WHO IS DESIGNING ART GALLERY WEBSITES ?
When the Internet exploded into the global consciousness around 1996, galleries, like many companies, looked to individual designers (some still in college) to design their websites. But there was a lot of confusion, and the galleries were unable to update the sites themselves. They had difficulty getting the individual website designers to make the updates and revisions necessary to keep the site current. These early clunkers quickly fossilized. By 1998, out of frustration, galleries sought out all-in-one Web design firms, some hiring expensive agencies with no experience working with art galleries. With no firm out there specializing in the art world, galleries settled for overly technical, bulky websites or over-simplified HTML sites that looked more like financial-services sites than art world sites. Even today, few companies have taken a leadership role in the field. Only one, exhibit-E, has branded itself as a design firm specifically focused on providing art world websites and has the portfolio to back up the claim. With its roots in the art world, exhibit-E is unique. It has a deep understanding of the needs of the art world, has a reputation for world-class website design, and offers automated solutions that allow in-house gallery staff to make routine updates to the gallery website. This last capability solves the most vexing problem facing art world websites: keeping the site current and up-to-date using existing gallery staff resources. With gallery staff updating their exhibit-E websites, using them just as they would any other software application, exhibit-E continues to become the world leader in art gallery website design. It is an easy-to-use option for more and more galleries worldwide. 19