Web design: Ode to Fangirls
Ode to Fangirls is a gallery website to exhibit the artwork and writing I created for my ongoing personal project about the intersection of fandom and feminism. Next to publishing my work on social media and connecting with others there, I also wanted to have a place online where I could display my work on my own terms.
I chose to keep the layout very minimal, to keep full focus on the artwork and writing. I wanted visitors to feel almost like they are walking through a gallery or flipping through the pages of an art book. The functionalities I added are a press/about page, a blog page, a contact option and a link to the corresponding instagram account.
The site has a very handmade, analog feel to it, in keeping with the (digital) scrapbooking activities of fangirls. The project title is set in a hand lettered font that I drew myself. As the target audience for this website are women and girls, I picked feminine hues of pink, green and purple to complement each other and the artwork.
First sketch and flowchart for the website, using an early project title.
The homepage consists of a short introduction to the project, and links to view the artwork, read the accompanying articles or access the about/press page.
When you click through to the project pages, there is only one artwork at a time being presented. I wanted viewers to experience and consume these paintings in a certain order. Using the arrows, visitors can navigate back and forth.
After flipping through the six paintings, the next page shows a set of nine lettering pieces presented in a grid. By clicking on them, the pieces can be viewed up close.
New work that I create for this project, would be added after the last page. At any time, visitors can click on the top banner to get back to the homepage and navigate from there.
To encourage engagement, there is an invitation on the about page to share feedback or personal stories on the Instagram account or via email.
I also added room for comments below each blog article, and visitors can subscribe to get notified whenever new art or writing is added to the site.
I'm a visual designer and artist, working from my studio in Berlin-Wedding.