Custom Websites for Creatives:
A Digital Canvas Done Your Way
In the vibrant world of creativity, your need more than just a website—you need an extension of your artistic vision.
Whether you’re a painter, photographer, writer, musician, fashion designer, tattoo artist, fiber artist, or any other type of creative soul, a generic website simply won’t do. You need a custom-designed window into your world that showcases your work, engages your audience, and reflects your unique style. We specialize in building SEO-optimized websites for creatives – leveraging powerful platforms like WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, Thinkific, and more.
Why Custom Websites are a Crucial Part of Online Success
Creatives thrive on individuality. A pre-made template often lacks the nuanced features and aesthetic flexibility needed to truly capture the essence of your brand. Websites for creatives should reflect your personality, mesh with your process, and result in a visual representation of your ideas and your message. A custom website allows you to:
- Showcase Your Portfolio: A well-organized, visually stunning portfolio is your most powerful tool.
- Build Your Brand: Consistent branding across your website and other platforms strengthens your identity.
- Engage Your Audience: Interactive elements and personalized content foster deeper connections.
- Sell Your Work: Integrated e-commerce solutions enable you to monetize your creativity.
- Educate and Share: Platforms like Thinkific allow you to create and sell online courses.
A Variety of Platforms for a Variety of Approaches
No two artists approach a project from exactly the same angle, and no two artists will create identical finished pieces.
Your website platform choice is as important as the content you use to differentiate your art from all the rest.
With this in mind, it’s important to understand the popular platforms – their strengths and limitations, and to leverage the one that will best deliver the results you would like to see.
WordPress: Flexibility and Power
WordPress offers unparalleled flexibility and customization. With its vast library of plugins and themes, we can tailor your website to meet your specific needs. For a visual artist, this might mean:
Example: Interactive Art Gallery
A photographer needs to display large, high-resolution images with smooth transitions and zoom capabilities. We integrate a plugin that allows for interactive galleries, where visitors can explore images in detail. This ensures that the nuances and textures of the artwork are fully appreciated.
We build this module in responsive mode, so the image automatically adjusts to the screen size, keeping it optimized for all devices. Additionally, we would add a light box feature, where the image can be viewed larger, without leaving the current page.
WHY: High-quality imagery is crucial for visual artists. Interactive galleries enhance user engagement and showcase the artwork’s details.
Shopify: E-commerce for Creatives
Shopify is ideal for creatives looking to sell their work online. We can create a seamless e-commerce experience that reflects your brand’s aesthetic. For a craftsperson, this could include:
Example: Custom Product Pages with Detailed Descriptions
A ceramic artist wants to sell unique, handcrafted pieces. We design custom product pages with high-quality images, detailed descriptions of materials and techniques, and integrated customer reviews. We would also add a feature where customers can see multiple angles of the product, and perhaps even a 360 degree view.
We can integrate a system that automatically calculates shipping based on location and item dimensions. We can also integrate a system that allows for custom made orders, where the customer can select from a set of options, and get an instant quote.
WHY: Detailed product pages build trust and provide essential information to potential buyers. Integrated e-commerce tools simplify the selling process.
Squarespace: Elegant Simplicity
Squarespace is known for its elegant templates and user-friendly interface. We can customize these templates to create a visually stunning website that’s easy to manage. For a writer, this might involve:
Example: Clean, Minimalist Blog with Custom Typography
A writer needs a clean, minimalist blog that highlights their writing. We use custom typography and layout to create a visually appealing reading experience.
We can integrate a newsletter signup form and social media sharing buttons. We can also add a feature where users can save articles to read later. We can ensure the website is fully responsive, so the reading experience is optimal on any device.
WHY: Clean design and custom typography enhance readability. Integrated features encourage engagement and sharing.
Thinkific: Online Courses and Education
Thinkific is perfect for creatives who want to share their knowledge through online courses. We can build a professional learning platform that reflects your brand. For a musician, this could be:
Example: Interactive Music Course Platform
A music instructor wants to produce and market online lessons for beginner students. We create an interactive course platform with video tutorials, downloadable resources, and a community forum. We can also add a feature where students can upload their own work for critique.
We can integrate quizzes and assignments for assessment, and a progress tracker to keep students motivated. We can also add a feature where students can schedule one on one lessons with the instructor.
WHY: Interactive course platforms enhance the learning experience. Integrated tools facilitate community building and student engagement.
Beyond the Basics: Custom Features for Creatives
We understand that creatives often require unique features.
Some examples include:
- Custom Animations and Interactions: Add a dynamic and engaging element to your site with the use of lightweight code and optimized imagery.
- Integrated Audio and Video Players: For musicians and filmmakers to showcase their work; for content creators to incorporate process videos and tutorials.
- Interactive Maps and Location-Based Content: For performance artists and photographers, as well as to offer easy directions to galleries and shows.
- Custom Forms and Questionnaires: To gather specific information from your audience.
- Membership and Subscription Systems: to create recurring revenue streams.
Services & Options
1. New build or rebuild – is it time to get a sparkling new (or newly refurbished) website for your creative business? Whether it’s a single page placeholder or a fully functioning e-commerce storefront, I’ve got you covered. Competitive bidding with line item detail so you understand how the bells and whistles work and can adjust your expectations and budget accordingly.
2. SEO optimized pages – if organic SEO isn’t delivering results for you, don’t despair. While there are definitely a lot of changes to the algorithm results due to the additional AI based features, there is still a good basic plan for quickly moving up the ranks in organice search results for selected key phrases relating to your business.
3. Landing page buildouts – are you running ads or promoting your business? If so, are you sending that traffic to specialized landing pages that are designed to capture interest and convert on specific transactional goals that you are attempting to track in your Analytics program? If you are running ads or promos, or are thinking about it, and you don’t have landing pages, we should talk.
4. Theme or template refresh – perhaps the site doesn’t need a complete overhaul; a quick refresh of selected parts of the theme or template may be enough to put the shine back on the apple.
5. Plugin or app audit – just like our drawers and closets start to get cluttered over time, the plugins or apps that a website uses tend to grow in size and volume, and this makes the site run more slowly and less efficiently – leading to scoring issues with Google and other search engines that rank with included factors such as load time and file size. Get a complete list of what’s in your site, what’s necessary, and what some newer options may be for achieving your results with faster load times and smaller file sizes.
6. Graphics update – perhaps your website needs a new pair of shoes instead of a whole new wardrobe. Often times replacing the existing graphics with modern, stylish graphics leads to better conversion rates, and a bump in sales. Existing prospects or customers see fresh content, and new ones see a modern layout and graphics that speaks to todays’ aesthetics.
7. Custom packages – YOU choose what YOU want to spend your time and dollars on, and we make it happen. Go big, go small, go somewhere in between.
Let’s Bring Your Vision to Life
Your website is your digital canvas—a place to showcase your creativity and connect with your audience. We’re here to help you create a custom website that’s as unique as your art. Contact us today to discuss your project and bring your vision to life.
You can fill out the form below, send me an email, reach out in DMs via social, or send smoke signals if that’s your preferred way of handling things. I’m pretty flexible, and am always happy to get on a Zoom call to flesh out your vision and discuss those other pesky topics like budget.
I’m am a part-time fiber and mixed media artist, and a full time web and graphic design professional, so I understand how to get you the most bang for your buck, and how to build something for you that showcases your talent without breaking your bank.
Let's talk.
