Vengeance App
Connecting artists with unique spaces
UX/Product Designer | In Development
Overview
Toronto's art community is brilliant, yet artists face barriers to exhibition access. The current process requires repeated applications, unexpected expenses, and fragmented communication with venues. Artists spend hours on administrative tasks instead of creating. Venues struggle to discover and manage artist partnerships. This mismatch leaves wall space empty and talent undiscovered.
As an art lover and former volunteer at Youthful Vengeance, I partnered with their team to solve this. Together, we developed the Vengeance App. A marketplace platform that lets artists build one portfolio, apply to unlimited spaces, and manage exhibitions through in-house messaging and shared calendars. The result? Artists spend less time on paperwork and more time creating. Venues find artists easily. One platform. Real connections.
The Problem
Toronto artists face a broken exhibition process. Finding affordable wall space is hard enough, but the application process multiplies the pain:
Every venue requires a fresh application with the same information
Artists rewrite their bios, re-upload portfolio images, re-describe their work
Applications often cost money, creating a barrier to entry
Communication with venues happens via email. Messages get lost, responses are delayed
Artists have no overview of approved shows, deadlines, or time slots
Hours of Administrative work instead of creating and showcasing talent.
Research & Insights
The discovery process was something I was familiar with. As a volunteer, I met with artists, volunteers, performers, and the leaders of the Non Profit who confirmed their pain points in this tedious process.
Rewriting bios, re-uploading images, and customizing each application took hours.
Artists and venues reported losing track of conversations via email.
Artists wanted to see upcoming opportunities and confirmed show dates at a glance.
Venues want to manage time slots without double-booking and endless reaching out.
The Design Process
Months before the digital journey, we needed to get the fundamentals right. The original partnership was between a single cafe and interested artists. I helped create and redefined an onboarding document in Google Docs that clarified expectations for both sides. This document in harmony with the secondary research, became a blueprint for the design process.
To get started, we decided to focus on the artists journey. This helped in the design process to get started on such an elaborate app.
The Goal
When artists log in, they see their world: portfolio builder, space directory, applications, calendar of approved shows.
When a venue owner logs in, they see their space listings, incoming applications, confirmed artists, and a time slot management.
Building the Platform
As the project scope evolved beyond one cafe, we decided to build a digital platform and grow the scale of who could participate.
I partnered with a developer who created the technical foundation and basic template. My role was strategic: translate that foundation into a system for multiple user types.
The room for creativity was endless!
The Inspiration
The warm reds from the non-profit's branding set the emotional tone, grounding the app in mission.
But what truly drove the design was the dashboard I wanted to implement for artists and hosts. It would display: profile views, applications, upcoming dates, and available local spaces.
User research revealed something important: artists want to feel seen. By making their progress visible through statistics and metrics, the dashboard became a motivational force.
The Result
Art Spaces
Browse and discover unique venues for exhibitions, pop-ups, and events. The core place connecting artists with spaces and exhibits.
Artist Dashboard
Central hub for artists to manage their profile, view stats, track upcoming events and engagement metrics.
Artist Portfolio
Online portfolio containing an artist statement, work collections, descriptions, prices, and socials.
The online portfolio makes applying to new spaces simple and more time efficient.
Artwork Collections
Group themed artwork in collections where you can create artist statements, view performance analytics, and organize your work to make applications easier.
Application Tracking
Instead of checking email or calling venues, artists log into one dashboard and know exactly where they stand. This keeps artists organized as they apply to multiple venues simultaneously.
In House Calendar
Instead of juggling multiple calendars, artists see all confirmed exhibitions, application deadlines, and community events in one view. The Calendar transforms the administrative tasks from chaotic to intentional.
Event Pages
Event spaces can create pages as “artist callouts”. This would serve as a profile with key details like contact information, websites, event types, socials, schedules, and location.
Chat Feature
Email communication between artists and venues was breaking down. I built in-house messaging so all conversations stay in one app thread, eliminating lost messages and unclear timelines.
The Components
Creating visuals is one thing, but consistency for users is key to the apps success.
I created a UI library of the important features to ensure handoff for designs goes smoothly.
Next Steps & Reflections
As I continue to develop this app, I look forward to creating the user journey for curators and event spaces. This project continues to pick my brain, and going forward the following will be added to help the artist journey :
Create a map visual for the geolocation feature
Build out a statistics page for an analytic feature
Create animations and movement in the menu tab and the login homepage
Include hover and press states that mimic a paintbrush touching paper
What I’ve learned so far is that simplicity, consistency in UI, and strong communication is key to building a successful project. Im excited to share the development of this product so stay tuned!