messaging | offerings-design | B2B | DTC | tech startup | culture tech | blockchain | museums & education

Laying a Smart Foundation in Early Stages Quickly Pays Off

Challenge:

Two highly regarded art collectors set out to address a fundamental issue with the traditional art world: a handful of people and institutions control access to the world's art. Their solution centered on a blockchain-powered platform aimed at democratizing access to artworks and the ideas they provoke. A digitized collection comprising the hundreds of thousands of artworks currently trapped in private collections would be securely shared and discussed amongst vetted community members. Part museum, part crowd-sourced art collection, part social media platform, part firebrand, Collecteurs needed messaging that explained their immense idea in a way that would attract early, good-fit adopters.

Approach:

During Collecteurs' stealth mode, I was engaged to begin designing messaging that explained their ethos, the platform's capabilities, and community expectations. Famously old school, with interlocking commerce and social infrastructures, the art world traffics heavily in institutional power and generational wealth. Collecteurs' radical approach needed to be expressed extraordinarily boldly, high-kicking over an industry whose authority is rarely questioned. After preliminary independent discovery and defining the relevant types of art collectors, the founders' own analysis of the industry and their vision for it was distilled into core themes.

Deliverables: messaging, website copy, membership tier design.

Results:

With its v.1 website and messaging in place, Collecteurs quickly built a fanbase amongst its core audiences and secured a coveted spot in the New Museum Incubator.

This strong start has allowed Collecteurs to quickly and exponentially expand its activities and reach. Along with continuing advancements in its platform, Collecteurs produces digital exhibitions, provides courses and 1:1 mentorship, created an artists-first arts marketplace, and is a trusted industry resource to one million+ social media and editorial content followers. It is now regarded as one of the most visionary forces in the art world and has appeared on the front page of the New York Times International Edition.

Client Feedback:

"Tasha provided key guidance at a mission-critical moment. She delivered valuable insight from Day One."

EVRIM ORALKAN, CO-FOUNDER