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Roy Erickson

9 Years Ago

Aw Site Background Color

In another thread about the reasons people buy or don't buy art, Wendy said: "Most people are wary of color. On decorating jobs, my first hurdle is almost always color. Clients automatically will say they want to go white/beige/cream. Not necessarily because they prefer it, but because they fear making a color mistake."

I changed my AW to a black/dark - but perhaps I should reconsider - just because "I" like it on black - would a prospective buyer prefer to see it on a neutral, off white?

www.rdEricksonfineart.com When you click on this link - it comes up in galleries with white background - if you then click on the "home" - they show up with the black.

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Christi Kraft

9 Years Ago

You're an artist--people expect that you know what you're doing with color. They don't necessarily have that same confidence in themselves. I don't think you need to change to white or off-white just for that reason.

 

Patricia Strand

9 Years Ago

That's true, Christi. Good point. But I changed my background from black to white because I noticed from others' AW sites, that white was easier on the eyes. Not to say I won't change it back again, though!

 

Christi Kraft

9 Years Ago

My current iteration is white, but before the big change, it was black. I liked them both for different reasons, but I did feel it was time for a change for my site.

 

David Patterson

9 Years Ago

Patricia is Right. Studies show that white text on a black background is hard on the eyes,and people don't stick around long.

 

Peter Tkacz

9 Years Ago

Hi Roy,

Make up you mind dude. Either a black or a white background, but not both. My system just went into shock. ;)

The white text on the black background doesn't appear to stand out like a few have mentioned. The white on the dark gray interestingly does. The images themselves don't look bad against a black background, I kind of like the black background with the images. I wonder it FAA will provide maybe an option to allow people to preview artwork against a black background like Flickr does?

I've seen artwork matted with a black matte and black frame. The artwork just got lost. Don't do it!

I've gone with matte colors other than white/beige/cream, but that's generally working with someone that does framing professionally, and even then, it can take up to an hour to get the right matte/frame combination to make it work. I think the white/beige/cream colors are play it safe colors.


Peter

 

Mike Savad

9 Years Ago

the problem with the site right now is that gallery screen. first two pages are black - then it jumps to white. and that is not only jarring, it leaves an after image. i chose a wood grain for the main background. but photos are best on white. while it might seem black is a good choice, people get eye strain quickly and may leave the site just as fast.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

 

Mike Savad

9 Years Ago

i was on one site (not here), they chose orange for the main background with little pumpkins. yellow text on a green background. and it made my eyes hurt so much the words vibrated. and even after i closed it, i could still see it, like a camera flash.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

 

Hi, Roy,

A few early experiments with my blog reminded me of why I'm not a fan of black backgrounds. Not only is it hard on the eyes with any contrasting element (like text), but after a minute or two the pages begin to feel claustrophobic to me -- like going to an art show in a cave. On page one, black seems to make image colors 'pop. By page three or four, it actually seems to drain color away from images.

I do think there's a practical reason why most of the web's biggest, picture-filled, retail sites use white or neutral backgrounds (also most art galleries). Think about browsing Amazon or eBay. How long would you spend doing that if they used a black background?

My home is filled with color -- with only one white/cream/beige ceiling to be found. But on my websites, which are confined to the relatively tiny parameters of a monitor or device screen, I prefer the more open feel of white, light grey, or light cream -- all of which seem to give my art more breathing room.

Many people would hate living in my colorful house, while I find it both comforting and invigorating -- depending on the day. ;-)

Just like many people prefer a dark website background, or a light one -- depending on several different factors, including personal preference.

As for Peter's comments re: black mats and frames, I've used that combo on many occasions, with beautiful results. There's no 'One Size Fits All' when it comes to color and design -- thank goodness! :-)

 

Jane McIlroy

9 Years Ago

Roy - your link points to the Galleries tab on the #1 version of your AW, not the new #2 version. You probably did that on purpose to compare the black v white background, but it brings up something everyone should be aware of. Urls for the Galleries tab as well as individual galleries have changed on the new AW site, so links to them that worked before #2 was introduced will be broken now.

I found that out the hard way and had to change a lot of links on my prsonal site. It might be worth checking, if anybody was linking to their individual galleries before the change.

I prefer a cream or off-white background myself, not quite so stark as black or white. Just a personal choice!

 

Martin Davey

9 Years Ago

Are you sure about that? I have found that using old links works perfectly well and takes you to #2 galleries and #2 individual pages.

 

J REIFSNYDER

9 Years Ago

Readable type on a background is a matter of contrast - if you have a black background and the type pops too much so it's hard to read you have to make the text slightly darker or less color , some people make the type too dark, and it becomes hard to read, also size of the type and font make a difference too, - you have to play around with it . Black type on a white background can be just as hard to read, as a white background can be glaring

I don't like the black theme having a white search page, I agree Mike , it's jarring as there is so much white , but I do prefer the white background for the ordering page so Roy having a combo of the black and white seems to work for me. At first I wanted all black for all pages like we had on AW before but I have changed my mind and like the white ordering page

 

Barbara Moignard

9 Years Ago

I started with a white background, then black. Now I have added a pattern. I have no idea if it will stay.

 

Jane McIlroy

9 Years Ago

Martin - Am I sure? Yes and no...

This link: http://jmcimages.artistwebsites.com/galleries.html goes to the #1 version, but has to be changed to http://jmcimages.artistwebsites.com/index.html?tab=galleries to get the #2 version. The link http://jmcimages.artistwebsites.com/ also goes to the #2 version galleries tab, if that tab has been set up as the default.

Regarding the individual galleries, I can't replicate the problem now, so I suspect Sean might have fixed it. The link: http://jmcimages.artistwebsites.com/art/all/ireland/all now points, as it should, straight to my Ireland gallery. However, a couple of days ago it pointed to a search page with 'ireland' as the search parameter, and returned no results. I had to change it to http://jmcimages.artistwebsites.com/art/all/all/all/ireland to get to the right page.

I don't think I'm the only one to have noticed this - Marlene mentioned something similar on one of the other threads.

The #2 version is still very, very new and I expect there'll be a few little wrinkles for a while. Maybe it would have been better to wait a day or two before adopting the new version, but like a lot of people, I was excited and just had to jump in at the deep end!

PS: Sorry Roy, shouldn't be hijacking your thread like this.

 

Jai Johnson

9 Years Ago

I have chosen a light gray background for mine: http://jai-johnson.artistwebsites.com/index.html

For me, I find light text on black is very hard on my eyes these days. I just spent $1,000 on eye issues this summer which have occurred as a result of my extreme computer usage, so I want my site to be easy to read and easy on the eyes for others, as this was no fun!

 

Greg Jackson

9 Years Ago

I went with a dark background, but it's not 100% black. It's more of a mottled, marble-look. Not too hard on the eyes (imo).

http://greg-jackson.artistwebsites.com/index.html

 

Mike Savad

9 Years Ago

ideally it would be cool if there was a full screen mode, and then see it on a black background removing distractions


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

 

Mary Bedy

9 Years Ago

I like the black background. There's not that much text to read (although I need to revamp my bio - it's too short). The colors of the images to me pop better. However I'm waffling a bit because I have a lot of black and white work, and I don't think it looks as good on the black background. Looks more "washed out". That said, I don't get that many views on the black and white stuff.

What to do, what to do....I'll play with it this weekend and see if I can make up my mind, but I've always liked looking at peoples galleries with a black background as long as their text font is large enough. Small type is almost impossible to read on a black background....

 

David Bridburg

9 Years Ago

Jai,

Your presentations always impress me greatly.

http://bridburg.com/

My redirect only fails on these message boards.

Dave

 

This discussion is closed.