PortfolioWebsite Design for Artists & Makers | Professional Online Gallery
A strategic portfolio website transforms how galleries, collectors, and clients experience your artwork. More than just displaying images, your artist portfolio website builds credibility, attracts commissions, and connects you with opportunities that advance your creative career.
Unlike generic website templates, this custom portfolio website for artists, makers and creatives is strategically designed to reflect your unique creative practice. I will create a site that is elegant, easy to navigate, and optimised for search engines, ensuring your work stands out and connects you to the right audience.
“Working with Emma was a truly enjoyable and fulfilling experience. With her clear planning and deep understanding of the art, design, and craft industry, she helped us rethink our online presence and refine our business strategy. Emma successfully designed and built our custom portfolio website, ensuring our work reaches the right audience and attracts new opportunities.”
- Gareth Neal, Furniture Maker
Curate your artwork into a powerful showcase with a portfolio website that converts and connects your art to your target audience
Why Choose a Custom Portfolio Artist Website?
Your art deserves a dedicated online gallery that enhances its presentation while making it accessible to curators, collectors, and audiences worldwide. Each website is tailored to your unique artistic practice and designed to attract the opportunities that advance your creative career.
Showcase Your Art Professionally
Professional gallery layouts and presentation that complement your artistic style
Build Credibility with Galleries & Collectors
A polished online presence that positions you as a serious professional artist
Attract Commissions & Opportunities
Strategic elements that help you get discovered and contacted for projects, commissions and exhibitions
Easy Management & Artwork Updates
Simple tools to keep your portfolio current as your body of work evolves
How We'll Work Together
"Working with Emma was transformational. Not only did she create a beautiful digital platform to showcase my craft, she is highly skilled at coaching and helped me to rethink how I sell myself, my products and my own approach to my business. Almost immediately after the website launch, a company in the States singled me out among 160 other basket makers. They said my website stood out against the 160 other basket makers they were comparing me to!"
- Mollie McMillen, Basketry & Willow Weaver
Showcase your artwork online. More than just a beautiful artist portfolio—this is a built with strategy
CUSTOM PORTFOLIO ARTIST WEBSITE: £2,000
Timeline: 2-4 weeks (after content preparation)
20 + years of creative industry expertise backing your website with strategic art business insights, not just technical design
Strategic page layouts to showcase artwork, services & commissions
Refined, mobile-friendly design that resonates with collectors & galleries
SEO-friendly structure to improve search visibility & audience reach
Personalised training so you can confidently manage updates
Frequently Asked Questions about Artist Portfolio Website
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Portfolio Website Investment: £2,000
More than just a beautiful portfolio—this is a complete digital studio solution designed specifically for visual artists and makers. At less than £167 per month over 12 months, you'll get a professional website that works as hard as you do, helping you showcase work, attract commissions, and grow your practice.
Payment Schedule:
20% deposit (£400) secures your booking and confirms project timeline
40% (£800) is due at the start of the project
Final 40% (£800) is due before website launch
What This Includes:
Professional custom design aligned with your artistic style
Complete portfolio functionality with project galleries
Personalized training and tutorial videos
One month of post-launch support
SEO optimisation to help you get discovered
Additional Costs:
Squarespace hosting (from £17/month with annual Business Plan) paid directly to Squarespace
Domain name registration
Any additional pages or features beyond the standard package
For complete details, see the "What's included in the Custom Artist Website Design?" and "How will you support and train me on my website?" sections below.
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CORE WEBSITE ELEMENTS:
Strategic website tailored to your creative business and target audience
4 designed custom pages (home, about, contact, services, FAQ's)
1 Portfolio Page with up to 6 projects and call-to-action buttons
Essential policy pages (Privacy, Terms) that build trust with Google and customers
Mobile responsive design that works perfectly on all devices
MARKETING & VISIBILITY:
Basic on-site SEO to help you get found on Google and Bing
Social media integration (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook)
Email marketing platform connection (Mailchimp)
1 Blog setup with 6 initial posts, tags and categories
Google Analytics and Search Console setup to track website performance
TECHNICAL FEATURES:
Custom CSS coding for unique styling elements
Site map submission to search engines
Full responsive testing across devices
Additional pages, projects, or custom features available at extra cost.
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My support extends from content preparation through to website launch and beyond:
WEBSITE PREPARATION SUPPORT:
Comprehensive content planning guide for writing effective copy and selecting images
Introduction to SEO and keywords to improve your visibility
In-depth Business & Website Questionnaire to align your online goals
90-Minute Website Strategy consultation call on Zoom
TECHNICAL SETUP:
Complete Squarespace account setup with 20% off your first year of hosting
Domain name transfer or connection
All technical configurations handled for you
PERSONALISED TRAINING:
One-hour hands-on training session after launch
Custom tutorial videos created specifically for your website
One month of email support post-launch for any questions
My approach ensures you'll feel confident managing your portfolio website independently while knowing support is available when you need it.
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While these elements are important, I don't expect you to have everything. I'll audit your existing materials during our discovery call and develop a practical plan:
Photography: I can work with your current images, I will do light editing for a cohesive look, then train you on capturing future photos that will work effectively across your site, once you have the design in place you know what photos you need so when you do invest in more photography you know exactly what crop is needed and why.
Copy: I'll provide worksheets in the preparation stage of your website to help you brainstorm content that is needed for your site i.e artist statement, process, etc, then we'll collaborate to craft impactful, conversion-focused language that remains authentically human.
Branding: I'll create a cohesive colour palette inspired by your artwork, applying my expertise to ensure it translates beautifully online. A formal logo isn't essential—in most cases the right typography and colours complementing your work create all the impact you need.
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The complete process involves two key timeframes:
Content Preparation Phase: 2 Weeks
Before I begin designing your website, you'll need approximately 2 weeks to gather and prepare your content (images and copy) .This timeline allows you to balance content preparation with running your business. I'll provide a comprehensive guide to help you gather everything I need for your website efficiently.Website Creation: 2-4 Weeks
Once your content is ready for the deadline we agreed on, most artist e-commerce websites take 2-4 weeks from design start to launch.I work on only one site at a time, giving you my undivided attention throughout the process. This focused approach ensures quality and efficiency as we move through:
Strategic planning and initial design concepts
Website development and portfolio implementation
Testing, refinement, and launch preparation:
During this timeframe, our collaboration will include:
1 deep dive strategy meeting (90 minutes)
3 design feedback meetings ( 3 hours in total) where you can review progress
1 comprehensive training session (1 hour) before handover
Your timeline may vary slightly based on the complexity of your product catalog and how quickly you can provide feedback. The most common factors that affect the schedule are content preparation and decision-making speed.
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Before kicking off your project, I'll guide you through some preparatory tasks in Phase 1 | Preparation. During this phase, you'll gather:
Content: Images of your artwork and copy for key pages
Business details: Your brand elements and business information
No need to stress—I provide a comprehensive welcome pack and instructional video to help you gather everything efficiently .I'll audit all materials before our 90-minute strategy meeting and let you know if anything's missing.
For a successful collaboration, I ask that you:
Prioritise the important work of launching your website during our project timeline
Approach the process with an open mindset focused on strategically reaching your customers
Be available for feedback at key project milestones meetings
Many artists find this preparation process surprisingly clarifying for their business, often leading to insights beyond just their website needs.
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My website design process revolves around you, offering a smooth and supportive journey from planning to launch and beyond. I prioritise connection, collaboration, and creativity over corporate jargon. Working directly with each client one-to-one, I ensure a clear, efficient, and jargon-free experience, helping you achieve your unique online goals.
Phase 0 | Discovery
Book a discovery meeting to discuss your needs and project details
Receive a final project quotation
Pay a 20% deposit to secure your booking and schedule your project start date
Phase 1 | Preparation
Gather content for your website using my comprehensive guides
Complete a detailed questionnaire about your artistic business
Participate in our 90-minute website strategy meeting to define your vision
Phase 2 | Design
Review and provide feedback on the first design draft
Collaborate through second and third revision meetings as your site takes shape
See your website come to life with each refinement
Phase 3 | Launch
Experience a soft launch to ensure everything works perfectly
Connect your domain and social media channels
Prepare for your website's official debut
Phase 4 | Aftercare
Receive a personal one-hour training session on maintaining your site
Access custom tutorial videos created specifically for your website
Enjoy one month of email support post-launch for any questions that arise
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Peace Of Mind
Squarespace a is fully managed platform. This means there’s never any need to update software, security vulnerabilities; or worry that changing one component might break something else.
Built-in SEO
Search engine optimisation (ie. how your website ranks on Google) depends on many factors, but with Squarespace you don't need to worry about the technical stuff as it's built-in for you!Award Winning 24/7 Support Squarespace has a fantastic library of step-by-step guides and video tutorials for if you get stuck, but their 24/7 free live chat and email support are second-to-none. I've had nothing but great experiences with them.
In-Built Analytics
Learn where your website traffic is coming from, what your visitors are looking for, and how they’re interacting with your content or products.Simple User Interface
The back-end of Squarespace's platform is extremely intuitive and simple to use, even for complete technophobes! This means it's super easy to make edits yourself without having to get a developer/designer involved to help with small tweaks. -
Below are some additional things I can easily add to your website project! We’ll discuss what options you might need within our discovery chat so I can put together a custom quote for you:
Coming Soon page
Extra Gallery or Portfolio Pages
Squarespace membership or course set up
Email address set up (with Google Workspace)
Email marketing set up
Online booking/scheduling integration
Sales page design
Additional other pages
View some of my featured
Custom Portfolio Artist Websites
Why Squarespace?
I prioritise platforms that make website management easy for micro businesses. Squarespace fits the bill with user-friendly drag-and-drop features, allowing effortless information updates and the addition of pages as your business evolves. Its integrated nature eliminates the need for frequent plugin installations and updates, reducing the risk of hacking.
Alongside my training videos, squarespace provides 24/7 online customer support giving you peace of mind so you can focus on your business.
Have More Questions?
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It depends on your goals and how you sell your work.
Both options offer different benefits – portfolios showcase your artistic journey while e-commerce enables direct sales. During our discovery chat, I'll help determine which approach best aligns with your creative practice and business goals.
The right choice balances your artistic vision with practical considerations like how you currently sell, your audience expectations, and your long-term objectives.
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Yes, absolutely. Your website will be built with SEO best practices from the ground up:
I'll structure your site to be easily discovered by search engines using proper heading hierarchies and page organisation
All images will include descriptive alt tags to help your artwork get found online
Your page titles and descriptions will be optimized to attract potential collectors
We'll naturally incorporate relevant keywords into your content that artists and your buyers actually search for
Product descriptions will be crafted to increase visibility in search results
For artists, good SEO means more potential collectors finding your work organically. I handle all the technical details while keeping your authentic voice intact.
You can read more about how Squarespace supports SEO here.
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Yes! All my artist websites are fully responsive and thoroughly tested across devices. I optimise every gallery, product page, and checkout process specifically for mobile users. Your collectors will enjoy a seamless experience whether they're viewing your work on phones, tablets, or desktops
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Absolutely! I design with simplicity in mind, especially for artists who don't consider themselves "tech-savvy." After your site launches:
You'll receive 3 hours of personalised training focused specifically on the areas you'll update most frequently
I create custom tutorial videos tailored to your specific website that you can reference anytime.
You'll learn step-by-step how to update your portfolio, add new products to your shop, post blog entries, and refresh your homepage
The Squarespace platform is intentionally user-friendly with drag-and-drop editing - no coding required
Many clients who were initially nervous about website management are surprised by how confident they become after our training sessions. For more complex changes beyond routine updates, I'm available for hourly support as or project as needed.
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Yes of course - just reach out to chat about what you are looking to update or add to your site and I will give you a quote based on your needs.
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Social platforms are excellent marketing tools, but they can't replace a professional website because:
You own and control it – no algorithm changes affecting your visibility
Builds professional credibility with serious clients and collectors
Tells your complete story beyond social media snippets
Direct sales without platform fees or intermediaries
Works for you 24/7 capturing leads and building your brand
See your social media as the conversation starter that leads people to your professional home online – your portfolio website.
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Unlike generic templates, my custom artist websites are built with a deep understanding of how art collectors browse and buy.
I create custom gallery layouts that complement your specific medium, craft product descriptions that tell your artistic story, and implement specialised features for art sales (like detail zooming, commission inquiries, and exhibition announcements). Templates force your art to fit their structure—I build a structure that showcases your unique art. -
Yes, every artist website needs certain legal pages to protect you and comply with regulations:
Privacy Policy: Required by law to explain how you collect and use visitor data
Cookie Policy: Necessary for GDPR compliance if you have EU visitors
Terms of Use: Protects your creative work and clarifies how visitors can use your site
For Online Shops: You'll also need Terms & Conditions, Shipping Policies, and Return Policies
Don't worry—I'll guide you through exactly what your specific site needs based on your business model. I provide templates and resources that you can customise, saving you time and ensuring you're properly protected without the expense of custom legal documentation.
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Yes, If you have a blog on Wordpress I can help you move your existing content to Squarespace while minimizing the impact on SEO.
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The short answer is Yes no problem. Will just need your password to connect.