You don't have to be an expert to find original artwork thanks to Vango for iOS
Visiting an art gallery can be an enjoyable experience. It can also be very intimidating, especially if you plan on buying something.
How much does the item cost? Can I negotiate a better price? Will the piece look good in my home?
Vango first burst onto the App Store scene earlier this year. The universal app takes the guesswork and frustration out of buying and selling original art. In other words, it’s like having a full featured gallery in your pocket, only it’s better.
With Vango, you can buy, sell, and recommend artwork in an environment that is unconventional, yet accessible. On a budget? Search by price. Need something original for your remodeled man cave? Find art by room type. Looking for a piece that matches your mood? Check out the thematic “Art by Mood” collections.
Just starting out as an artist? Welcome to Vango, newbie.
Buying artwork is probably one of the last things you’d expect to do on your iOS device, and the team at Vango know this. Luckily, they also know how most folks do use their mobile devices. In doing so, they’ve created an app that looks incredibly familiar since it features design elements found long perfected and tried on other apps.
This includes what they describe as an “Instagram-esque” newsfeed and iOS 8 interactive notifications, which let you know when your favorite artists upload new work, while also letting you share and favorite right from the notification. The app also highlights what’s “Trending” and “New” using bright badge identifiers.
Lets move beyond the actual app. If you’re still reading, you probably want to know how good is the art?
I’ll never be accused of being an art expert, but most of us aren’t. For many, a nice piece of art is a framed poster featuring work by Georgia O’Keeffe (the one that liked to paint lilies), or Andy Warhol (who obsessed over Campbell’s soup cans and Marilyn Monroe).
What I do know about art is that it is subjective. One person’s masterpiece is another person’s, shall we say, piece of garbage. With Vango, you don’t have to be an art expert to enjoy finding art that you will enjoy. And because you’re not stepping foot into an actual art gallery, the experience isn’t disconcerting or intimidating.
To find art in Vango, you can use a traditional approach by searching by keyword, genre, or medium, such as acrylic, enamel, and the like. You can also filter by price and size to narrow your results. My advice, however, is to skip the app’s search tool and instead use Vango’s discovery channels.
These include: Tastemaker Collections, groupings of art selected by Vango’s network of influencers; Art by Mood, emotion and atmosphere-based collections; Art by Room, suggested collections of works fit for a certain type of space and design aesthetic; and Art by Location, which uses current location to connects buyers to local artists.
For example, I’m looking for some artwork for my daughter’s bedroom. For this, I’ll search under “Children’s Room.” Inside, I can scroll through numerous pieces ranging in price from $100 to $250. I can also favorite a piece and post my Like on Facebook.
I found a really nice piece by artist Kirsten Rae Simonsen called “Stay Sweet.” By clicking on an image of the piece, I can learn about its genre, medium, size, and price, and also view a description.
Better still, and this is a big one, I can see how the piece will look on my daughter’s bedroom wall by rotating my device to the horizontal position.
Once you find a piece to buy, add it to your cart. The price quoted includes free shipping and returns within seven days. The service is currently available only in the United States.
For a novice art collector, Vango has a lot to offer. The selection of art is diverse and extensive; the tools provided to find the perfect piece are second to none.
Others obviously agree.
Since the company’s May 2014 launch, 46 percent of customers have returned to buy new pieces. As Dan Teree, Chairman of Artspan, concludes “Vango has found the way to introduce brand new people to the art market and make it easy for them to own original works. This helps artists continue to do what they love, and in the long run, the greater art community benefits as well.”
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