Customer Preparation

Below are some tips on preparing for a new web site.

Digital Images of your work

• If you are providing images of work to get the best results get a cheap tripod for your camera, slightly zoom the lens and use the timer delay. This will ensure a shake free picture. I will require .jpeg format. (The automatic default format of most cameras)
• Take the photograph of the work (before covering with glass) out of doors and in the shade with no direct sunlight……preferably before varnishing if an oil painting.
• Ideally I would like you to crop the images before sending them to me....but I can help if required

Text

• If it is possible provide any large amounts of text in a ‘word’ document.

Thinking about web site design

Below is a list of some of the things I will want to discuss with you before building a web site. It is a joint process and the site will change as it goes along, but good preparation will give you better result.

• Look at other artist’s web sites, and think about what appeals to you. How easy it was to use and did it reflect the artists work?
• Decide on background colour, font and other colours
• Work out what pages and headings you would like. (This is a key decision for me to start with.) Especially how you are going to subdivide your work.
• Font type…. But remember to pick one that can be used on all computers. Having studied this subject with a number of customers ‘Arial’ appears to have a lot going for it, easy to read & looks good on a screen.
• Decide on what work you want included that corresponds with a list of titles and sizes.
• The average time people visit a web page is 6.5 seconds. So keep text concise and to the point.
• Decide on what contact information you want…..I put e mail’s in ‘script’ so they can not be picked up by ‘spaming’ search engines.
• On my web sites so far I have put the copyright & image information as a link at the bottom left hand side of the page. Decide what is right for you and what words you want.
• Pick the images you want and decide how many small images you want on a row and what sort of ‘white space’ you want around them. Also the size of the enlarged image, there are copying verses visibility issues to consider.
• If you require images other than your work, such as one of yourself please have this ready with the images of your work.  I am happy to take photos of anything. I charge for pictures of work, but do not tend to for pictures of artists and their studios, as long as you live locally to myself.
• If you do not have a domain name consider what you might like…there is a lot to be said for one word combining your first and last names. I can check availability for you as well as its purchase.

I hope the above list helps, it is not definitive but covers most of the items I will want to discuss with you.