Self-Employed Artist Portfolio Design
Aims
The main aims will be to improve the current website for ‘Caroline Arnott Art’ and create additional content that will appeal to a wider audience to help grow the brand.
Some ideas that will be explored below include;
- To improve and develop current artists’ website to provide more engaging content that will appeal to a wider audience.
- Re-design the current logo into an animated logo with an audio indent to be used in videos.
- Develop brand Graphic Standards to be used across all platforms.
- Create tutorial videos for beginners-intermediates to learn how to use colour pencils to create realistic portraits
- Create engaging short clips (This is intended for Youtube, but shorter clips can be shared across different social media platforms e.g Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok)
- Develop an online booking system to improve current bookings and online sales.
- Explore long-term solutions for building the brand and reputation, such as creating Patreon exclusive tutorials and growing an online community.
The portfolio will demonstrate professional skills using a wide range of Adobe programmes for producing content, videography, photography, animated logo design, graphic standards, and materials for print (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier Pro, In-Design, After Effects)
Logo Design and Branding
Graphic standards will be established for use in printed and online materials. This will involve typography, colours, sizing and logo design.
Printed Materials
Additional printed materials will be designed to be received with commissions and prints, some ideas are listed below;
- Certificate of Authenticity
- Gift Certificates
- Business Cards
- Stickers with logo and artwork
Online Materials
- Design a personalised watermark to use on online artwork (original artwork, prints, and commissions)
An animated logo will be produced to feature in the videos and a 2D logo for branding.
Website Design
The current website will be redesigned to improve the user experience and be more engaging, personable, and interactive. Some ideas to consider are listed below;
- Create a website that can accommodate the needs of the user
- Upgrade layout design to create a website that is user-friendly across all platforms
- Consider ‘Hicks Law’ and reduce the number of steps needed to create certain tasks e.g. fewer steps needed to make a booking.
- Improve the current gallery by adding descriptions, sizes, and materials to each portrait.
Video Production
The existing YouTube videos will be expanded upon to create a series of tutorials and engaging content. They will be aimed at viewers seeking to improve their skills and knowledge of creating realistic colour pencil portraits.
The videos will be high production using a variety of recording equipment (DSLR camera, microphones, studio lighting)
The videos will include some of the following;
- Tutorial series of videos with a narrated breakdown of the process, showing materials needed and hints and tips. Viewers can follow along with the tutorial in easy-to-follow sections.
- An option to submit their work for video review and feedback weekly.
- Viewers can submit suggestions for the subject of the following week’s tutorials to create more engagement and interaction with followers.
Tutorial Subject
The tutorial will be focused on ‘How To Draw A Realistic Wolf Using Colour Pencils.’
The portrait below will be the feature of the tutorial and will show viewers how to draw the wolf on the right using colour pencils and mixed media methods to create a realistic coloured pencil portrait.
Improvements will be made to the current studio design to create a high-production setup, some of which include the following;
- Daylight Lamp for consistent and continuity filming (consider multiple lighting units on a stand with a diffuser box)
- Rode PSA1+ boom arm for microphone/camera mounting
- Sony A7 III for recording 4K video and photography
- Multiple cameras (phone camera and Sony A7) for different angles and recording styles (e.g close up detailed shots and candid studio shots with a shallow depth of field)
In creating the series of tutorials the long-term goal would be to increase the brand visibility and reach by increasing the number of subscribers, views, engagement, and website visits. This could potentially lead to paid advertisements too.
If the YouTube videos prove successful, plans to provide more exclusive content via Paetroen would be proposed.