Investing in Detroit’s Artists
Kresge Arts in Detroit supports artists living and working in and around the city, with a focus on racial equity. In the last 15 years, the organization has supported nearly 350 artists with $8 million in awards and fellowships that advance their careers on their terms.
But their old website was slow and a bit confusing to users, who struggled to discover artists and browse through their portfolios. So they brought in Teal to create a new site that clearly guides artists through the application and award process, and engages museum curators in browsing through artists to feature in their programs.
Putting Artists Front and Center
Teal created a new homepage gallery that features the work of dozens of artists rather than simply highlighting a few award winners, as they’d done in the past. Every artist has their own page where users can see their portfolio showcasing their work, telling their story, identifying their disciplines, and revealing their history of awards and fellowships.
In the back end, we made it easier for staff to add and edit new artists, simplified the site taxonomy so search is more logical, and made it easier for users to filter on type of award, year, and category.
A Few New Twists
Teal also did a light brand refresh with new typefaces and an expanded color palette. We even added some line work as an element and included a “squiggle” animation to play off the logo, for use in social channels and other outlets.
