ArtSmart - Discover Your New Favorite Art (and Artist)

Concept:

A discovery tool allowing collectors (and fans) to explore artwork and learn more about the artist behind the work.

Functionality (Artist):

Artists will have the chance to tell their story (unlike most other platforms). It will, however, be on the artist to take advantage of the features to grow their fanbase.

An artist will have the opportunity to create a profile which includes not only their name and short bio, but space to provide an in depth look at their background, influences, vision etc. It will act as a space to tell their story as an artist. In addition, a “updates” section will be available which artists can use help fans join their journey and talk about upcoming projects and exciting news. (Could even let fans subscribe to updates for either email or in-app notifications).

Artists will of course be able to curate art form their portfolio as well. In order to ensure that the discovery value prop is met, artists will be limited to a maximum number of works to present. This forces intentional curation on the artist’s behalf. Each artwork will also have an expanded set of prompts to again allow the artist to tell the story and context of the piece. The tags associated with the artwork will be critical. These will be used on the discovery side so detailed tags will be more discoverable. Tags will include: medium, style, AI assisted/generated, format (image/gif/video), among other options.

Artists will have a dashboard to show them their number of profile views, profile saves, individual artwork views, artwork saves etc. This will allow artists to monitor which works gather more attention and optimize their profile accordingly.

Functionality (Collectors/Fans):

Collectors will have the opportunity to create a profile as well (a verified profile will be required to contact an artist), however, this is less of a priority.

Collectors will be provided with a robust discovery UI allowing them to filter by any of the tags build into the system. Collectors can also set saved filters including a default which will serve as their main feed each time they log in.

Each artwork will direct collectors to the artist and if they are so inclined, they can direct message the artist. Similar to Bumble, only collectors can instigate conversation with artists. This is NOT to put collectors in a position of power, however, early on in the app, it will be important to ensure they are not over-shilled.

Collectors can also save artist profiles and individual artworks as well to review later.

Ideally, if a collector wishes to purchase a piece, they can from the app. Alternatively, the ability to share to other platforms (Twitter/Instagram) will be built directly into the artwork panel.

Value (Artist):

The platform allows artists to display their work and tell their story in a way that is incomplete in most other platforms. This context allows artists to rise above the noise and allow their work and brand to stand out. For popular artists, this has been solved, but for the majority of up and coming artists, the most difficult hurdle for them to overcome is garnering attention. This platform gives them the tools to do so. At the end of the day, the value comes in a larger and more dedicated fanbase, ability to forge real relationships with collectors and ultimately sales.

Value (Collectors/Fans):

Quite simply, discoverability. A clean, simple, engaging space to find new work and new artists. Though it is possible to discover new art/artists on existing platforms and social sites, it is still very tedious. It is hard enough finding a piece of art a collector might resonate with but then trying to find out the story behind the art and artist is all but impossible. The platform gives true collectors and fans a magic wand.

Beyond collection, a clean UI with the magic wand of discovery makes for a beautiful, curated, art-filled feed. If a fan is not in the market to buy, they will still be drawn to the platform to scroll, view art and interact with artists.

Engagement (Artists):

For artists, the stickiness comes in the collector engagement. The conversations that occur in app and the ability to view progress on curated pieces. Once an artist realizes the results of their intentional branding they will move to frequent use of the updates section, further strengthening their brand, story and relationship with collectors.

Engagement (Collectors):

For collectors, the platform beings as a wonderful break from the Twitter timeline. A place to calmly view a very curated set of artwork. However, this quickly turns into a rabbit hole as they begin to discover art and artists that they never knew existed. As we all know, the timeline only feeds us what it wants to so “new” is rarely seen. Once collectors discover the oasis of new talent, it will be their go-to for art discovery and collection. When done tactfully, it creates a calm, intentional place for them to immerse themselves in art. The further they engage, the stronger the signal thus validating their involvement in the art space.

Bonus - Onchain Interaction:

Encourage artists to mint via Transient and in addition, offer a “Request to Mint” option with each of the pieces. This adds another layer of interaction that is not widely available.

Future Enhancements:

The platform lends itself perfectly to all kinds of future enhancement that continue to simplify the discovery process while maintaining the level of interactions. This includes:

• AI recommendation engine

• Integration of artist peer groups

• Innovative mint options

• Seamless integration into Transient Labs

• Fun ways to share to other social sites with the intent of bringing others back to the platform

Summary:

Artists need a better way to tell their story and rise above the noise of the Twitter feed. Collectors need a delightful discovery experience that allows them to simply and effectively explore the art and artists. ArtSmart strips away all of the noise and allows the relationships to form.