The 3rd thing that every artist and designer needs for the New Year is …a WEB SITE.
Gone are the days of a website being a “nice to have”, it’s a “need to have”.
Why?
It’s the most immediate method of showing your work to the people that need to see it.
If your plan is to sell more work, display more work or do more freelance work as a designer; you must make sure that the patrons or buyers can view your work when they want to and from where they want. And even if the goal is not to sell your work, you need to be able to show it to your audience 24/7.
I have had so many opportunities come open because I either passed someone my business card that sent them my website, or sent them an email with a direct link to my work.
Now, I know that most of you already agree with this. You’ve known for quite some time that you need some form of web presence as an artist or designer. The problem is that you STILL have yet to take action. The paradox about this situation is that many artists that know that they need a website go on the web everyday.
Tips:
Don’t forfeit showcasing your work on the web because you’re waiting until you BIG website is fully designed and launched. That could be part of what’s taken so long already. Start out small, but professionally. Many artists are using blogs as a way to showcase their work and tell more about themselves at the same time. One of our subscribers, James Ramos, does a great job of promoting his work on his blog; even allowing his audience to see his work created step-by-step. The beauty of this is that many blogs are hosted free and can be maintained with little to no “high tech” knowledge.
Definitely feel free to go that route, just maintain a professional look. When you’re ready to begin spending a little more, invest in working with a professional web designer who can design your site.
Your web presence does not only have to present a gallery of your art. Many artists use additional tools such as web video to create an additional experience for their users. Take a look at Charlene Rice’s site and how she’s created a bond with her patrons through her use of video.
Recommended Blogging resources:
WordPress.com (Can be used to host your blog FREE)
WordPress.org (If you already have paid hosting)
Recommended Web Hosting services:
Recommended Web Designer:
January 9, 2009 at 6:03 p
Let me add also that it is also important ensuring the availability of your website 99.9% all the time. Every visit counts, so make sure your site is up and running.
January 9, 2009 at 3:34 p
I can’t agree with you more, Tony. If you have a business, no matter what type of business, you should have a web presence. What I have seen with most artists is that they don’t have an online portfolio. I know some may get upset, but gone are the days of the big black portfolio cases for showing your work. People don’t have a lot of time for you to pull out all these huge pieces of artwork all over their desk. Just give them your business card (pt.2) with you web address on it and tell them to look at your online gallery.
There are a lot, and I mean a lot, of great artists out there. I have seen your work but the tips that are being given…take heed. Implement. Work it.
Have you ever heard the term starving artist? I am sure all of you have. They were probably starving because they didn’t know how to proper market their craft.(my own opinion)
~Done
January 12, 2009 at 4:44 p
It’s becoming more and more easy for artists to display their work online, so there’s no excuse anymore! Blogs made it easy for people to publish text and to some extend images, but a blogging tool is not ideal for showing your work (images) I think. That’s why we’ve created Viewbook, an online tool that makes it easy to create professional looking portfolio pages. Not full portfolio websites, but functional pages to show your work, until you can spend that money on a custom designed website.
January 17, 2009 at 12:12 p
there’s also templates (if thou must) through google and iWeb if’n y’all got a mac…