The inkster Story
inkster is one of the first Canadian success stories in securing kickstarter funding and lots of community support but it wasn’t enough to get them running. They needed the resources and know how to make the community in to a reality. The founders of inkster approached informedy informedy. We in return saw a lot of potential in the community and most of all James, Danny, and Rob the founders. As an artist myself inkster had deep meaning to me someone who has struggled with how do share my work with the world and sell it. Working with brains behind Inkster and with support from informedy we’re changing how artists become more entrepreneurial.
Our Process
We started with discovery sessions and competitive analysis looking at what the current online and traditional art market looks like. Analyzing experiences in world class sites like etsy, minted, 500px and artsy. With a combination of design thinking and UX magic we then focused on the artists as the heart of the community. We met with a lot of artists and listened to their stories, experiences and struggles as artists. We eventually selected up and coming artists and one established to be the influencers and the faces of Inkster. Punkodelish (Instagram photographer), DJ Trapment, Jenny Laws (Singer), Jeffrey Lawson (Painter), and Paulo Senra (Painter) were the first joiners as inkster influencers. These artists were at varying points in the careers so it provided us with key use cases. Some were side hustle artists, struggling to get the big break, or in DJ Trapments case he has worldwide recognition and appeal. We were able to work closely with our influencers to implement our prototype, test and validate.
The Design
Our goal was to design an experience that let the artist shine. They are inkster and tell the story through their work. The design is simple and modular with an elastic grid to support horizontal and landscape images. Typography and hints of colour tie back to the brand subtly.
The solution
Inkster is completely free to join with no monthly membership fees, giving you instant access to promote and sell your work. When you do sell on inkster, we only take a 10% processing fee, instead of the traditional 30% by brokers or 50% by galleries. We also offer exclusive inkster artists the ability to build sponsorship revenues from big brands and connect you with collectors looking to support local artists.
Inkster offers many sponsorship and unique advertising opportunities within the website, including the influencers themselves. Artists and creators bring with them a large audience through social media, offering many strategic relationships and marketing opportunities for brands both online and offline through inkster local events. We curate the right influencers for your brand and campaign to meet your goals.
My Role
Ideation/Sketching
UX Design
Visual Design & Interaction design
Prototyping & Testing