Project Overview
Feminist photographer Dorothy Delong wanted to create a website to showcase her work for future clients.
Goals & Problems
Dorothy needed an online space to display her work for potential clients. Her clients include magazines as well as museums. The biggest challenge with this project was striking a good balance to appeal to two different communities: commercial and artistic.
Design Process
Dorothy needs to cater to two audiences. She wants to appeal to galleries and museums as well as commercial clients. Both groups care about her skills as a photographer. While galleries want an artist with a defined vision and style, while commercial clients want to know that you can stay within editorial guidelines.
To meet Dorothy’s goals, I had Dorothy complete an intake form, filling in the gaps of the initial goals and parameters she gave me. Upon reviewing her answers, I determined that she wanted to keep her website simple to let her photos really stand out. We also had to choose photographs the exibited both her style of shooting and her editorial skils. By keeping it simple, I emphasized the “realness” of her photography.
Keeping those things in mind, I chose understated fonts – Caveat and Yanone Kaffeesatz – that complimented the fun and exciting style of Dorothy’s photos. While the typography was fun and exciting, muted shade a blue – Space Cadet and Alice Blue – creating a simple background against which Dorothy’s photos would stand out. Blue also evokes feelings of trust and reliability that she will need to woo future clients.
I incorporated Dorothy’s pre-existing logo in the website’s header. She also wanted to include her mission statement, an artist statement, her headshot, a small sample of her work with the potential to add more later and, finally, all avenues of contact. Dorothy was adamant keeping the site one page, which was important to keep in mind as she wanted to include a lot of information. It took some manipulation, but I was able to do it, while leaving an appropriate amount of spacing so it didn’t appear crowded.
Conclusions & Takeaways
Striking the right balance was the underlying goal for this project. From picking samples that would speak to both commercial and museum clients to staying true to who Dorothy is, I had to channel her strong sense of self and what she wants her work to convey. I also had to keep her potential clients in mind. They need to know that she is reliable, and they aren’t just going to get quality work, but also a quality partner.
Ultimately, I had to trust what I knew about color theory and type psychology. It was important to keep Dorothy’s work as the focus of her site. Even with her mission and artist statements, they are what truly represent her and what her clients need to be focused on. Using what I learned helped me to find the balance that Dorothy needs to suit herself and her clients.
