Gradient

Sarah Barth

Gradient is a website created for young and upcoming creatives, that provides them with a platform to share their work and monetise their craft through NFTs and/or donations. The goal of Gradient is to offer an alternative space to platforms such as Instagram, whose design and business model tend to often do more harm than good for those trying to have their work seen, and grow professionally. My site was designed based on research by academics such as Jaron Lanier and Diana Zulli who speak about the harmful effects of Instagram’s User Interface (mechanisms like the ‘endless scroll’ and ‘explore’ page) and the Algorithm, and how they contribute to the Attention Economy, and the mental health decline of many of Instagram’s users.

By focusing on these issues through the lens of a creative on the app, I have attempted to create a platform that serves as a much healthier, ‘safe-space’ and community that inspires collective support for one-another, rather than the sense of competition and comparison that is often created on Instagram. Similarly, through in-person events, and a chat feature for creatives to connect with each other, Gradient hopes to promote togetherness, and a community that cares for its users. Gradient offers ‘resources’, that address common grievances that creatives may be facing such as avoiding burnout, and making money through freelance, a ‘blog’ which contains submissions and articles by other creatives, sharing their stories and celebrating the successes of others, and an ‘artist profile’ where creatives can showcase, and monetise their work, and where potential employers/collaborators can ‘connect’ with them if they wish.

Aesthetically, Gradient references the early 2000s and a time where the internet was generally a much more pure space that wasn’t as highly controlled by algorithms and targeted advertising. I make reference to this in a designated page, but also wanted to recreate the aesthetic of that time through the images on the site, which put a strong emphasis on early Y2K technology and fashion. As my target audience is also generally ‘GenZ’, my hope was to create a sense of happy nostalgia that would entice them to join the site.

[Video of Gradient website]