Art direction: the point of view that sets you apart from your competitors.
Two companies in the same field, the same page structure, two opposite impressions. What creates that gap is art direction: the visual point of view running through every page. It's the difference between a decent site and a site that looks like somebody.
What happens when a site has no point of view
Your site is clean, and it says nothing about you
The colors are tasteful, the copy is current, nothing's technically wrong. But when a prospect leaves the page, they don't retain any image of you. They remember a firm, not yours. A site with no point of view passes quality control and misses the one thing that actually matters: being recognizable.
People mix you up with your competitors
Open three sites in your industry side by side. Same blue, same handshake photo, same big banner. Yours is in there somewhere. A prospect comparing three interchangeable providers decides on the only thing left: price. You lose deals you would have won on the way you work.
Your materials don't look like they belong together
The site came from one provider, the brochure from another, the conference slides from you, on a Sunday evening. Each piece holds up on its own. Put side by side, they tell the story of three different companies. And your client sees all three. What's missing isn't another logo: it's a point of view held everywhere.
You sign off on mockups without knowing what you're judging
You're shown a mockup, you find it 'nice', you say yes. Six months later the site bothers you and you can't say why. The problem isn't your taste: no one explained the point of view to you. Art direction gets put into words before it gets drawn, and it's approved on words as much as on an image.
Art direction answers one question: what should your company look like, and why that and not something else?
The deliverables of your art direction
The first four set the point of view. The last one applies it to your home page, so you see it on a real page before you sign off.
Visual world
Your brand's point of view, written down in black and white and then shown: what we're trying to make your visitor feel, and the visual choices that get there.
Photo treatment and mood
How your images are framed, retouched and paired: light, tones, textures. Your photos stop living each on their own.
Illustration or pattern style
The graphic vocabulary that accompanies your copy: line, shape, texture, grain. What fills your pages when a photo has no business being there.
Rhythm and hierarchy
What hits first, what comes next, what waits. We set the scale contrasts and the breathing room so the eye follows the order you want.
UI concept applied to your home page
The direction applied to a real page, with your own content. You judge it on your home page, not on a mood board.
An example you already have in front of you
This site holds one art direction from end to end: the grain, the thin architect's-blueprint line, orange kept as the single accent, the corner marks on every block. Nothing here is decorative by accident. That's the work we do for you, with your world in place of ours.
From framing to an approved direction
- 01
Framing
We start from your business, your clients and what you want people to remember about you. We also note what you definitely don't want.
- 02
Point of view
We put the direction into words before drawing it: the effect we're aiming for, and the reasons behind these choices rather than others.
- 03
Visual direction
We apply the point of view to your home page. You see the result on a real page, with your own content.
- 04
Sign-off
We rework it until you give a clear yes. As long as the yes is lukewarm, we don't move on.
They wanted a site that looks like them
Reviews translated from the original French.
A huge thank you to Matthis for the redesign of the DALINA CONSEIL website. Beyond the expertise, what struck me was how he listened, how invested he was, and how deeply he understood my world and my ambitions. A true professional, driven and involved. I recommend him without reservation.
Cynthia Gando
Founder, Dalina Conseil
I had the luck of handing Matthis the full redesign of my website, and I can only recommend him. What I valued most was the way he works: he listens, he anticipates, he brings ideas, and he stays focused on what the project is really for. Thank you Matthis for your professionalism and your judgement.
Olivier Prismup
Founder, Prismup
A big thank you to Matthis for building my site. He understood what I wanted and showed patience, attentiveness and clarity with my requests. I highly recommend him, a great collaboration! Thanks again Matthis!
Amandine Contini
Founder
Excellent professional. Skilled, quick to answer, a real listener, friendly, and good at explaining. A result that lived up to what I expected, all of it in record time and always with a smile. Thank you Matthis!
Maximilien Petitgenet
Speaker
Our latest projects
Logo, visual identity, brand style guide, art direction: what's the difference?
These four words often get used for one another. They don't mean the same thing, and knowing which one you're after changes what you ask for.
| The term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Logo | The mark. What people recognize at a glance. |
| Visual identity | The complete system around the logo. Colors, typefaces, iconography, layout. |
| Brand style guide | The document that locks in these rules, so everything stays consistent over time and across every material. |
| Art direction | The point of view that gives the whole thing its character. |
More of what we do
Custom website design
A complete multi-page site, in the image of your company.
Landing page design
One page carries your whole argument and turns a visitor into a client.
Framer website
Framer leaves you running your own site from the day it goes live.
Brand style guide
The document that settles your palette, your typefaces and the rules for using your logo.
Logo and visual identity
The mark, its variants, the favicon and your source files.
Art direction
The visual stance that gives the whole thing its character.
Rebranding
An audit of the image you have today: what stays, what changes, and in what order.
Your questions about art direction
Logo, visual identity, brand style guide, art direction: what's the difference?
The logo is the mark: what people recognize at a glance. Visual identity is the complete system around the logo: colors, typefaces, iconography, layout. The brand style guide is the document that locks in these rules, so everything stays consistent over time and across every material. Art direction is the point of view that gives the whole thing its character.
How do we validate an art direction with you?
We don't ask you to judge a mood board. We apply the direction to your home page, with your own content, and show it to you. You see exactly what it looks like. We then rework it until you give a clear yes: as long as the yes is lukewarm, we don't move on to the other pages.
What if I don't like the direction you propose?
We rework it. That's expected, and it's the whole point of this step: it exists so disagreement comes up when it costs nothing, not once the site is built. You tell us what bothers you, even without knowing how to name it, and we start again from there. Nothing moves forward until the direction is approved.
I already have a logo. Is art direction still worth it?
Yes, and that's actually the most common case. A logo doesn't say how to frame your photos, what rhythm to give a page, or what should hit first. Art direction starts from your existing logo and builds everything around it. We won't ask you to change your mark to work with us.
Is art direction included when you build my site?
Yes. Every site we build starts from a custom art direction, that's what makes the difference with a template. This page exists to name precisely what that work covers, because many clients don't realize they're getting it.
What's the budget for art direction?
The amount depends on the scope: art direction alone, or bundled with building your site. We give it to you during a first conversation, once your need is framed.
Your site deserves a point of view.
Forty minutes on a call, no strings attached.
Check if we're a fitor write to us: matthis@rymav.studio