What makes a good web site for an art museum? Having looked through quite a few recently, my answer is a site that grabs a visitor’s attention, encourages them to look around as if they were in the physical museum, inspires learning and makes you want to come back for more.
There are literally thousands of Art Museum web sites to look at, so why did I choose the following ten? As a designer, I have to admit that how the site looked was a major consideration. Some sites just grab you with their choice of artwork and color schemes. Their presentations of current exhibitions that make you want to go and visit and, of course, the usability of the site were important factors. Each of these web sites was easy to use, and easy to find information on.
Many of the sites listed below also had great online learning sections, where you can find out about pieces in their collection and learn more about current exhibitions. Some are certainly embracing new media and offer podcasts and widgets to download. Several of the web sites had museum guides that you can download before you visit.
This post took a long time to put together because I spent a lot of time on each site, really enjoying the art and the extra features some of these sites have. I hope you find them interesting too.
Tate Museum: British and International Contemporary Art
Guggenheim International
National Portrait Gallery, Canberra Australia
MoMA: Museum of Modern Art, New York
The Smithsonian Museum site, is absolutely vast and has many different sections within Art and Design. One section that I thought was particularly nice was the “Arago” postage stamp collection, which includes a history of U.S. stamp design.
Joan Miro Foundation, Spain
Munch Museet, Norway
Have you come across any art museum web sites have impressed you with their design and content?
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