Raymond Chow
Raymond Chow, born in Vancouver in 1941, is a man of many interests and talents. He is a collector of old pianos and vintage cars, is a prolific song writer, and participates in fundraising for twelve non-profit groups. His art has been exhibited in thirteen galleries across Canada, as well as in England and the USA. His whimsical wash drawings of the fast-disappearing old houses and buildings of Vancouver won him early recognition in the 1960s. Currently, it is Raymond’s colourful, perceptive paintings of women and children which delight collectors. Raymond has been exhibited side-by-side Picasso, Andrew Wyeth, and A.J. Casson. His corporate collectors include MacMillan Bloedel, Scott Paper, Price Waterhouse, and Ronald MacDonald House.
The Need
Raymond was in need of a website that would showcase his work, as well as promote his events. He was adamant that the website be easy for him to use, allowing him to upload new artwork or news about events as he pleased. Raymond was also in favour of allowing viewers to comment on each artwork post, in order to stimulate discussion. He wanted the website linked to his popular Facebook page, and wished to encourage the sharing of his work through Facebook in order to reach larger audiences.
The Design
Conscious of Raymond's wishes, and the fact that the website would have an older target audience, I developed a very clean and simple layout for his site. The format is similar to a blog, allowing users to search and comment on his art, as well as share the photos through their own Facebook page. Alll photos of his artwork featured on the website had been watermarked, protecting his copyright. Posting new photos of artwork was made simple for Raymond, and multiple page tabs can be added to the website, allowing him to easily post information about his latest gallery shows, projects, workshops, and other activities. In addition, I developed new business cards for Raymond that matched the visuals of the website.
