The Artist Room
Art Direction, Motion Design, UI/UX Design, Project Management
Launched in 2021, The Artist Room is a Soho-based art gallery specialises in artworks and objects from twentieth-century and contemporary art, exhibiting works in dialogue within the context of a curated exhibition.
A sister company of Plaster Magazine, I was first approached by founder Milo Astaire to assist with creating the digital presence of The Artist Room. The key goal was to present the artworks on display in a clear, concise light that mirrored The Artist Room exhibition space.
The Artist Room: Room for experimentation
Ideation and experimentation were essential in elevating the artworks alongside the brand, which were guided by authenticity and a forward-thinking mindset.
As a result, before moving forward with the site, we organised a series of inspiration workshops with quick-fire mockups to discover solutions that would allow the digital to sit in perfect alignment with the physical space, artworks, and ethos of the brand.
Following a series of mockups, taking web 1.0 blog aesthetic as a reference point, we eventually decided on focusing on marquees and carousels a key theme. Sharp corners, cold contrasts, a focus on the bold and moving.
Inline products and shop routes
Our research highlighted the need for digital integration of exhibitions and artwork. Displaying artwork as an ecommerce product may not always be appropriate, regardless of price.
To create funnels from news articles and exhibitions to artwork and artists, and finally to inquiry and shopping, a system had to be built so that every mention of an artwork led to a path for it to be purchased or enquired about.
As a result, shop routes can be found all over the site, even if they aren't immediately obvious.
Similar to Plaster Magazine, the Artist Room aimed to establish a strong newsletter presence in the art world. The Artist Room's multifaceted nature as an exhibition space, editorial, and ecommerce required the design and development of multiple templates.
To get around Mailchimp’s font restrictions, a library of custom font sizes and colours was created for the client to use.
