I already have an instagram in operation so I chose to work on a mock-up of a website for this task. From my website research I found it's best to keep it simple with a white background and a few relevant links as too much imagery and information because confusing.
Website Building and Initial Thoughts:
I did some research into the available hosts for websites. Squarespace, Wix and Wordpress are the most popular.
As hosts they allow e-commerce and appear to be the best in the game in terms of reviews.
The price of hosting on Squarespace and Wix depends on features I want to implement. Do I want a store or to sell through Etsy? Squarespace seems very accessible with a screenreader. Accessibility will be a huge factor in my online identity.
Wix has a basic plan of $23 a month or a premium of $27 a month - capping at 100 transactions
Squarespace has a basic plan at $18 a month for hosting but want 3% from your store sales. Their premium plan of $26 doesn't take a percentage of your store sales.
Squarespace seems like the most fitting for me in terms of features, cost and accessibility.
Consideration for my URL - I would like www.gleamedart.com but my mockups do not represent Gleamed Art anywhere. I would need to amend the visual identity I created to reflect this rather than just using my name.
Reflection:
I designed two pages to give an example of some information I would include such as a portfolio of selected paintings and an "about me" section to explain my ethos and values through a mission statement. I keep the colour scheme simple, in grey and brown, to reflect the visual branding I worked on.
I do not wish to make it live at this time as it is not needed at this point in my practice. I am currently situated within social media where my work can be seen and people can DM me if they wish to purchase work. It can be something I work on independently after graduation to aid alongside my instagram and the two can work in congruence together as I start building momentum.
What could be better? What can I do differently? I think what I have so far is quite successful in terms of simplicity, immediacy of visual branding and identity, and getting the main points of information across. I would like to make the paintings clickable (a href code) so they can open into a new window with information of my thought process, dimensions and materials used.
The frequently asked questions will be something I need to carefully consider as I get asked the same questions of how and why I create art. I want to be concise and communicate clearly, in a friendly and approachable tone, the work that I make and why an audience should be interested in what I am doing.
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