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How we helped a Jersey creative start selling his art online
"Beyond pleased with the website Jordan has created for Soul Of The Gypsy. Jordan replies to all messages within a few hours, was available evenings and weekends to discuss. Proof is in the pudding—view it; we launched it today. I have already recommended Jordan to my friend who is in the UK. Thank you, Jordan. We look forward to working with you on any future projects and recommending you to anyone who wants a webpage designed."
Introduction
When Kev and his wife Claire from Jersey approached us to design and build a new website for Kev's art and their brand, The Soul Of The Gypsy, I took one look at Kev's Instagram and I was hooked! Kev has an extremely unique style of painting, drawing inspiration from vibrant and creative places such as California Surf Culture, music, tattoo art, biker culture, and the architecture and culture of cities like Venice and Rome. I knew that if I could tie this into the design and communicate it visually on his new website, we could create something truly worthy of The Soul Of The Gypsy and the quality of Kev's work.
The Project
The goal for this site was to showcase all of the amazing artwork Kev is creating in a way that helps people understand and relate to the places his inspiration is drawn from. We also aimed to showcase Kev as a person and the personality behind the art on display, clearly communicate why investing in a piece of his art is worthwhile, and make it easy to see what’s on display and contact Kev to enquire.
The Problem
Kev had previously created a video introducing himself and his work, which he used on his Instagram. He also had an extensive Instagram posting history showcasing all his art. However, in my opinion, it never quite gained the traction it deserved. There was nothing wrong with the video Kev made or his work; in fact, both were amazing. The issue was a lack of funnel and exposure.
People simply didn't know about them, so they weren't finding them. Even when they did find them, there was no clear way to guide them towards a piece of art they liked and drive them towards becoming a customer.When someone lands on your social media page, it is very hard to guide them in any particular direction, meaning they usually just randomly look around and then leave, likely never even seeing the items that would have sparked their interest.
Services Provided
Web Design: In order to achieve the desired result for Kev and Claire, we determined they needed a website with a clean, modern, creative design that was in line with Kev's character and style and was worthy of being the website of a creative. It needed to be easily updatable to keep up with the pace that Kev is creating and also needed to make it easy to get all the information you need and contact Kev for a piece.
When thinking about this design, it was important to me that this site was as visually pleasing and premium feeling as Kev's art. I wanted to include animations and interactions to convey a sense of quality and depth without overwhelming the end user. I spent a lot of time looking into Kev and his art, and some of the main things that stood out to me were his story, his inspiration, and his character, which I identified as 'unapologetic'. This is what led me to the title I chose for the site:
"The Unapologetic Art Style of Kev Ash,"
which sums up Kev and The Soul Of The Gypsy perfectly.
- Custom Design in Figma: We leaned into all his inspirations to create a visually stunning design. Different colours were used in the gallery backgrounds to represent different art types, and a big quote from Kev about his mum added a personal touch. When researching Kev’s story, I came across a heartfelt quote about his mum, which I knew had to be highlighted to speak to his character and the personal touch behind his work.
- Development and Programming: The site was developed using Astro and Sanity for a user-friendly CMS. This ensures that Kev and Claire can easily update their site, without any of the limitations they might face with platforms like WordPress. Additionally, we provided thorough training to ensure they were fully equipped to manage their website independently. We also used GSAP for premium animations. Our approach to development ensures we can replicate this system for future projects, maintaining a high standard of quality and efficiency.
- Photography: The other issue we were confronted with was the photography of Kev's art. While everything was photographed, many old images were either not framed very well in the shot or were of poor quality due to bad cameras or lighting. We had a mission on our hands to turn all of these images into high-quality displays.I spent a significant amount of time sourcing high-quality Photoshop mockups we could use to mock up Kev's art onto canvases and into frames. I then spent another big chunk of time taking all the old photos and rendering them in Photoshop. The end result was well worth the time taken, and since they say a picture speaks a thousand words, I have left a few before and after images below so you can see the transformation.
The Results
The effort paid off, resulting in a visually stunning website that truly represents the vibrant and unique style of The Soul Of The Gypsy. In the first three months of launch, the site attracted over 2.1k users, demonstrating the strong interest and engagement from the audience. Kev and Claire were beyond pleased with the end result, as evidenced by their glowing testimonial:
"Beyond pleased with the website Jordan has created for Soul Of The Gypsy. Jordan replies to all messages within a few hours, was available evenings and weekends to discuss. Proof is in the pudding—view it; we launched it today. I have already recommended Jordan to my friend who is in the UK. Thank you, Jordan. We look forward to working with you on any future projects and recommending you to anyone who wants a webpage designed."
