Websites
More and more independent, unrepresented and some represented artists have their own website to showcase their work and allow an enormous potential online audience to find information about them more easily.
Websites are increasingly affordable, with many DIY design packages available to help create a simple but effective online presence.
A website can:
- Increase your visibility, making you and your work easier to find
- Increase your audience
- Help people subscribe to an email mailing list to get regular updates on you and your work
- Help sell your work, depending on the suitability of your practice
- Be a useful tool for applying for opportunities by allowing you to email applications and refer to your website with a link
- Help organise all the documentation of your work and provide a complete catalogue of your activity
The layout and presentation of your website should be appropriate to your practice and best represent your work within the limitations of the internet. Consider appropriate documentation of your work, backed up with information on the rest of your career:
- Well-photographed images of your work, or short film clips
- Installation shots of exhibitions and projects
- Artist statement
- Artist CV
- Contact details, or details of the gallery that represents your work
- Scans of press articles or reviews
- A news section, with information about upcoming exhibitions and projects
- An online shop or details on how people can purchase your work
This post by CreativeBoom has a few interesting tips on how to build a site that people will trust.
Alternatively you can easily build yourself a blog. This useful guide to social media, co-produced by Charlotte Frost and Jared Schiller, introduces benefits of using a blog for artists.
A list of web designers and affordable web packages are listed below.
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29 September
electronic marketsquares
addressBusiness Development Centre, 7-15 Greatorex Street, London E1 5NFemailwebsite
electronic marketsquares are a not-for-profit company that provides cost-effective digital photography, digital image editing, web site planning & analysis, training, advice and support for small businesses who want to make the most out of their marketing activities on the Internet.
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29 September
Artlook Software
address100 Millford Avenue, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes MK11 1HEtelephone01908 567 398fax01908 566 930emailwebsite
Tailored to the needs of the individual artist Artlook for Artists is an affordable cataloguing and management solution for any artist or craftsperson. Using the software, you can create a detailed catalogue of your work, past and present, with multiple images attached to each item;track each item's current location and generate detailed consignment notes; calculate commissions due and record any expenses you incur relative to an individual item; manage the sale of works to dealers and individual clients with automatically generated invoices and client statements. System now includes Artlook Sitebuilder web site creation tool.
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29 September
The Artists Web
address1 Brunswick Terrace, Hove East Sussex, BN3 1HNcontactChris Kirklandwebsite
Website services for artists allowing them to build their own gallery website without any prior web design experience.
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29 September
Red Leader
address18-20 Scrutton St, London EC2A 4RXcontactKatherine Greentelephone020 7655 4555website
Red Leader Industries is a multimedia design and production company who specialise in working with artists and arts related organisations to design and produce websites, web projects, DVDs, CD-Roms, education and outreach projects, plus video shooting and post-production.
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29 September
Stockashop websites
addressAdur Business Centre, Shoreham by Sea, West Sussex, BN435EG, UKtelephone01273 453430telephone0845 8387515website
Sensable Media team allows you to spent one day in their offices to produce your own Content Managed website, together with an expert. Simply book your day and bring your images and information on a CD or DVD; learn how to edit the pages, add pages, text, and images and optimise your site for search engines.
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29 September
Clikpic
contactemailwebsite
Clikpic is a web service for professional and amateur photographers and artists. Using an admin system and a choice of stylish and purpose-built template designs, you can create and edit your own web site quickly and easily.
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29 September
Forgot to Shave
contacttelephone020 8806 2090emailwebsite
Forgot to Shave is a web design company that provides more than just good corporate branding. Their philosophy is to match an artist's imagination with dynamic web applications and open source technology.
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29 September
Dan is a designer
contactDan Bissonnetcontactwebsitedanisadesigner.com
Dan specialises in making affordable sites for small businesses and creative individuals.
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29 September
Platform Web Design
address37 Springvalley Terrace, Edinburgh, EH10 4PZcontactRosy Naylorcontacttelephone0131 446 0833website
Platform provides creative and individual approaches to web design for artists, designer-makers and the creative industries.
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29 September
Studio Website Design
contactLiz Wilkinsoncontacttelephone01903 879362
Design for artists and the creative industries, suitable for all budgets. Either 'bespoke' websites built exactly to your specifications, or, for a quicker and cheaper solution, they can produce you a website based on one of their templates.
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29 September
Simon Coates
contactSimon Coates
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29 September
Mr Site
contactemailwebsite
Easy to use template to create your own professional dot com website. Starter pack at £19.99.
The article is for information only, and not for the purpose of providing legal advice.
Readers should consult a solicitor for legal advice on specific matters, and artists in London can get free online legal advice from Artquest