Creating the digital space for a modern art gallery.
Optica is a contemporary art gallery in Montreal that is very community oriented. They host exhibitions of many different kinds of art forms including sculpture, photography and paintings. They also have a residency program for upcoming artists trying to grow in the business and who want to learn from their peers and other experienced artists.
The project was to redesign Optica’s website and make the UX much more user-friendly while having a visually appealing UI that highlights the artwork. The challenge this project brought up was organizing all the content of the website, especially in their archives that span back to 1972.
Adam basanta 'A Large Inscription, A Great Noise'
The goal was to make the website as seamless as possible and easily accessible for people interested in the exhibitions and artists looking to join the residency program.
The approach began with breaking down all of the content and simplifying the UX. To organize the site I utilized many accordions to reduce the length of the scroll and make it easier for a user to navigate. I also used a colour that would highlight the artwork instead of taking away from it, while still keeping a contemporary style. My unique approach with Optica’s website was using big arrows and buttons right from the homepage so access to each section would be quick and effective. As well, in terms of content organization, I implemented a search filter for the archives. This filter still kept the modern feel with big typography as seen on the previous pages.
This project flexed my critical thinking muscle because of the challenge of figuring out how to make the content flow. However, this hurdle was fun for me to experiment with while still keeping the target audience in mind. As well, the project ended up with a very successful result.
