How to Build an Art Portfolio Website
In the art industry, identifying real talent can be difficult, enigmatic, and sometimes even arbitrary, so subtle cues can radically alter how people look at art. Having a website signals that an artist takes their work seriously, and as a web professional, you have the skills to help them present that work in the best way possible.
Your client’s website may be the medium by which many people encounter their work for the first time. That means you can be an instrumental steward of their career and add value by creating a thoughtful, compelling website for them.
For visual artists, photographers, illustrators, designers, and other creatives, great websites can change the trajectory of their professional lives. And because of the exciting and visual nature of artists’ work, you have a lot to play with.
Designing the art portfolio website
The first step in designing any website is understanding its purpose. Most artists are looking for a way to showcase their work in the best light possible—to share it with collectors, critics, journalists, curators, art galleries, museums, and more. Illustrators, designers, and other creatives may also want to share their work with a similar mix of the general public and industry professionals, so artist websites will likely be a variation of a portfolio website.
Part of presenting an artist’s work is telling the story behind it, so the website should provide the context necessary to best appreciate the art. Make sure site visitors are greeted with information and imagery that helps them understand the artist, their work, and what makes them special. Sometimes, featuring a short artist statement can do just that (more on this below).
Choose an aesthetic
From painters and illustrators to photographers and sculptors, artists have strong design sensibilities, so it’s vital to establish an aesthetic that works in harmony with their work.
You can think about presenting their art in the same way a gallery or museum would. Most contemporary galleries use the “white cube” approach, placing the works on white walls that minimize distraction. If you choose this approach, the goal is to allow the work to speak for itself. Everything from font choice, to background color, to site layout should be about being as elegant, unobtrusive, and functional as possible.
Another approach is to think of the website as an extension of the art itself. In this approach, you can pull design elements directly from the artist’s work, taking inspiration from their characteristic style and implementing it throughout the website.
Showcase the artist’s work
Artists spend their careers generating dozens or hundreds of intriguing, beautiful, and visually striking creations, so you’ll want to display their portfolio in all its glory. Some basic variables will factor into how you choose to display their work. For those with a critical mass, a grid display is a great choice. Other artists may have fewer projects under their belt, so you can treat each one as its own feature.
If displaying your client’s work in gallery blocks, consider separating different media with submenus (e.g., “Paintings,” “Sculptures”). This can help preserve an orderly appearance and simplify navigation. Submenus are also great to organize different series or bodies of work.
Emphasize the importance of quality, standardized work images. For paintings and other visual art, include tightly cropped, frontal images of works. Size the images for the web, as ultra-high resolution images are not just slow to load, but also present opportunities for people to generate unlicensed prints and reproductions.
Establish a convention for formatting work descriptions (title, year, medium, dimensions) and stick to it. It can also be a good idea to look at the websites of blue-chip galleries (i.e., galleries that sell high-value work from well-established artists) to see what conventions they use for a particular medium.
Take a moment to think about any peculiarities that might alter how to effectively display the art. For example, a photorealistic painter might want to include images of them actually painting the work somewhere, so viewers don’t mistake their paintings for photographs.
Don’t be afraid to be selective about which artworks are featured in the portfolio, particularly if the artist produces a lot of work. Not only does this allow your client to put their best foot forward, it also makes it simpler to manage the site moving forward, as it doesn’t require the artist to acquire professional imagery for every single work they complete.
Organizing portfolios in reverse chronological order is a convention that makes updating the site straightforward, while allowing visitors to get a sense of how the artist’s work has evolved over time.
Help the artist sell
Being able to sell work directly through a website can be a game-changer for an artist—and you can help them do just that by setting up a Business or Commerce subscription. With ecommerce, you can position your client to sell print editions and merchandise featuring their imagery. This is a great way for artists to monetize their work while making it accessible to collectors and fans who may not be ready to invest in one-of-a-kind pieces.
Some galleries require prospective collectors to inquire about the price and availability of a work. However, your client may want to consider that making pricing “available on request” could lead visitors to assume the work is out of their price range. Even serious buyers may feel reluctant to ask, so weigh the decision carefully. Keep in mind that artists with gallery representation will usually have contractual agreements that affect how they can sell their own work.
Learn more about setting up an ecommerce website.
Include commissions
If your client is open to commissioned works or custom projects, ensure the website gives prospective patrons clear information about how they can make an inquiry. By adding Acuity Scheduling to their site, you can automate the process of booking consultations with the artist. A scheduling block can also make the integration seamless.
Tell their story with an artist statement
Art can speak for itself. But sometimes a story or statement can make the work more accessible. A great artist statement can add color and strengthen understanding. It can puzzle and beguile, deeping a visitor’s interest. A great artist statement can also help people talk about the work, giving them a new way to share it with others. You can think about it, in that sense, as another marketing tool and add the service to the project.
Some artists really enjoy giving this context, while others don’t. A straightforward description of who the artist is and how they work is often all you need. As long as the artist statement covers the basics, it is acceptable to be light on text. Sometimes it’s even preferable.
About pages are also great places to share an artist’s resume or CV. These should include their education, solo and group exhibitions, press coverage, publications, grants, awards, and residencies. Some artists may want to include testimonials or mention past commissions.
Include the artist’s contact information
Regardless of your client’s approach, being accessible to serious collectors, curators, and critics via email or phone can help boost their career. Add a contact page and include contact info in the footer so visitors know how to connect with your client.
Connect to the artist’s social media
Artists have a lot to share, from stunning work images, to exhibition openings, awards, and press coverage. They can use social media to give their fans glimpses into their studios and creative processes. They can also highlight works that are available for sale and share content that helps grow their audience. Integrating social icons can add visibility and help your client build an engaged community of fans that love their work.
Likewise, adding links to their website in their social media bios is a great way to drive traffic. With Bio Sites from Squarespace, your client can add unlimited links to social media platforms and promote various projects and events to engage followers.
Sometimes the primary variable that determines whether a work of art ends up on the wall of a museum or in a rack in a thrift store is its presentation. As a web professional, you have the skills to set your client up with a beautiful website that can change the course of their career, engage visitors, and convert them into customers.
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