Redefining Inspired Artisans' Digital Presence

Founded in 1997, Inspired Artisans is an artisan studio based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, specializing in creating custom contemporary and traditional artwork for religious, civic, and educational spaces. Over the years, Inspired Artisans' portfolio has grown significantly in variety and national reach. A website redesign was necessary to support this expanding portfolio and inspire prospective clients to envision bespoke projects for their institutions. To achieve this, a comprehensive content and data strategy was developed.

Content & Data Strategy Phase

Leveraging expertise with cultural institutions, Inspired Artisans' portfolio was treated as a dynamic, evolving collection rather than a static catalog. This approach guided the redesign of the site's architecture, transforming it into an engaging, exploratory experience that highlights the artistry and craftsmanship of Inspired Artisans.

Key updates included:

New Project Database

A key update included the introduction of a robust project database featuring large, high-quality imagery to immerse visitors in the artwork. Built with a future-friendly schema, this database allows for easy updates and additions, ensuring seamless integration into future iterations of the website or other digital applications. It effectively serves as a living archive of Inspired Artisans' work.

Tagging System

A dynamic tagging system was implemented to extend beyond just projects—whether it’s a news update, blog post, or press mention—to be tagged with relevant keywords. These tags can become pages in their own right, offering site visitors a more interactive and exploratory experience. For example, a tag like “animals” or “art glass” could aggregate all related projects, news, and content onto a single page, making it easier for visitors to explore Inspired Artisans' work by theme or subject matter. This tagging system enhances user experience by allowing for both broad exploration and specific, in-depth searches.

Interface Updates

With a solid content and data strategy in place, the focus shifted to translating this strategy into tangible user experiences through wireframing. The goal was to create a platform that not only showcases Inspired Artisans' extensive portfolio but also makes exploration intuitive and engaging. Several key interface updates were designed to enhance how users interact with and discover Inspired Artisans' work.

Explore By Featured Projects

A dynamic slider was introduced to showcase Inspired Artisans' most successful and impressive work, allowing users to engage immediately with the artistry and craftsmanship that define the studio.

Explore By Featured Categories

This prominently placed slider on the homepage highlights Inspired Artisans' most impactful and sought-after categories, using an elevated design to draw attention to these significant categories.

Explore By All

Provides a comprehensive view of the entire portfolio, enabling users to explore projects based on their interests in specific subjects (e.g., Angels) or mediums (e.g., Art Glass).

Explore By Location

A map-based feature was integrated for geographic exploration, visually representing projects by their locations. Projects are categorized into featured and non-featured, with yellow dots indicating featured projects. Clicking on a featured project activates a slider, facilitating seamless navigation through highlighted projects nationwide.

This map interface not only showcases Inspired Artisans' extensive reach but also offers an immersive experience, allowing users to discover and connect with the studio's diverse portfolio. It visually demonstrates all the work done, creating a sense of credibility and trust.

Accessibility

Recognizing the limitations of the original site, which was designed for desktop devices, a shift was made towards responsive design to ensure universal accessibility and engagement across diverse devices. This change broadens the site's user base and allows more visitors to experience Inspired Artisans' portfolio.

These enhancements in architecture and interface establish a user-centric platform that offers multiple entry points into Inspired Artisans' extensive portfolio. By providing diverse pathways, visitors can seamlessly explore the breadth of the studio's work, fostering an environment that encourages them to envision bespoke projects for their institutions. Additionally, the system allows users to pinpoint examples that align more specifically with their interests, enhancing the overall user experience and engagement on the platform.

Visual Brand Updates

Inspired Artisans’ visual brand required a transformation to better reflect the high level of craftsmanship and artistry that defines their work. A comprehensive art direction strategy focused on concepts such as experiential, tactility, physicality, richness, and structure. These themes informed various aspects of the design, resulting in a cohesive and impactful visual language.

Color and Texture

A renewed color palette featuring rich purples and lustrous golds was introduced, carefully chosen to evoke a sense of richness and elegance that aligns with the grandeur of Inspired Artisans' work. These colors interact with the mosaic textures incorporated throughout the design, adding depth and a tactile, physical quality that reflects the studio’s craftsmanship. This layered approach not only enhances the visual identity but also creates a sophisticated atmosphere that resonates with the studio's clientele, connecting the digital space with the rich artistic tradition of Inspired Artisans.

Special Image Styles

Two distinct types of specially branded images were used across the site to create a visually captivating experience. Large, editorial-style images with full bleeds take center stage, offering ample space to showcase the intricate details of the portfolio and allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the artistry, much like they would in a physical gallery space.

Complementing these are artistic cutouts of select pieces, designed to add a unique dimension to the site. These cutouts, complete with subtle shadows, not only highlight individual works by making them stand out from their surroundings but also create an illusion of depth, reminiscent of illusionistic ceiling frescoes. Together, these image styles emphasize the studio's mastery of traditional artistic techniques while enhancing the overall visual identity of the site.

Typography

The typography choices were deliberate and impactful, with headings that protrude from the page and are adorned with golden borders, evoking a sense of prominence, elegance, and precision. The interplay between sans-serif and serif fonts introduces a dynamic contrast that bridges tradition with contemporary design. This typographic approach not only enhances readability but also reinforces the brand’s identity as a modern studio deeply rooted in artistic tradition.

Conclusion

The redesign of Inspired Artisans' portfolio website addressed both functional and brand challenges through a strategic and comprehensive approach. The initiative successfully enhanced information architecture, interface design, and brand representation, with a focus on showcasing Inspired Artisans' unique custom processes. The result is a user-centric platform that facilitates seamless exploration of the extensive portfolio, inviting visitors to envision bespoke creations for their own spaces.

Designed while at Byte Studios

Sonal Jain - Designer

Michael Diedrick - Site Architect & Content Strategy

Jozi Schneider, Travis Horstmeier, Ryan Golner - Developers