Project Overview
Problem:
Fans of the artist Elise Lerner's work could only purchase artwork at in-person events or via email communication and check.
Solution:
The Team:
Impact:
— Sold 10 large artworks in the first months post-launch
My role:
- Brand Identity
- Brand Strategy
- Art Direction
- Website Design
- Adobe Suite
- Shopify
A re-imagined online space serving as a canvas for an array of diverse art pieces to be viewed, sold, and enjoyed.
TOOls:
- Spring 2021- Fall 2021
Project Duration:
Background
A seasoned artist, Elise Lerner aspired to make her website to more than a simple Artist's statement. She has experience working with ceramics, textiles, letter-making, book-making, and fashion and wanted to better showcase her wide range as an artist and creator.
Exploring Creative Directions
Creative Direction
phase 01
Elise's artwork is colorful and spans many mediums. Because of that we wanted to balance the pieces with an elegant, timeless brand identity that would carry through her many phases as an ever-changing artist. In this first phase, we explored 3 unique artistic directions in regards to branding, photo style, colors, and typography. In the end she went with Option 01, The Elevated Intellectual.
Next Creative Exploration
Option 01: The Elevated Intellectual
Sophisticated
Moving
curious
structured
Option 01:
The Elevated Intellectual
Option 02: The Vibrant Risk Taker
bold
collaborative
unique
unapologetic
Option 02:
The Vibrant Risk Taker
Option 03: The Natural Optimist
fresh
balanced
funky
futuristic
Option 03:
The Natural Optimist
Developing The brand identity
phase 02
Elise went with Option 01, The Elevated Intellectual. as she thought it was the best balance of structure and blank canvas to best compliment her vivid and dynamic artwork. We then worked through several rounds to land on the final branding assets.
Main logo
lettermark
typesuite
Color Palette
Photoshoot Planning & Execution
phase 03
Collaboration was a key to this project, specifically on getting the right photo assets for the website and social media. We strategized as a team to book an appropriate studio, ensure we were getting a healthy mix of vertical and horizontal images, and a balance of clean e-commerce product shots as well as busier, lifestyle shots of Elise working with the materials.
Laying the Website Framework
Phase 04: HIGH FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
Armed with the updated branding styles, we moved onto high fidelity wireframes where we laid out the key pages and their sections. As there was no copywriter on the project, I ended up writing some of the headers and guiding paragraph copy which gave me a newfound respect for writers on design projects.
We went through 3 rounds of revisions, the images shown from the first, and a big change was moving away from the grey buttons and picking the magenta brand color instead to better draw users eyes.
Home Page
Shop Page
Product Pages
Product Page
The Shop Page
To achieve that we removed the Navigation for this page alone and tried to make it similar to the in-person art experience.
Page Spotlight
The Final Designs
Phase 05: Development
While this is an e-commerce site it's also a content-heavy site with a blog for an artist sharing their story.
For these reasons we used a no-code web builder for the base and integrated Shopify Buy Button feature to run all product sales. This allowed the client, who was weary of lots of tech obstacles, to feel empowered to run her own Shop and make content updates on her new site moving forward. Your client is also a user and we need to consider their wants and needs too.
Before
After
Shopify Integration
Page spotlight
Project Wins & Reflections
User Wins
- A streamlined Shop experience that's familiar
- Users can browse artwork, read blogs, or listen to the artist's music via embedded Soundcloud tracks all on one website without clicking away
Business Wins
- Added over 10 unique art pieces to the online Shop using Shopify
- Received overwhelming positive feedback from colleagues in the art community
- Has pitched their work more than ever before to galleries, festivals, and shows using their website as a visual portfolio of their work
- Began blogging regularly and connecting with readers
Reflections:
- This project was made possible by heavy collaboration and teamwork between myself, other creatives, and the client
- Business and user needs can work in tandem to make a great final product
- Treat your clients the way you treat your users, especially when it comes to tech integration choices