Website Design & Development for an International Association

MediaCombo designed and maintained the IFPDA websites beginning in 2009 for nine years.

We designed and built an online viewing room where site visitors could explore and compare 4,400 prints from every dealer through several filters, to help them find artworks that matched their aesthetic and fit their budget. In 2015 we undertook a series of focus groups with young collectors, and with IFPDA member art dealers, to learn what site improvements would best serve their respective needs.

We wanted to develop an informative and enjoyable experience of exploring art for the curious public, scholars and other experts. We also planned to build a CMS that would assist member dealers in presenting their prints in an elegant, informative manner. We designed and launched three new websites for the International Fine Print Dealers Association in 2017: ifpda.org, printfair.com and ifpdafoundation.org.

We created a Viewing Room There was no place on the old site where visitors could browse all the artworks dealers were offering. Now visitors can filter over 4,400 artworks by artist, price range, art period, and print medium. They can sort works by “most recently added,” or “new editions,” and search for artists alphabetically.

Expand member dealer profiles The new Association website  gives the 157 members more flexibility and space to introduce themselves and encourages relationships with print enthusiasts.

We facilitated introductions to members We added a new Conversations section, presenting short informative video interviews with dealers, as well as artists.

Support sales without becoming an e-commerce hub Many dealers already sell through online auction sites and don’t need another online sales outlet. Instead the site is designed to develop trust and encourage relationship building between member dealers and potential print buyers.

We enlarged the Press Section The new Press section allows staff to monitor press requests, control access to images, and build better press relationships.

We provided a custom CMS and managed every aspect of the process of creating all new sites, from organizing user focus groups to designing the user experience, to interface design and custom CMS development.

To facilitate these introductions, the Conversations section of the site presents several short informative video interviews with dealers, as well as artists. The site also includes a greatly enhanced Press section, which facilitates immediate and future press coverage.

We managed every aspect of the process of creating both new sites, from organizing user focus groups to designing the user experience, to interface design and custom CMS development.

The Outcome

For the first time, site visitors could sort, filter and search through more than $15,000,000 worth of fine art prints from one screen and contact dealers directly.