Armonk Outdoor Art Show: A new spirit of engagement

FeedHV: Helping reduce hunger by building better connections between food providers and people in need

November 11, 2014

Key capabilities:

Visual Identity
E-commerce Wordpress Website
Marketing Materials Identity

" With the new visual identity and E-commerce website, Create & Associates has propelled us into the league of the top national art events in the nation. "

Anne Curran
President of the Armonk Outdoor Art Show

" Thank you Cecile, You helped transform our website to reflect the quality of our show. How lucky that it coincided with a year where we needed it most!
"

Stacy Wilder
Board Member — Armonk Outdoor Art Show

The Armonk Outdoor Art Show — Creating a new spirit of engagement between artists and art lovers in the time of COVID

Challenge

The iconic Armonk Outdoor Art Show was ready for an updated brand identity that reflected the spirit and vision of the artists and art lovers who have made it the second-highest ranked show of its kind in the USA.

Aware that its audience consisted of dedicated art collectors and art lovers, the show’s Board of Directors selected Create & Associates to design a visual identity and brand new website that would feature the varying styles and forms of its artists’ work while encouraging interaction and outreach with its patrons.

However, this was all before the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic…

Suddenly, faced with the uncertainty of the times, and the possible cancelation of the 2020 show in September, the proposed website had to evolve through numerous adaptations and changes to transform from an engaging invitation to attend the show into a virtual realization of the experience of being there — all between mid-March and the scheduled launch date at the end of July.

Solution

Working in collaboration with the show’s communications team, Create & Associates embarked on a creative journey to develop a new logo and modern state of the art website that conveyed the vitality and history of the famed art show, while keeping it accessible and welcoming to anyone who takes joy in the arts.

At first, prior to the pandemic, Create unveiled a modern, bright and colorful logo that marked a clear evolution of the show’s tree icon, punctuated with a bold, custom-design wordmark. This refreshed visual identity provided the look of the new website, as well as for the marketing materials, social media and outdoor signage.

The layout and functionality of the website was derived from considerable research into the websites of premiere national museums and prominent art shows from around the world. Its original purpose: to establish an inviting environment for site visitors to introduce themselves to the show and the participating artists’ work.

But things changed with the advent of COVID. Faced with the realities of the virus, and the cancelation of the September 2020 show, the website evolved from a 30 page website to a 200+ page immersive experience that included E-commerce functionality.

For the first time, each artist is featured individually on their own page, with a direct link to that artist’s own website. In this way, the website carries out the underlying philosophy of the Armonk Outdoor Art Show, which is to encourage an ongoing level of engagement and connection between the artists and their admirers. This is particularly essential in a time when artists are struggling, the show has been cancelled and the organization is deeply focused on developing a connection between the audience and artists ¬– in order to inspire awareness, interest and direct purchase.

Now that the organization is equipped with such a robust and interactive e-commerce site, the Armonk Outdoor Art Show hopes to generate interest and donations through its website and social media to support its long-time cause: the continued growth and improvement of the North Castle Library.

Results

The spirit of interpersonal connection guiding the new website make it the perfect antidote to the sense of isolation ushered in with the era of social distancing. With the help of Create, the organization 2020 moved the show to an online event, art lovers around the country were able to use the new website to explore, visit studios via Zoom and Facetime events and purchase the work of the painters, photographers, sculptors, jewelry designers and other juried artists whose talents make the Armonk Outdoor Art Show the remarkable exhibition that it is.

Create and Associates is proud to be part of the Armonk Outdoor Art Show and delighted to play an important role in keeping artists and art lovers connected through these difficult times and into the brighter days ahead.

Preview the website

" It's been quite a year, and I wanted to tell you that we are very happy, and feel quite accomplished, with the work we did with you. In a year when nothing turned out to be business as usual, we started with the goal of a new website. With your creative talent and guidance we updated our logo and re-imagined our online presence with a first-class website.
The website is visually engaging and tells a compelling story about our Art Show and what a visitor can expect. The site is on par with other top ranked Art Shows around the country that are larger than our show, by 10x or more!
In addition, we have capabilities that we need to promote our brand across all digital platforms, and this proved to be so important in 2020.
Once it was clear that our in-person show had to be cancelled due to the pandemic, you saved the day by adding individual pages for each exhibitor, so that our artists could have exposure to patrons with their contact info on our website. And finally, when we doubled down to assemble an online show, you created the pages that made our first online show look absolutely great!
In a year when we suffered much upset and loss, we can point to significant accomplishments from our work with you.
Thank you for your professionalism, creativity and responsiveness. We look forward to a bright new year and building upon all that we created this year! "