Dayle Palfreyman
An artist portfolio with a full-screen gallery
Ownership
Solo Designer & Developer
Team
Solo / small team
Key Result
95+ Lighthouse
Overview
A portfolio for installation artist Dayle Palfreyman with a full-screen gallery, simple navigation, and Sanity CMS.
The Challenge
The site needed to present artwork clearly without introducing too much interface noise, while still being manageable by the client.
Constraints
- •Visual restraint was non-negotiable: the site could not compete with artworks.
- •Client autonomy required robust CMS patterns over one-off hardcoded pages.
- •Accessibility and performance had to hold on media-heavy routes.
Decision Log
Problem
Portfolio templates encourage UI chrome over artwork presence.
Decision
Adopted full-screen, vertically snapping gallery with minimal persistent chrome.
Tradeoff
Less conventional page structure for some users.
Impact
Stronger immersion and clearer artwork-first hierarchy.
Problem
Rich motion can quickly become distracting in art contexts.
Decision
Constrained motion vocabulary to subtle spring-driven transitions.
Tradeoff
Lower novelty and fewer visual flourishes.
Impact
Consistent tone with reduced cognitive interference.
Approach
1. Full-Screen Immersive Gallery
The homepage uses a vertically snapping gallery where each artwork fills the viewport and opens into a detail view with supporting media and metadata.
2. Motion with Restraint
Motion is limited to a small set of transitions between gallery and detail views, with reduced-motion support included from the start.
3. Accessibility as Foundation
The site includes keyboard navigation, focus management, accessible artwork metadata, and screen-reader support across the gallery flow.
4. CMS-Driven Independence
Sanity handles artworks, exhibitions, writing, and site settings so the client can manage the site without code changes.
Outcome
A media-heavy portfolio that performs well, stays usable, and is fully managed by the client through Sanity.
95+
Lighthouse
100%
Client Independence
WCAG 2.1 AA
Accessibility
Auto-generated sitemaps + JSON-LD
SEO
Learnings
- →Art portfolios are mostly an exercise in restraint.
- →Motion needs to support navigation, not compete with the work on screen.
- →Accessibility decisions shape the structure of the product early, not late.
- →Automated SEO and CMS setup reduce long-term maintenance for the client.
Anti-Patterns Avoided
- ×Autoplay-heavy transitions that distract from images.
- ×CMS models that require developer intervention for routine updates.
- ×Accessibility retrofits after visual design lock-in.
Next Iterations
- →Collection-level storytelling templates for exhibition narratives.
- →Media compression pipeline tuning for even faster cold loads.
Get In Touch
If you want to talk about similar work, email me.
Contact is the simplest place to start.
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