Traveling around to nationwide art fairs, we're always a little amazed at the number of exhibiting artists that do not have websites. Mind you, we realize we're a little younger than the average art fair exhibitor and Dolan has the added benefit of a full-time business and marketing partner (and an aspiring tech head to boot). But we've found our website to be so critical to the success of our business I cannot imagine making a living from this profession without some sort of online presence. For those of you weary about developing a site (we knew that cost and maintenance are huge concerns), take a moment to consider Patron. We met owners Karli and Clay at the Broad Ripple Art Fair and promised a post here on our blog to spread the word about their web design services. Karli and Clay are friendly, approachable, and down to earth people. Their focus - designing websites for artists and members of the design community. Patron's most basic level of service offers a 3 page, 6 image website for absolutely nothing. Website hosting is even included and all websites are editable using familiar, word-processing style tools. Members of the creative field can also customize more sophisticated websites, each with WSYIWYG editor, HTML editor, FTP access, photo galleries, and a sitemap manager, for an additional fee. The website editors mean you'll be able to easily update your site, even while sitting in your hotel room after an art fair or event. This summer, Patron also plans to implement shopping cart functionality into their professional web package ($24.95/month) which would be a great option for selling prints and other multiples in between shows.
Patron's straight forward website is definitely worth a look: getpatron.com. If after reviewing the information you still don't see a website in your future, at least take a moment to read this blog post from owner Karli. Karli discusses various ideas for developing an online presence using free social marketing sites. In my mind, the very fact that Karli is promoting all these other options for developing a web presence beyond Patron, demonstrates Patron's sincere interest in serving the arts community and helping its members excel with their busineses.
Take a peek and let us know what you think.
1 comment:
Thanks for the mention, Ali. It was truly neat to meet you guys at the Broadripple Art Fair. We saw a lot of artists that day, and Dolan's work really stood out for us. Come back every year forever!
- Clay
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