ÄMU Gallery

A gallery that also needed to sell.

ÄMU shows work the way a gallery should: slowly, with space around every piece. They also sell curated objects and limited editions, and needed one site that could do both without either side feeling bolted on.

They came with clear references: Théorème Éditions, Jacques Marie Mage and Maxime Flatry. These were meant as a feel to work towards, not designs to copy. That meant editorial, image-led and quiet.

Work started on 6 February. Launch was set for 1 May.

Most Shopify themes are built to sell, not to show.

Stock themes push badges, banners and dense product grids. Put a gallery's work in one and it starts to look like a catalogue. The site had to feel like walking into the space, while still taking payment for a limited piece in a few taps.

Product pages had a different problem. Art doesn't sell on long descriptions. The images had to do the work, and the text had to be short, precise and easy to scan.

The last constraint was the team. A small gallery adds and retires work all the time, so they needed to update the site themselves, without calling a developer for each new show.

• 01 An editorial homepage An image-led layout with generous white space, built as editable sections so the gallery can change features and exhibitions without us.
• 02 Shop and collections that read like a catalogue Clean grids and restrained typography, with collections set up for objects, editions and exhibitions.
• 03 Product pages with minimal text Large imagery up front, with short essential details beneath: artist, materials, dimensions, edition.
• 04 Artist pages Each artist has a profile with their works linked, so visitors can browse by maker as well as by piece.
• 05 About and Gallery pages The story of the space, its curatorial point of view and its artists, told in the same editorial voice as the shop.
• 06 Price on request where it matters Selected pieces show an enquiry option instead of a price, so higher-value works are handled the way a gallery would handle them in person.
• 07 Mobile first, from the first layout Every page was designed for the phone first, then scaled up, so the editorial feel holds on any screen.
• 08 Store setup and handover Payments, shipping and the CMS configured, followed by a walkthrough so the team runs the site day to day on their own.