I can order it. And remember to list the dimensions and materials. I was on one site where I finally found a brief mention in the About the Artist page that the reliefs I liked were cold cast bronze. I was afraid they were plaster (much more fragile). Your visitors usually aren’t going to bother to search for answers – they’ll just go somewhere else.

Now it’s time for me to take my own advice because I know I’m breaking a few of these rules…

I’ll just leave you with a few examples of sites I did like:

http://www.graingermckoy.com/ – Love this one though I’m not usually a fan of splash pages (front page where it only says Enter Here). The work and photogrpahy is incredible and the site coordinates with it wonderfully.

http://bartwalker.com/ – I like the soft colors and how well they coordinated with the paintings. The site is simple to use and it’s very clear where to find things.

http://www.relishinc.com/ - I think I like muted, coordinating colors (*Note to self for redesign*). This isn’t a ground-breaking site, but it’s clean, and clear and there are good photos in the shopping cart. Nice job.

http://www.robertbateman.ca/ – I love this site, and it’s not because of the site itself, although it’s so simple it’s almost minimalist. I love the paintings – and the site is all about the art. The only thing I don’t care for is that the art is organized by exhibitions.

http://rosettasculpture.com/ – Another one I really like although I freely admit I’m biased because I love the sculpture. But that’s how it should be.