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12/11/2006: "My Art Portal Concept..." by Asbjorn Lonvig
An Art portal is a portal for one specific user,
a country, a city, a municipality, a museum, a company etc.
It shows and it has links to those art works that might be relevant to that specific user.
The Art Portal logo is the arch of Septimus Severus in Forum Romanum, Rome.
Why Art Portals?
The short and simple answer is to serve my customers better and to seve customers that are not familiar with computers, with internet etc.
I'll show you an Art Portal.
I am building the Aarhus City Art Portal right now.
Aarhus City is the second largest city in Denmark.
Aarhus City has 225.000 inhabitants.
So, this user portal intends to serve 225.000 users.
The first thing to do is to create motifs that describe Aarhus City.
I went to Aarhus and found buildings and landmarks of Aarhus, that I could use.
The new museum, the city hall tower, the queen's summer residence, the Theater, a house in the Old Town, the cathedral and finally the old cathedral office in St. Clemen's Courtyard.
Today I finished these motifs:
I load large files of all the images to print on demand contracting parties in Salt Lake City, Seattle, and San Francisco Bay Area. The images are approved at once in Salt Lake City and Seattle. In San Francisco the images might wait for approval.
First of all I use a Art Portal logo.
The logo is of course a portal. In a matter of fact it is a very specific portal. It is the Arch of Septimus Severus, which was erected in the Roman Forum in A.D. 203 by the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus.You can't study Roman history without visiting the Roman Forum once.
You can't visit the Roman Forum without passing through the Arch of Septimus Severus.
In this logo a BETA will shown in the big arch. That is because the 40 different Art Portals, that have been launched so far are being tested.
The Aarhus City Portal is marked with a BETA, too.
See the Aarhus City Art Portal.
The motifs are presented. Here 7 motifs. You might see an enlargement by clicking on an image.
Then there are 3 sections. 1, 2 and 3.
1. The art user must have some free titbit. So I give him the possibility to download three Word documents of each motif. Word documents that can be printed on the user's own printer.
I have to be aware of different formats in European and American standards. The European standard is A format and the American standard it is Letter format. The Aarhus City Art Portal probably will only be used by Europeans - therefore the A format is offered.
2. Here I guide the user to order print at print on demand contracting parties. One in Salt Lake City, one in Seattle and one in San Francisco Bay area.
By guiding to 3 print on demand contracting parties the users are offered a variety of sizes, prices, qualities and surfaces.
At the same time I keep track of what happens in this market.
The prices are kept low - the user only pays the base print price and internet costs. The user can order prints in sizes from 3.5 x 5” to 40 x 60” on paper and canvas – and some other funny surfaces like T-shirts, mugs, tote bags etc. etc. The print contracting party handles ordering and payment. The printing of course and the prints are sent directly to the user.
If the user wants to see some of the my other 750 images for print there is a link to the main pages in Salt Lake City, Seattle, and San Francisco Bay Area.
3. If the user wants something special. A painting. Limited edition prints. Signed prints. A huge print on canvas larger than 40 x 60" - no problem, he just has to contact me.
A brochure is available to each Art Portal.
The brochure is of course used for initial presentation of the portal.
You can download the brochure Aarhus City Art Portal from the portal.
Thoughts.
Now what is the most important to succeed with these Art Portals.
Is it to do excellent motifs? No!
Is it to simplify the Art Portal? No!
Is it to make an extremely eye catching brochure? No!
It is to communicate the Art Portal Concept to people that are not familiar with computers, with internet etc.
I can not do it myself.
I know too much.
Or!!!!
You might as well say I know much too little.
But.
Journalists know how to present this kind of stuff to their readers.
This week Ny Hedensted Portal and Ny Vejle Art Portal will have press coverage.
Tomorrow I'll translate the Aarhus City Art Portal into Danish and find a jounalist at the Aarhus newspaper Aarhus Stiftstidende.
