Project Overview
Lois Kampinsky Artist Profile Website
The project, which was completed as a freelancer, was to reimagine and implement an artist profile website for DC-based artist Lois Kampinsky. As a prolific member of the local art scene, Lois had exhibitions all over the city, but barely any web presence. Improving her website was crucial for expanding her ability to seek out new galleries for her work, as these galleries required artist websites as a pre-requisite for an application.
The outcome of the project was a revitalized and sleek website that showcases Lois’ artwork with a minimalist layout that evokes viewing her work in a gallery setting. I also provided her with a refreshed brand profile, including a new personal logo.
The Design Process
Existing Website and Research
Lois’ website was very sparse, with minimal interactivity or information. It was hard to know what the website was for, and had little information related to previous exhibits.
To understand how artists display their work online, I surveyed ten artist profile websites, some that were for her peers in DC, and others from around the world. My main takeaways from successful websites were:
Artists want their work to be front and center, often with as large of an image as possible.
Artists often organize their work by show, or chronologically, so that specific pieces are easy to find. Often artists have between 20 to 100 works on their website making organization paramount.
The best websites were clean and did not distract from the main focus, which is the artwork.
The call to action of every website was to contact the artist, and some also had ecommerce elements.
Ideation
Through discussions with the client and through my research, several key points were identified for the design:
The design should utilize a simple black and white color scheme, and let the colors of the artwork stand out against a white background. This was to emulate the look and feel of the artwork in a gallery.
An ecommerce solution was unnecessary for this project, and a contact form would be more ideal.
The refreshed logo should be the artist’s name, as this is the most important identifier.
The site should have a biography, information on past exhibits, and existing works categorized by exhibition.
Design and Iteration
The design was created in Figma for proposal purposes and ideation, but to save time and money the final website was implemented using the existing website builder that the client had already paid for.
End Result
Lois’ website came together through a collaborative process, following the presentation of the design proposal. Ultimately we scaled back some of the design to better fit the amount of content on the site, and to ease the burden of updating the site in the future.
Most importantly, the client was extremely pleased with both the results and the ease of working together. Lois now has a place where all of her work can shine together, and perspective art collectors and galleries can peruse easily.
Interested in a website of your own? Questions about the design?