Red Steppes Music Website

The goal for this web design was pure minimalism. Going against the grain when it comes to the often busy style of musician websites, I came up with a pared back gridded site so Nika’s achingly beautiful songs and lyrics had true space to sing.

Another reason was to provide a gallery style sparseness to showcase Nika’s equally beautiful sweeping 35mm landscape photography. I set these images to appear on hover of the menu items and to display as full screen between page transitions.

Nika had requested illustrations in a engraver's style to sit as unusual 'button' icons. As the style she was looking for was too detailed to be used as icons we decided to turn them into this gridded almost book style. I employed Aaron Hill to create the custom drawn illustrations. HIs flawless work further sets the mood and enhances the site’s humanist minimalism. These illustrations were taken from the elements, that Nika listed as recurring inspirations when she is writing her songs.

These illustrations are detailed but, being one colour and in a book illustration style, they sit in as timeless elements enhancing the overall spareness I was trying to achieve. I feel they are at once a feature and a backdrop.

I wanted the viewer to land on the homepage and have Nika’s song play as they explore the site unrushed by quick scrolls or moving images.