15 WordPress Sites by Artists to Inspire You
When you’re working on a website’s design or layout, you can start to feel more like a worker bee than a true artist. But that’s exactly what you are! Web designers are shaping the way we take in our virtual world, and they hold the power to make an online environment as beautiful as it is functional.
From painters to interior design firms to stage performers, these artists use their WordPress sites to brand themselves and stay true to their artistic style. Check them out for some inspiration as you start to conceptualize projects in the new year!
Kehinde Wiley
Artistic Profession: Painter, portrait specialist, sculptor
Best known for his Presidential portrait of Barack Obama, Kehinde Wiley’s art is bold, eye-catching, and full of patterns that keep the eye moving. His site pairs his highly colorful art with black and white for the background, text, and author photo, pushing his art to the forefront.
Rayma Suprani
Artistic Profession: Cartoonist
Venezuelan cartoonist Rayma Suprani showcases her unique style throughout her site, and the custom font she uses looks truly tailored to her style. From the art she creates and sells right down to the typography, her artistic vision is clear throughout the site.
Tauba Auerbach
Artistic Profession: Painter, sculptor, ink artist, luthier
While the text in the menu is a bit hard to read, the flashy clickables entice you to explore the site. The anomalous font also matches the style of the artist’s dimensional, avant-garde work, which is displayed in a simple grid pattern.
James Turrell
Artistic Profession: Visual artist
Each piece of work by James Turrell is an experiment in light, and his site reflects his art. Right from the splash page, users get a sense of the type of art they’re about to view.
Wim Delvoye
Artistic Profession: Mixed media visual artistThis site is a case study in creating a style all your own. The Belgian neo-conceptual artist is known for some shocking pieces, but his site has a childlike quality that also unearths a sense of whimsy and escapism which we’re likely to see more of in 2022.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Artistic Profession: Composer, lyricist, actor
The composer behind multiple Tony-award winning shows and performances, Lin Manuel Miranda is, to many, the face of modern Broadway. Bold colors, cohesive interior page designs, and simple blocks with easily digestible bits of content make his website as fun and accessible to the masses as the shows he writes.
Mel Gardner
Artistic Profession: Graphic designer
The Dublin-based freelance graphic designer’s site makes it simple for clients to view her previous work. Her bold style speaks for itself, making a white grid background the perfect choice to showcase her work.
Samantha Hahn
Artistic Profession: Illustrator
An illustrator whose sketch style is stark and simple yet elegant, Samantha Hahn makes a statement right from her homepage. Using paint, watercolor, and other mediums, her work is reminiscent of editorial fashion sketch work.
Steven Wilson
Artistic Profession: Musician
A musician with a progressive rock sound and a website to match, Steve Wilson’s site is easily navigable for his fans. The red, black, gray, and white color palette speaks to his rock roots, and simple hover effects make the otherwise eclectic site feel more polished.
The White Buffalo
Artistic Profession: Musician
Emmy nominated artist The White Buffalo appeals to his country-inspired dark folk audience with a website that visually conveys the gravitas and solemnity of his music. Jake Smith, the singer songwriter behind The White Buffalo, says he is “drawn to stuff that’s honest and real,” which is made evident in the simplicity of his site.
Kayla Fisher
Artistic Profession: Photographer
Kayla Fisher is an Arizona-based photographer who uses the colors of the desert to inspire her side-by-side site. The award-winning, nationally published photographer uses her site to book shoots and offer workshops to other burgeoning photographers.
Cassandra Ladru
Artistic Profession: Photographer
The Australian wedding, lifestyle, and fashion photographer’s romantic style really comes through in her site. Cassandra has had her work published in Vogue (Australia) and Harper’s Bazaar, among other publications, due to her visual storytelling prowess.
Heather Sears Design
Artistic Profession: Graphic designer
Heather has been hired by huge brands from Coca-Cola to the New York Times. Her minimalist style and a few well-placed animated elements keep this design site professional yet creative.
Lori McNee
Artistic Profession: Painter
Lori’s paintings are reminiscent of impressionist and tonalist art, and the natural world is at the center of what she creates. Her site is a digital showcase of her work, a shop to buy her products, a place to sign up for courses, and a treasure trove of handy art tips due to her popular blog.
IBB Design Fine Furnishings
Artistic Profession: Interior design
IBB Design has been beautifying Texan homes for about 40 years, and they took their real-world skills onto the web when creating their website. There’s a great use of company-branded colors throughout the site, but they’re also careful to showcase multiple design styles and room types so potential clients can get an idea of what their project could look like.
Take time to find inspiration
Even artists have to conform to the rules of good web design, but that doesn’t mean their sites will lack personality or originality. If you’re dealing with end-of-year brain drain and it’s resulting in designs that feel overwhelmed or uninspired, it’s okay to take a break! And looking at other artistic mediums and expressions can help unlock a great idea.
You can also put more minutes back into your day, giving you more time to dream up interesting designs, by purchasing a Flywheel Growth Suite annual plan.
