We’re inspired by our clients. We love the work they do, and we love supporting their goals to bring the arts into the lives of more of the UK. This week at Chaptr, we’ve been chatting about some incredible digital solutions to the problems facing arts in a post-covid world. Here’s a collection of our favourite inspirations:
Covid Art Museum
The COVID Museum is the world’s first museum for art curated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Possibilities for visiting galleries, exhibitions and events ground to a halt as the virus spread. The impact on the artist community (as well as all other cultural events) was devastating. Three friends living in Barcelona – José Guerrero, Emma Calvo, and Irene Llorca – decided to create a digital platform for Spanish artists to showcase their work.
At Chaptr, working in the arts and culture sector, we commend this approach and champion the ingenious way boundaries were overcome with a digital solution. The collaborative focus for the design – creating a digital space that showcases all artists on the homepage – feels inclusive and creates a space that feels similar to a physical exhibition.
We’ve worked with John Hansard Gallery to develop a digital exhibition, and we’re working on similar, exciting projects for more of our clients (watch this space!). We’re convinced that curating digital experiences in the arts and culture sector will only become more widespread in the future.
Visit the Covid Art Museum at covidartmuseum.com/
The Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery, based in London, is a contemporary art gallery. This iconic gallery has held an important spot on the British art scene since its opening in 1985. The creative approach for the website has a clear emphasis on both accessibility and providing an engaging showcase of current and upcoming exhibitions.
The website has been curated to be concise with distinct sections throughout — enabling the visitors to quickly digest the information. We believe this has been important for The Saatchi Gallery’s demographic (people walking in the busy London city).
There is a well-defined hierarchy here which puts the contemporary artwork at the forefront for each section. This also supports an engaging visual journey in the UX. Simplicity in design for exhibitions allows there to be little impact on the supporting collaborators.
Visit the Saatchi Gallery at saatchigallery.com
First On Soundcloud
The First on SoundCloud project exists to support upcoming artists on their platform, following the artists’ journeys and documenting them on the digital platform. As we spend more of our lives online, we become more accessible for outreach in digital spaces. So companies like SoundCloud are spearheading a cultural shift, highlighting the importance of inclusivity in music.
The bold, original, and impactful approach to the website design instantly engages with the audience with large typographic messaging and expressionistic graphics. At Chatpr, we consider this digital experience successful due to the overall approach to the branding which has set this campaign apart from competitors — ensuring that ‘First on Soundcloud’ has a unique tone of voice.
Finally, the consistent approach from the parent branding of SoundCloud can clearly be noted here, ensuring brand consistency and creating further awareness for SoundCloud.
Visit First on Soundcloud at firston.soundcloud.com/
Wax Poetics
Wax Poetics, originally a publication started in 2001, has launched their new website recently, a successful approach to showcasing music from past, present and future. The brand has curated a digital forum for like-minded melomaniac people to dive deep into the importance of music and culture.
Our team responded well to the way the UX has been carefully considered here to ensure the user journey is smooth and easy to digest in each section.
The header section allows Wax Poetics to feature a number of selected articles. This makes the website feel consistently updated and current, keeping pace with recent developments within music culture. The use of line breaks and abundant white space ensures the content is highly accessible for all audiences.
The tight, compact margins let the brand create a powerful impact using photography and condensed large typography. These techniques also support each feature impactfully in the site’s hierarchy.
Visit Wax Poetics online waxpoetics.com/
Boston University Theatre Showcase
As we’ve discussed when we looked at the Covid Art Museum site, digital showcases and galleries have become an integral element for art marketing during the pandemic. Boston University Theatre Showcase 2021 have produced a highly successful website that showcases each student’s key performance during their study. The unique approach to the website utilises complex UX to demonstrate the importance of mixed culture at Boston University Theatre, allowing the user to quickly jump into a variety of impressive performances.
The enticing landing page of the website draws the view in and quickly describes what the user is viewing with minimal copy. The use of black makes the videos the highest of importance and creates a tunnel vision for visitors. Lastly, the use of the interactive menu allows the user to carefully curate their own experience for the website.
Visit the Boston University Theatre Showcase at theatreshowcase.boston
The International Festival of Audiovisual Programmes
The website for The International Festival of Audiovisual Programmes conveys the emotion which independent documentaries communicate. Visiting the website evokes a cinematic mood by using a carefully curated selection of graphic elements, moving images, and typographical decisions.
At Chaptr, we feel the use of clean lines to create a separation between sections carries the essence of the logo and reminds our design team of a clapperboard. The choice to utilise the logo form has been incorporated ingeniously by applying it to the background, ensuring the brand has been represented throughout the website.
Visit the International Festival of Audiovisual Programmes at fipadoc.com/en
We’d love to hear from you
What do you think of our picks? Are you as inspired as we are? Are there any websites that have your creative juices flowing? Let us know in the comments below.
If you’re ready to start your industry-disrupting digital journey, we’d love to chat. Contact us today.