Wednesday 19th February 2014Keeping Your Gallereo Page Looking Current
One of the most common mistakes made by artists who are new to the digital world make is also probably one of the most understandable ones. Not being zoomed in to the world of the web and the extremely rapid stylistic evolutions of digital design means that many artists are suddenly left with websites that look outdated and even antiquated to the public. The general web-going public may not be able to put their finger exactly on what seems 'off' about these sites, but the average art buyer is a little more savvy when it comes to current trends in design, and at the very least, they are deliberately conscious of what what they like and what they don't. This begs the question - when is it time to update your Gallereo page design?
Somewhat frustratingly, there isn't an easy answer to this question. Some people in the web design world offer a general rule of thumb that maintains updating your website every two years will allow you to stay on top of current trends, but considering the amount of time and effort that many people put into their sites, this isn't really practical. This is doubly true when (like most artists) you're not working with a professional web designer, and have to do the work yourself.
That being said, it's important to pay attention to the latest design trends to ensure that the contemporary feel of your website is maintained. Unless you're going for a specifically retro look, it's best to pay close attention to the design styles of some of the most popular websites to determine where they're going. For example, Apple's website design style used to correspond with their launch of the OSX operating system, featuring clean, rounded-glass styled buttons that leapt off the page in 3D.
In today's world, however, buttons like that tend to look a little over-designed and flashy, and the latest trend leans towards what is known as 'flat' design, with slight to minimal gradients on buttons and a greater emphasis on usability and clarity instead of needless flashiness. There is an added bonus to this recent emphasis, of course - clarity and well-planned sites are much, much better at turning visitors into buyers.
Like the fashion world, design styles often seem cyclical, which can bring trends back around into vogue that were popular years ago and died out for a while. Even still, it's a long cycle, and while it may seem like forever, the web has only been around in earnest for a little over a decade - it's better to stay current with your Gallereo design in order to maximize your sales and attract the most visitors.
Posted on February 19th 2014 on 01:41am
0 Comments
Thursday 09th January 2014Tips for Designing Your Gallereo Page
We've discussed a number of different ways you can structure your Gallereo page in order to boost your sales, from taking advantage of search engine optimisation to writing complete descriptions all the way to using social media to build a name for yourself and ideas for maintaining and building readership using your built-in Gallereo blog. There is an element to your Gallereo page that can make an even larger difference to your success - the visual style, of course! We've held back from commenting on this because it's fairly personal in terms of your own unique artistic vision, but there are still some basic design pointers that we can offer that will be especially beneficial to those of you who are new to the whole web design world.
First of all, it's important to keep in mind that the pre-made templates that Gallereo offers are excellent. If the idea of designing your own website or modifying the templates yourself is overwhelming, don't be afraid to make use of the pre-made options. They're going to do a great job of helping you sell your work, and they all look great. That being said, if you have the time and the skills - or at least the willingness to learn - nothing can do a better job of representing you than a customised site.
When you're customising templates or coding from scratch, though, there are some things you should keep in mind. Namely, unless you're making your entire site an art project in and of itself, you want to keep the design elements to a minimum. To give your artwork maximum impact and so gain maximum sales numbers, you want the artwork itself to take centre stage, not the website. This is why so many artist websites use neutral colours for backgrounds - white, grey, or black - because they really help the colours and elements of the artwork imagery 'pop' from the page.
With that in mind, though, it's a good idea to include a little bit of colour around your site, but make sure to use it sparingly. Choose one or two colours that work well together, and use them as accents around the site - for example, on your 'Buy' or 'Purchase' buttons and any other 'call to actions' you use on your site. A 'call to action' is basically what it says on the tin: a button or link that asks the user to perform an action, such as 'get more information' or 'purchase now', which makes highlighting them with colour very useful.
Plan your site carefully, because it can be one of the largest factors that impact your success at selling your artwork online. Remember - it can be a work in progress. If you finish your site and find that you're getting lots of visitors but not a lot of sales, try changing your site around to see if it will help boost sales.
Posted on January 09th 2014 on 10:56pm
0 Comments
