Connect, showcase and make an impact in the art community.
Connect, showcase and make
an impact in the art community.
White Screen is a social network that offers the members of the art community simple ways to manage art collections or portfolios, display art online, reach international audiences, find new clients and professionals in the field, find art related events, and make meaningful and creative connections.
Areas of Responsibility
UX Research
Wireframing
Prototyping
Design System
UI Design
Main Goals
To gather all the information in one platform: artworks, events, open calls, job offers and more.
To create a robust search system that suggests potential connections based on users preferences.
To introduce a collaborative workspace where users can initiate and manage art projects.
To provide solutions for easy creation and sharing of art centered content.
Research
Solutions
Create a common zone that enables updating of relevant content.
Create online exhibitions that enable collaborations between users.
Create customized profile pages that represent the different users.
Create a space that displays the artworks appropriately.
Enable professional connections.
Create a space for collaborations.
Share art related events.
User Personas
1/4
BIO
Emily rents a small studio where she spends most
of her time creating new paintings. Every once
in a while she remembers to post pictures of her art
on Instagram, but she feels the app is not very engaging, and she can’t manage to expand
her audience. She is at a point in her career where she feels stuck and doesn’t know how to keep developing.
Frustrations
Spends a lot of time and effort finding relevant open calls
for her since they’re disperse in various websites.
Has a hard time reaching new audiences.
Finds it difficult to make professional connections.
Goals
Display her art easily and sell more artworks.
Find all the information she needs for promoting her career
in just one place.
Take advantage of opportunities such as participating
in exhibitions, collaborating with other artists in creative projects and more.
Emily Turner
Artist
Philadelphia, PA, USA
31
years old
854
artworks in her portfolio
Techniques She Uses
Oil on canvas
Watercolors
Mix media
2/4
BIO
Victoria started her career in the artworld as a gallery assistant at a small gallery, where she quickly got promoted to gallery manager. She loves the freedom of her job - from choosing artists to represent
at the gallery to endless conversations about art
with her colleagues, but she admits the artworld can sometimes be inflexible and very old fashion in terms of administration, which prevents the gallery
from growing big.
Frustrations
She is looking for the next step to advertise the gallery
and make it known internationally.
Gets countless irrelevant portfolios from artists.
The artworld has old fashion administration manners.
Goals
Discover new artists and expand the gallery’s collection.
Promote the gallery and sell more artworks.
Make connections in the artworld.
Victoria Reynolds
Gallery Manager
Berlin, Germany
43
years old
1,257
artworks in the gallery
Favorite Art Genres
Minimalism
Abstract
Conceptual
3/4
BIO
Alexander runs a successful business in renewable energy. In one of his usual business travels to New York, he made a reservation in a new hotel which was situated right next to a photography gallery. He couldn’t help but going inside and he ended up purchasing the first piece of art that started what would become his art collection and a long live passion ever since.
Frustrations
Doesn’t know where to find professional who can take care
of his collection.
Doesn’t know where to find art related events.
Although he loves visiting museums and art galleries, he doesn’t have much time to appreciate art in the real world.
Goals
Discover new artists and expand his art collection.
Make connections in the artworld.
Display his collection.
Alexander Sterling
Art Collector
Los Angeles, CA, USA
58
years old
124
artworks in his collection
Themes in His Collection
City landscapes
Architecture
Portraits
4/4
BIO
Mai still cannot believe how lucky she is working
with art and getting to do the one thing others
can’t - touch it. Every time she starts a new project she feels the adrenaline in her fingertips, but she also feels
the huge responsibility that lays upon her - one small mistake and she can ruin a one of a kind piece of art.
Frustrations
Lack of full time jobs in the area, so she needs to work
as a part-time freelancer.
As a freelancer she constantly needs to find new clients.
Doesn’t know where to promote herself.
Goals
Find clients.
Make connections in the artworld.
Participate in new projects.
Mai Nakamura
Conservator
London, UK
33
years old
1,257
conservation works done
Areas of Specialization
Preventive conservation
Painting conservation
Mix media
Emily Turner
Artist
Philadelphia, PA, USA
31
years old
854
artworks in her portfolio
Techniques Used
Oil on canvas
Watercolors
Mix media
BIO
Emily rents a small studio where she spends most of her time creating new paintings. Every once in a while, she remembers to post pictures of her art on Instagram, but she feels the app is not very engaging, and she can’t manage to expand her audience. She is at a point on her career where she feels stuck and doesn’t know how to keep developing.
Frustrations
Spends a lot of time and effort finding relevant open calls for her since they’re disperse in various websites.
Has a hard time reaching new audiences.
Finds it difficult to make professional connections.
Goals
Display her art easily and sell more artworks.
Find all the information she needs for promoting her career in just one place.
Take advantage of opportunities such as participating in exhibitions, collaborating with other artists in creative projects and more.
1/4
Victoria Reynolds
Gallery Manager
Berlin, Germany
43
years old
463
artworks in the gallery
Favorite Art Genres
Minimalism
Abstract
Conceptual
BIO
Victoria started her career in the artworld as a gallery assistant at a small gallery where she quickly got promoted to gallery manager. She loves the freedom of her job - from choosing artists to represent at the gallery to endless conversations about art with her colleagues. But she admits the artworld can sometimes be inflexible and very old fashion in terms of administration, which prevents the gallery from growing big.
Frustrations
She is looking for the next step to promote the gallery
and make it known internationally.
Gets countless irrelevant portfolios from artists.
The artworld has old fashion administration manners.
Goals
Discover new artists and expand the gallery’s collection.
Promote the gallery and sell more artworks.
Make connections in the artworld.
2/4
Alexander Sterling
Art Collector
Los Angeles, CA, USA
58
years old
124
artworks in his collection
Themes in His Collection
City lanscapes
Architecture
Portraits
BIO
Alexander runs a successful business in renewable energy. In one of his usual business travels to New York, he made a reservation in a new hotel which was situated right next to a photography gallery. He couldn’t help but going inside and he ended up purchasing the first piece of art that started what would become his art collection and a long live passion ever since.
Frustrations
Doesn’t know where to find professionals who can take care
of his collection.
Doesn’t know where to find art related events.
Although he loves visiting museums and art galleries, he doesn’t have much time to appreciate art in the real world.
Goals
Discover new artists and expand his art collection.
Make connections in the artworld.
Display his collection.
3/4
Mai Nakamura
Conservator
London, UK
33
years old
61
Conservation works done
Areas of Specialization
Preventive conservation
Abstract
Painting conservation
BIO
Mai still cannot believe how lucky she is working with art and getting to do the one thing others can’t - touch it! Every time she starts a new project she feels the adrenaline in her fingertips, but she also feels the huge responsibility that lays upon her - one small mistake and she can ruin a one of a kind piece of art.
Frustrations
Lack of full time jobs in the area, so she needs to work
as a part-time freelancer.
As a freelancer she constantly needs to find new clients.
Doesn’t know where to promote herself.
Goals
Find clients.
Make connections in the artworld
Participate in new projects.
4/4
Users Personas
Information Architecture
User Flow
1/2 Create an Exhibition
2/2 Inquire About Artwork
Design Process
For this project I combined two worlds that work according to their own rules: social media with posts, followers, likes and so on, and the artworld which prides itself on thinking outside the box.
This means that I had to create a platform that speaks the social media language, and at the same time stands out from everything else in the market.
High Fidelity Wireframes
Online Exhibitions
Users can create and visit online exhibitions.
Users can easily display their art collection worldwide.
It redefines the way art can be display.
It enables the creation of exhibitions with multiple international participants.
Evolving exhibitions - users can add artists and artworks over time.
It can be used independently or as a complementary to an exhibition outside the virtual world.
Collector Profile
Gallery Profile
Professional Profile
Professionals
Artworks need maintenance and special care: conservation, framing, insurance and more. That is why they need to be handled by experts in the area.
Users can find professionals according to their needs with the help of advanced filters.
They can choose trustful professionals thanks to mutual connections.
Users can rate and leave reviews on the professionals’ profile.
Events
All art related events in one place.
Full synchronization with Google calendar.
Users get reminders of exhibitions closing soon so they never miss an exhibition again.
They also get suggestions for events relevant to their interests.
Artist Profile
Profiles
There are four types of users: "Artist", "Gallery", "Art Collector" and "Professional".
The profile is designed to work as a portfolio for artists.
Users can send professional requests to add new clients, gallery representations and new artists joining the user’s art collection.
All profiles have two important sections based on their interests and knowledge in art for a tailored connection.
Projects
Users can create art related projects and join other people’s projects, expanding their connections in the art community.
They can carry out that project that was always on their mind but never found the people to work with.
Open Calls
All the open calls in just one place.
All the information needed to apply easily found.
Users get reminders of deadlines and updates of the process.
Create Exhibition
Users can create online exhibitions in just a few easy steps.
There’s no need to worry about transporting artworks to the exhibition site, as it risks damaging them.
Another opportunity to collaborate with other users.
Any kind of user can become a temporary curator.
Online exhibitions can reach worldwide audiences.
Find Events
Find Professionals
Find Exhibitions
Find Artworks
Advanced Search
Each search section is customized with relevant filters to reach the highest levels of searching.
Each section suggests popular terms to help users find exactly what they’re looking for.
Sidebar Icons
My art
My groups
Messages
Action Icons
Like
Comment
Share
Save
Rate
Informative Icons
Icons
Event Card
Professional Card
Components
Online Exhibition Card
Comments Window
Events Panel
Sidebar Navigation
Thanks for visiting!
Instant Price Quote
This sign pop-ups when the user press the "Inquire" button in the artwork card or post.
Unlike other art websites, where the price query process is held offline, here the price is given immediately so the chances of missing a sale because a drop of interest decreases.
Users can choose where the quote is sent.
Posts
Artnet
From Artnet I learned how to deal with visual content and how to display it.
Strengths
Art centered website.
Big database of artworks, artists and galleries.
Good display of artworks.
Art related news and articles.
Weaknesses
No real-time engagement among users.
No search filters or sort option in the discovery area.
Limited amount of events displayed.
From Facebook I learned how a social media with many features works.
Strengths
A lot of content displayed.
Many useful features: Marketplace, Events, Chat, Groups and more.
Big audience exposure.
Weaknesses
Does not center around any specific topic.
Too much content displayed.
From Instagram I learned how to display visual content in a dynamic platform.
Strengths
Visual content platform.
Dynamic user engagement in real time.
Big audience exposure.
Weaknesses
Lack of search filters.
Not option of sharing others’ posts in one’s feed. This prevents potential exposure that leans on collaboration.
Doesn’t enable optimal and professional display of art.
Doesn’t enable complex interactions.
Behance
From Behance I learned how a professional profile for people working with visual content should look like.
Strengths
Visual content platform.
Profiles based on portfolio.
Platform for professional use.
Weaknesses
No real-time engagement among users.
Doesn’t enable connection making between different users.
Market Analysis
Artwork Card
Each artwork card works as a regular post: users can like them, comment on them, share them, save them and even inquire their price.
Since I wanted the artwork display to be clean from distractions, all the action icons appear only when hovered. They were also given a small frame while on hover to highlight them from the others.
Hover me
Next project
Type Scale & Color Palette
Wix Madefor Display
For the platform I wanted to use a modern and clean font that wouldn't compete with the visual content.
Ibarra Real Nova
For the artworks’ details I followed the conventional format used in the artworld: the name of the artist in bold and the title in italics.
When choosing the font, I wanted it to be sophisticated and delicate to differentiate it from the rest of the platform’s typography, therefore I opted for a serif font.
Heading 1 (20px)
Heading 2 (18px)
Body (14px)
BUTTON 1 (13px)
Button 2 (14px)
Caption 1 (17px)
Caption 2 (16px)
Caption 3 (15px)
Caption 4 (14px)
Caption 5 (13px)
Caption 6 (12px)
Artist’s Name (16px)
Artwork’s Title (14px)
Artwork’s Details (14px)
#EAF306
#7645F4
#171716
#FCFCFC
#F0F3A5
#7645F4 (60%)
#171716 (60%)
#171716 (30%)
#171716 (30%)
#F0F3A5
#FCFCFC
#171716
#7645F4
#EAF306
#7645F4 (60%)
#171716 (60%)
Artwork of the Day
This feature appears as a banner on all users' homepages.
The artwork that got the most likes is chosen to be displayed on the following day, gaining an immense amount of exposure.
Everyday, users get the opportunity to discover new artists, regardless of their personal tastes.
Key Features
Logo
The logo resembles the art of Piet Mondrian (one of the greatest artists of the modernism) - straight black lines, pure colors and flat, with a twist of edgy and bold colors.
Name
The name is a word game that comes from the common term in modern art “White Cube”. White cube refers to the optimal way of displaying modern and contemporary art - on white and large walls to keep the focus on the art.
Style Guide & Branding
Interviews
Top issues that came up from interviews
I conducted with members of the art community
Top issues that came up from interviews I conducted with members of the art community
Conclusions
After a purchase, artists and galleries barely maintain personal contact with the clients. The interaction is mainly based on newsletters.
In order to find official representation, artists reach galleries by emailing them their portfolio. Only few get a proper response.
Information about open calls, grants, exhibition opportunities and art related events is dispersed all over the internet.
All of them use social media to find new clients/artists, but without filters, is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Collectors don’t tend to lend their artworks to art institutions because of fear to damage the works.
Artists would like to collaborate more with other artists, but they don’t know how to start.
Most of them save all their artworks’ information in Word/Excel files.
About the Artworld
One of the main purposes of art institutions is to introduce art to the general public. However, they often fail to facilitate a closer link between the artist and the audience, reinforcing the perception that the artworld is out of reach for those without connections.
Final Design
The design is clean and sophisticated, with small touches of vibrant color, to keep the focus on the art. I took inspiration from websites with an artistic approach.
Homepage (Feed)
The homepage is divided into 4 panels to facilitate the user’s navigation: a main menu on top, a side menu with all the user’s preferences and savings, another side menu with events reminders, and the central panel where all the action happens.
A different artwork is displayed every day on top of the feed section, decorating the homepage and introducing the user to new art.
Artworks
In the artwork page, artists can provide more information about the artwork so viewers can relate to it.
Users can save the artworks they liked, and get back to them whenever they want.
An instant and online inquiry process - unlike common art websites.
The conventional way of displaying information about the artwork was maintained to resemble how it is presented in the real world.
SociArt
SociArt is the biggest art database online.
Thanks to the advanced filters in this section, users can customize they search to find exactly what they’re looking for.
With the help of SociArt, users can not only search for art but also for people, enabling them to create meaningful connections in the art world.