Context
Blake Maguire Art is my entrepreneurial venture that began as a creative outlet and grew into a strategic small business. What started with making work during COVID-19 quickly expanded into questions of positioning, audience, and scale - how creative decisions translate across platforms, and how a brand evolves.
I manage every aspect of the brand, from visual identity and storytelling to marketing, operations, and growth. This project has allowed me to test ideas, respond to consumer behavior, and always iterate intentionally.
Scroll through some of my most recent works below.
My Role
As the founder, I own the brand end-to-end. My experience spans brand strategy, digital design, marketing, operations, and more. This includes shaping the visual and narrative system, building and maintaining the company website, and refining how my brand shows up across touchpoints.
Because Blake Maguire Art operates in the real world - with real constraints and outcomes - it has pushed me to think holistically about decision-making and long-term growth in the context of my business.
Approach
I knew I wanted my brand to go beyond a static portfolio...so I approached it as a living system that needed structure, consistency, and room to evolve.
-
Established a clear visual and narrative direction
-
Observed social media engagement to inform positioning and product decisions
-
Organized repeatable systems to support growth across digital and operational touchpoints
This approach allowed Blake Maguire Art to grow over 6 years without losing its identity.
Digital Experience: Website Design & Build
The website functions as the central hub for Blake Maguire Art. I designed and built the site independently, treating it as a user experience rather than a simple gallery. UX principles guided decisions around navigation and flow, ensuring site visitors could easily understand my brand, explore different types of work, and move through the site intuitively.
Key considerations included:
-
Subtle differentiation between commissions, original works, and charitable projects
-
Simple website structure that facilitates user exploration
-
Responsive layouts optimized for desktop and mobile experiences
Rather than overloading the site with content, I focused on easy navigation and flow - allowing the work to speak for itself to drive sales.
Mobile and desktop views of the Blake Maguire Art website are shown below. Or, see for yourself at blakemaguireart.com.
Blake Maguire Art logo inspired by artist's signature.
Key Decisions
Several intentional decisions shaped the growth of the brand:
-
Organized the work into three clear categories - commissions, original works, and charitable projects - to clarify offerings, set expectations, and support different strategic goals.
-
Adopted a time-based, cost-plus pricing model for commissions, grounded in hourly labor and base material costs. This created consistency and transparency for clients.
-
Applied UX principles to the website, treating layout and navigation as strategic decisions that guide visitors from awareness to purchase.
-
Built systems designed to scale, from pricing logic to content organization, allowing the brand to grow with time.
Outcomes & Impact
Blake Maguire Art has led to measurable growth across sales, digital engagement, and community impact.
$3,900+
in sales from original pieces and commissions
6
years creating and selling artwork
$1,100+
raised for charitable organizations through artwork
596
social followers grown across platform (@blakemaguireart)
36
original works created since founding the brand
3+
charities supported
Reflection
This project has been a consistent lesson in iteration. From pricing to positioning to digital experience, each decision has reinforced the importance of refining over time. Building the brand in real conditions has strengthened my ability to balance entrepreneurial drive with strategic thinking.