Your website sucks... Comments from the "experts"

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This Linkedin Post, Is everyone tired of Livebooks website format ? on the APA Group reminded me of a discussion a while back of photographers websites. After the dust has setteled from graduation, I have been thinking a lot lately about my website, my blog and how to promote myself as a photographer and artist in a sustainable way. Recently, I have began a newsletter (sign up here) and have updated the website more regularly.

I built this site myself, with a lot of help and advise from too many friends to list. Sometimes I think I should revamp the whole thing and begin from scratch again. I think building the SVA MFA Thesis site made me start reconsidering my own site but a major overhaul will have to wait for now.

If I were to hire it out I would surly not be with Livebooks. I think Livebooks is overpriced, not as functional as a website should be and the templates I have seen look cheesy. There are too many almost free ways to make a site better looking then Livebooks. I would recommend avoiding flash sites. Unless you know what you are dong, or you hair an expert. When I originally build my site I considered flash but since I wasn't that good at it I (thankfully) went for simple HTML. Many of the rules I followed came from the advise and philosophy of you Daniel Eatock and indexhibit. Some of the many rules I believe portfolio websites should follow are:

1. clean easy to navigate design.
2. Direct links to each area and image on the site.
3. clear contact information, artist's bio, and client, exhibition or CV.
4. large images without watermarks. and lastly, build a site you can view on a phone. I think phone portfolio viewing will become more and more normal as people move from their old phones to 3 and 4g smartphones like iPhones and Blackberrys.

Amazingly, Daniel Eatock and friends have turned indexhibit into a free platform for creating solid portfolio sites.

Another free option I have heard good things about is http://artlog.com/ anyone out there tried that one? Let me know if you like it. If you want to spent some money on a site I would recommend hiring a company like my friends over at Wegee Design who can custom make you a site that best fits your vision in a clean design that will likely still be cheeper then Livebooks.

I just wanted to add this old commentary on web design from the a visual society blog:

2. Livebooks. It seems to be popular. Popular to the extent that if I visit a website and see the familiar name scroll across the top and familiar double thumbnails start loading down the right hand side a feeling of dread comes over me... I don't know what Livebooks cost, from what I have heard it's not the cheapest. Give your web designer buddy the cash instead and have him design a real site for you.

from:
http://www.avisualsociety.com/2007/10/30/your-website-sucksfrom-a-photo-editor/
and
http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2007/10/29/your-website-sucks/

suburbia gone wild by Martin Adolfsson

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Martin Adolfsson, St. Andrews Manor, Shanghai, China

I'm digging Martin Adolfsson's work. Especially his Suburbia Gone Wild. I enjoy how at first I thought these were rather typical suburban landscape pictures that have been popular for some time now and then you notice that this isn't America's suburbia. This is the world copying America's bad habits and bad example and its frightening.

I think I even found the real estate listing here: http://www.newportchina.com/propertyinfo.php?pr=0.07607&hid=2699&uid=29463

From Martin Adolfsson's statement:

Within the past two decades we've seen a huge shift in the balance of economic power. Countries that didn't have a middle class 20 years ago have seen a rapid transformation from an agricultural economy to an industrial based economy so much so that a sizable percentage of the population now belongs to the middle class. How does that affect the social groups who have been able to benefit the most from the economic boom? How does that influence one's identity when the change is so rapid? What happens to the native culture amidst the economic influence of international status?

I've chosen to put my focus on the model homes built in recently constructed suburbs for the newly minted upper middle class. These full-scale replicas act as giant shopping windows decorated with a ready to buy lifestyle for the homebuyer. When the projects is finished I will have depicted model homes in 7 suburbs spread across the rising economies of the world. By omitting geographical and national traces I want to create a strong visual narrative between the suburbs. The similarities interest me more then the national and cultural differences. My intentions are to create a visual narrative that takes the viewer in front of the scenes of a new global movement.

A project by Martin Adolfsson http://www.martinadolfsson.com

Tomorrow Dan Graham talks at the Pig, Deitch LIC show

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Artist Dan Graham will be speaking as part of the Pig at Deitch Projects LIC's
Sunday School Summer Workshop and Performance Program.

From the Press Release:

April 25, 2009 - August 09, 2009
4-40 44th Drive, Long Island City

the PIG presents

JIM DRAIN
PAUL CHAN
JEFF KOONS
MARIO GRUBISIC
PAOLA PIVI
GELATIN
SIMON MARTIN
ROBERTO CUOGHI

after being the loveliest show during art basel miami beach 08 last december

MY FACE YOUR POPO
YOUR FACE MY POPO
RESTEFICK
EUROINK
PITTOSPORUM
THE FRECKLED SHOW
**OUR**WONDERFULL**SHOW**
I SAY GOODBUY YOU SAY HELLO
EVERLAND
*MORE IS LESS MORE OR LESS*
IN 80 TAGEN UM DIE WELT
DIM SUM
NEW CHINESE ART
RUBBER AMERICARD
YOUNGER BATS MUST BACK TO BED OLD FARTS CULATELLO MY ASS
CONCORDE IS HERE
NEVER FORGET A BILLION HAS 9 ZEROS
ASS TO MOUTH
AND BACK AGAIN

will now open in new york city.
a show made, curated and installed by all the artists involved, a colourful chaos of lovely details.
a confusing show that will make you smile, feel light as a feather, bees in your belly, end of the world.
a show that will make you come back an see it again, show it to your best friend and say yes.

The PIG: Sunday School Summer Workshop and Performance Program

Remaining Program is listed as follows:

July 26th: Dan Graham
5pm

August 2nd: A discussion with Takeshi Murata on tweeked animation from the '70s and '80's
5pm

August 9th: Trinie Dalton, Ben Jones, Dan Nadel.

House Rules: Ben Jones and Dan Nadel Explain the Rules. A lecture on recent ideas in paper and computer zines, emphasizing being emotional and finding your human voice. Accompanied by a digital slide show and workshop.

Trinie Dalton discussion of Bruno Munari's Original Xerographies and The Xerox Box, books seminal to the photocopy revolution in art as an addendum to 'zine making.
5pm