Stumble it!
Earlier this week, I talked about some ways that artists should be using the internet. If you’ve already taken that first step and created your own website for your portfolio, take a moment to consider some of these notes. Your website might be driving me up a wall.
Does your website feature a nifty soundtrack?
I get a little put off when I enter a website and a song automatically starts playing, especially if I don’t realize that my computer’s volume is turned up to the max. The typical viewer isn’t going to be expecting to hear audio while surfing the web, unless they are specifically clicking on a “play” button. Your cool song probably won’t help your artwork out anyway.
Do you have the coolest intro animation ever?
When an art director, editor, or fellow artist visits your site, they most likely want to get right to your artwork. Viewers will quickly tire of an overlong introduction page, and you’ll annoy return visitors by making them click the “skip intro” button. Long animations will also take forever to load. Get right to the point, and show your stuff already!
Is your artwork neatly sorted into a bunch of little categories?
I once entered an artist’s site and had to click five different links before I got to see any artwork. Sorting out your work into categories is fine. Just don’t overdo it and make your viewer choose a genre, then style, then date, before your portfolio even shows up.
Do you like pop-up windows?
I don’t. And I’m not the only one. When a viewer clicks on a thumbnail, have your image show up in the same window, instead of forcing your visitors to constantly click your windows shut. The same goes for artwork that shows up on a separate page, making me have to click “back” all the time. It’s too much work, and I’m a little lazy.
Do you like using a blog as your main portfolio site?
I always get confused when an artist has a blog, but no portfolio site. I see all this great stuff and get really excited and want to see more, but then find out that the only thing I can do is dig through the blog archives. A blog has a completely different purpose than a static website, which you should use as a proud display of your best work. Use a blog in conjunction with your website, or as a specific section on your website, but don’t replace it altogether.
Is your site ugly?
Come on, you’re supposed to be an ARTIST for goodness’ sake…
When was the last time you updated your website?
Sure, you don’t have to be updating every week or whatever. That’s what blogs are for. But when I come back to your website after two years to see what you’ve been up to and find that nothing’s changed…I must say, it’s a little heartbreaking.
So, your website is best viewed at 1280×800 resolution…
…but do you have to resize my window just to make sure I’m getting the “best” experience? Take the time to design your site so that it fits on most people’s screens, and don’t use fancy tricks to force the viewer to change the size of their window if they don’t want to.
Okay, so this post was a little bit of a rant for me. I’m not pointing out anyone in particular with this post, and no, I don’t hate you if you have “sinned” in terms of your website. Hopefully, though, it will get you thinking about your own web presence and how you might be coming off to other people. And maybe this will make the internet a little bit of a saner place for me. 
Are there any other things that irk you when you are looking at websites? Go ahead and leave a comment here at DaniDraws.com (please don’t name any specific sites, though).
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April 13th, 2007 at 9:46 am
“Your website really annoys the hell out of me” describes perfectly a Macromedia Flash based experience. Its considered really tacky and ignorant among computer people it means they didn’t take the time and effort to compose a nice web design site that viewers could enjoy and appreciate. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression!
April 13th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Those are all good points. I must admit my “portfolio” site could use some revamping. For one thing it shares space with personal photos at smugmug. When I finally have a few spare hours to sort trough things I plan on taking all of my photos over to flickr and devoting smugmug entirely to my art. It’s hard to find the time though.
Kurt: My art director wants us to put together a webpage showcasing the work that we do that would be off of our company’s main site. Of course it needs to be in Flash. That’s what all the cool kids use, don’cha know? I’ve suggested alternatives for people who don’t want to visit a flash site, but so far no luck changing her mind. Oh well.
April 13th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
One thing that irks me about websites are the ones that use all the flashy gadgets and whatnot. Like what you find in web2.0
I’m still a big fan of frames and basic Microsoft Front Page or Dreamweaver pages. The basic the better.
April 16th, 2007 at 8:39 am
I love your attitude in this post! Don’t apologize. Let us all have it whenever you feel the need.
For aspiring artists who do not have clients and aren’t necessarily looking for them intently, how do you feel about posting most experimental illustrations and sketch-ideas in the portfolio itself? I notice that you separate your illustration blog content from you official portfolio stuff… but you have so much great stuff to draw from, which makes this possible. Much of the work I do now is exploratory and not “official” in a professional sense… but is it worth sharing? I would guess that something is better than nothing…
April 18th, 2007 at 10:16 am
skip,
I think it is a great idea to share your artwork, sketches, and experiments. You can get great feedback from others and it will help you grow as an artist. I still think you should keep this experimental stuff separate from the portfolio that you use to try to get work. If you don’t have anything “official” just yet, my suggestion would be to start working on creating some stuff! If you want a website for potential clients to visit, they are going to want to see what you can DO. That means you want to show off your BEST work. You should not be putting stuff in your portfolio just to fill up space. Doing so will hurt your chances of getting hired. Work on creating some pieces that you will be proud of that will best represent you and your artwork.
May 10th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Whew! I *think* I passed
Great tips, all great things to keep in mind.