In today’s industry, having a quality website isn’t just a good idea – it’s a necessity. When people want to discover a business, artist, or influential figure, a well crafted website can favorably boost a visitor’s perception. Smart design, routine maintenance, optimization, and security are all measures that can help prevent your website from becoming outdated in the face of an ever-evolving digital market.
Read on to learn about the advantages of a strong web presence, and how PARMA approaches web design today.
What Makes a Website?
Think of a website as a conversation. A thoughtfully designed website answers visitor’s questions clearly and concisely, with smooth topic transitions that engage and encourage viewers to dive deeper. First impressions are everything, and strong web design can immediately convey a sense of professionalism, establishing legitimacy and identity to your brand.
In an artist’s case, streaming platforms, social media accounts, and videos are all powerful tools for promotion. A website can act as a home base for all of these functions, housing a stockpile of resources from biographies to scores and digital downloads, to a full list of upcoming performances, recent achievements, and more.
Compositions page on composer Bruce Babcock’s website
In addition to functionality, having a captivating visual component to your website is the crux of standing out in the industry and on the vast landscape of the internet. Striking a balance between streamlined navigation and visually appealing aesthetics is the key that will encourage visitors to not only explore your home page, but the digital presentation of your legacy as a whole.
Homepage hero on composer Joseph Summer’s website
Your Story, Content, and Resources: All in One Place
A website is akin to a digital swiss army knife, applicable to an array of promotional circumstances, and crafted for multiple audiences with useful tools for fans, potential collaborators, and press outlets.
Recordings page on composer Michael J. Evans’ website
However, keeping audiences engaged with your website is only part of the formula. Providing a secure browsing experience free of malware and directing potential viewers with optimized links and previews is the first and most important step in generating traffic. Design, performance, search engine optimization, and security are all critical measures to take when designing a website. PARMA Web Director Kayla Day shared her experience and expertise on the critical measures of web design:
When someone visits your website their perception of you happens in seconds — before they read a single word or listen to a single note. What they see sets the tone. The design, organization of content, and development are done with the artist in mind for a custom solution built to suit their specific needs.
PARMA Web Director Kayla Day
A New Look for Navona Records
In Fall 2021, the GRAMMY-award winning label Navona Records underwent an intensive redesign of their website, integrating intuitive elements that allow visitors to navigate with ease, streamlining access to music, album information, and related web content from dedicated album and artist pages. Visitors to the site can also find links to stream or buy from several popular sources, narrow their searches by genre and instrumentation, and access exclusive artist interviews all in one place.
Navona Records website homepage
The Navona Records website contains a custom backend system that allows content to be quickly linked across the entire landscape of the site, granting users an efficiency-centric experience, and visitors a quick route back to any page they like, without ever truly losing their place.
Catalog page on the Navona Records website
Complete with custom branding, colors, fonts, and logo design, the Navona Records aesthetic is truly one of a kind. Working in conjunction with a wide range of visitor-friendly features, the new Navona Records website makes it both easy and enjoyable to discover today’s classical artists.
See it live: www.navonarecords.com
Websites and Artist Representation
“Every artist is unique and their website should serve as a representation of their art form,” says Day. When working on a website for a creative person, more creative liberties can be taken with the design to help the artist’s personality shine through the screen. Combining these personal touches with intuitive navigation and functionality makes for a striking presentation.
Herb Deutsch
The recently-launched website for Herb Deutsch is bursting with personality and immersive storytelling. A composer, author, educator, and performer, Deutsch is well known for his collaborative history with Bob Moog on the invention of the Moog synthesizer, a revolutionary piece of musical technology that has influenced genres far and wide.
Homepage on Herb Deutsch’s website
Deutsch’s story unfolds with subtle text effects and high definition imagery, complete with an exclusive video interview, custom artwork, and attention grabbing links to his catalog of work.
See it live: www.herbdeutsch.com
Mark Dal Porto
For composer Mark Dal Porto, his website assists in sharing his music and putting scores in the hands of ensembles worldwide. Complete with audio samples, sheet music excerpts, and descriptions of his respective works, Dal Porto’s web store serves as a hub for his sheet music, and allows him to sell his scores with automated digital delivery through an integrated ecommerce solution.
Sheet Music Store and product page on Mark Dal Porto’s website
See it live: www.markdalporto.com
Piazzolla Music Competition
Similar to artist websites, the 2021 Piazzolla Music Competition site housed a number of these same features, and utilized a custom-built entry form for submissions, providing a safe and streamlined process for hundreds of applicants to submit their work. In terms of aesthetic appeal, the site pops with a custom color palette, branding, and logo, an unmistakable presentation.
See it live: www.piazzollacompetition.com
Homepage and competition entry page on the Piazzolla Music Competition website
From custom content and design elements to features such as Google Analytics, an events calendar, blog, and more, a well crafted website is a powerful tool to wield when approached correctly. As the industry continues to evolve with new technology and promotional tools, websites will always be the foundation of information in the digital age, and will remain a quintessential component in sharing your story with the world.
