Morning.
hi i am new here.. I am posting this Thread just for getting some public opinion,,,

A current client peddling some art supplies is insisting the website itself should be "avant-garde, a work of art," and is throwing out all usability and design standards (like navigation bars/menus, header/footer, etc) merely because they deal with "art."

I will be the first to admit I have much to learn about design still - so I welcome these kinds of challenges and try to learn from them. I am having discussions with her about keeping her target audience in mind, etc.

Any advice/talking points/links to read from the trenches? I try to stay current on blogs like ALA or Smashing, but would love some real world info.

Thanks.

Design and art are two different things. Design is about solving a problem with a given set of constraints. In the art the only constraints are those imposed by the artist, if any are imposed at all.

With visual design the problem you're usually trying to solve is one of communication. There's information you want to convey to someone viewing your design and some of that information is communicated visually. For example your client is selling art supplies so part of the communication that needs to happen is simply helping potential customers find what they're looking for. The navigation can look great, but first and foremost it needs to function as navigation. Say your client has a specific font they want to use, because they love how it looks, but no one can read it. Then it's not really a good choice of font.

There's nothing wrong with the site making an artistic statement, though I'd suggest your client will sell more if they do stick with standards. The danger of making the site too much a work of art is that people looking at it miss the point that it's actually selling art supplies.

Another thing to consider is where potential customers will come from. If your client is hoping search engines will send traffic then the site needs to be developed with search engines in mind. That doesn't mean it can't look great, but it does mean you probably don't want to stray too far from writing valid code.

The target audience is absolutely important. Let your client know the site isn't for him or her. The site is built for potential customers. It's much more important to design and develop the site for the target audience. Unless everyone in the target market is exactly like your client then it doesn't make sense to design the site specifically for the client's tastes.

Just because a site deals in art doesn't mean the design needs to be a work of art. In fact if a client came to me and their product was art I'd lean toward a more minimalist design so that the design stayed in the background and let the art itself show through. If the site itself is too artistic then all the art it's trying to present will get lost.

Again none of this is to say you can't create an "avant-garde" design, but it does mean you shouldn't ignore usability. If the site is a beautiful work of art that is unusable your client will sell nothing.

Ask your client which is more important to them. Having a site that looks like a work of art or having a site that generates a profit for the business?

The design should suit the topic and the potential audience.

However usability and accessibility should not be compromised aor the sake of "art" especially for an "ecommerce" site.

web design is a market for consumption, not an art

I think either you or your client is messing up things. Website design and art as mentioned by the administrator early are two different concepts. Website design is a powerful combination of art and science and you cannot give more importance to any particular of them. Furthermore, website is all about presenting information in an accessible form and not like anything that can be dimly described.

Quick advice, add some cushion to your quote, clients with a background in art/design tend to try and control the entire process which can make things last longer than needed.

In some cases, design of the website can truly become a piece of art. But only in some cases.

I wouldn't really look further past what Van said, quality information there. And Darren is correct as well, make sure you have a bit of a cushion for pricing, it seems they may be the type of client to take up more of your time.

I love Art...but I don`t have the necessary creativity...
So I learned Web Design and started programming some time ago

My advice to you is that search for sites related to your topic.

You can have an idea what kind of design should be, show it to client, work on it.

One thing is sure, a site is designed for commercial purposes not for our own purposes.

As a piece of advice, try doing this: Keep standards in your navigation, etc..but keep them minimal and make your client's art the focal point of the design.

You may want to consider using the "artsy" elements in the background, but keep strong design upfront. No reason you can't combine the two and still develop a very successful website.

Webdesin is art itself..... and usually it goes this way:

as long as stndards are set, imagination starts to work))
same happened to you.

Just create something of this kind (both art and design):Photography.bz
at least, this is my opinion)

What is the goal of having the website? If it is to sell the art, then your website design factors should take precedence. If it is going to be an art piece, then that will have different considerations.

My suggestion is to watch the business side but not be too closed to the client either, there could be some really good suggestions in there.

Website design and art are two different concepts. Website design a powerful combination of art and science.

Well, I just entered a website template contest for $500.00 and all the other applicants were bound by the same rules, pretty boring. I won because my design was original and is attractive, while being user-friendly.

The balance of web design and original artwork is what will make a website unique and memorable. It is extremely difficult to be truly creative on demand while following certain guidelines. So if you can do it, then make sure it does not come cheap for the buyer. Because it is rare. How many websites can you remember being truly unique off the top of your head right now, just by their design?

I can think of two or three out of the hundreds of thousands I have viewed. I wonder if the designers were well compensated.

Originally Posted by RobK

Well, I just entered a website template contest for $500.00 and all the other applicants were bound by the same rules, pretty boring. I won because my design was original and is attractive, while being user-friendly.

The balance of web design and original artwork is what will make a website unique and memorable. It is extremely difficult to be truly creative on demand while following certain guidelines. So if you can do it, then make sure it does not come cheap for the buyer. Because it is rare. How many websites can you remember being truly unique off the top of your head right now, just by their design?

I can think of two or three out of the hundreds of thousands I have viewed. I wonder if the designers were well compensated.

Absolutely agree!

That also happen to me once (and my team), when we had to create a template for a contest and we won it, because decided to think about ART first)))

which means that Web DEsign is art.....and as long as it is so - it gets nice reputation

Originally Posted by Foxic

In some cases, design of the website can truly become a piece of art. But only in some cases.

Web Designing is always an art..although you had explained it that's it's not an art at all but for me, all that we do is an art...

WTF is art?

Defining Art is difficult because it's subject to everyone's opinion. Art, in it's true form, has no boundaries or guidelines. That's why making a piece of art with set boundaries or guidelines is tough. That picture is quite interesting.

"Mommy, the hobos are hiding in our pool again!"