SECTION 1: Strategy Before Design
IN THIS LESSON
Most artists jump straight to design: what should it look like, how many pages, which template. But design decisions made without a strategy behind them are just guesses.
Before you touch anything visual, you need to know what you actually want your website to do — for your career, right now. That's what this lesson is for.
What will be covered
Why vague goals produce vague websites
How to define 2–3 specific, actionable goals your website can actually serve
How to think about your website as an engine to move you forward, not just an archive
Strategy before design
Here's the thing about goals like "I want a professional website" or "I want an online portfolio": they're not wrong, they're just not useful. They don't tell you what pages to build, what to put front and center, or what you want a visitor to actually do when they land on your site.
The question to ask instead: what do I want people to do when they get there?
Not in a vague way — in a specific way. Not "see my work" but "contact me about a collaboration." Not "know I'm an artist" but "buy this new print series." The more specific your goal, the more intentional every decision you make on your website can be.
Think of your website as an engine, not an archive. It shouldn't just document where you've been — it should help push you toward where you're going.
Your action step
Complete the Website Strategy Worksheet before moving on to Lesson 3.
This is the most important thing you'll do in this course. Everything that comes after — pages, structure, content — builds on what you figure out here.
The worksheet will walk you through:
2 specific, actionable career goals your website can support
Who the audience is for each goal
What you want that audience to actually do on your site
→ Open the Website Strategy Worksheet
(Go to File → Make a Copy so you can type in your answers)
Don't overthink it. Two solid goals are enough to get started. You can always add more later.
Up next
In Lesson 3, we'll use what you wrote in your worksheet to figure out exactly what pages your website needs — and just as importantly, what it doesn't.
→ Lesson 3: Website tips