Price £9 per month for the basic tools or £16 if you'd also like e-commerce functionality
Company Wix
Website www.wix.com
Features Drag and drop interface, gallery blocks, and e-commerce tools
Wix Studio is a versatile online platform that empowers creative professionals to build websites and showcase their work to the public. As a comprehensive website builder, Wix offers a wide range of features and tools that cater to the specific needs of artists, designers, photographers, and other creative individuals.
One of the key advantages of Wix is its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy for even non-technical users to create professional-looking websites. With its drag-and-drop functionality, you can easily add and customise elements such as text, images, videos, and buttons. This flexibility allows you to create a website that perfectly reflects who you are.
In addition to the website builder's user-friendly interface, Wix also offers a vast library of templates that can be customised to suit your specific needs. These templates provide a solid foundation for your website, saving you time and effort. However, while the templates are a great starting point, they may not be as adaptable as some users would like.
A host of creative tools
Wix Studio, at heart, provides a drag-and-drop interface workflow but as time has passed, they’ve gradually introduced an increasing ability to customise designs with fine control. This includes the ability to change text and graphics while enabling creatives to create a unique online presence. As is the case with lots of website builders, it can be hard to really set your identity apart from everyone else.
The interface is generally intuitive, although if you’re new to website design, you might need to push through a pretty steep learning curve. That being said, most tools are visually represented so once you get your head around where everything is located, you’ll probably find yourself quickly able to create what you want.
At the heart of any good website builder are the layouts. Wix provides grid systems, masonry layouts, and custom arrangements, all of which dynamically adapt to work across all types of devices. While the layout tools are generally intuitive, I found myself becoming a little frustrated with the lack of flexibility and customisation. If you need absolute control over your design, then Wix is not for you.
With your layout and design in place, Wix then offers elements, including buttons and sliders to draw specific focus to specific areas of the page. The interactive elements are super easy to use, but they do lack advanced features, which would enable creatives to really put their own stamp on the design.
A comprehensive solution for web design
SmugMug is great at creating online galleries, whereas Wix offers a more wide-ranging solution for users not satisfied with a simple online gallery.
One of the ways this is made possible is with the social media integration tools. These aim to simplify the sharing process so there isn’t a noticeable disconnect between your website and your social media channels. If you’ve worked hard at creating a great presence on social media, then you can quickly integrate that into your newly created website.
Another way of sharing your work is through the blog tools. While it's not as feature-rich as dedicated blogging platforms like WordPress, it offers a good balance of functionality and ease of use.
For creatives who want to take things a step further, Wix offers a collection of third-party apps.
Making money from your creative work
Wix Studio is great for creatives who want to showcase their work. It’s also good for those creatives who want to go a step further and start making money from their work. By providing the necessary e-commerce tools, it is in this area that sites like Wix and Squarespace start to come into their own.
The e-commerce features in Wix are robust and comprehensive enough to allow for selling prints as well as digital downloads. It’s pretty straightforward to create a professional-looking online store without too much fuss at all.
The downside of all this is that Wix does take payment processing fees, which really eat into your profit margin. They’re not the most expensive around but they’re also not the cheapest. You’ll have to weigh up the advantage of having someone like Wix handle it all for you versus setting up an alternative solution yourself.
A super accessible platform
Wix Studio is perfectly suited to all types of creative professionals. Its features make it one of the best options for a range of creative professionals. Whether you're a photographer, illustrator, or designer, Wix offers the tools to build a website that effectively showcases your work. You might also like to explore other options, including Squarespace or Weebly but you won’t go far wrong if you decide to stick with Wix.
