ArtAffinity
A social marketplace where art discovery feels like a gallery visit
The Problem
Independent artists have no platform that's both social and gallery-like
Existing art marketplaces feel transactional. Social platforms feel chaotic. ArtAffinity sits in between — a feed-first platform where art buyers discover work organically, and artists can build a presence that feels like their own gallery, not just a shop.
Architecture
How it's built
Full-stack CRUD application with distinct user roles: artists and buyers. Artists get profile pages that function as mini-galleries. Buyers see a discovery feed with filtering by style, medium, and price range. The future concept includes 360° virtual gallery rooms per artist — an immersive browsing experience.
System Flow
Artist Profiles
Gallery-style pages
Buyer Discovery
Social feed + filters
Art Listings
CRUD operations
Virtual Gallery
360° rooms (concept)
Artist Upload → Listing Created → Buyer Feed → Profile Visit → Gallery Room
Tech Decisions
Why these choices
UI/UX-first approach
The product's value is in the browsing experience. Backend complexity was deliberately kept minimal to prioritize the frontend feel.
Feed-based discovery
Mirrors social patterns users already understand, lowering the learning curve while surfacing art naturally.
Challenges & Learnings
What was hard
- 01.
Designing a feed that serves two very different goals: discovery for buyers and self-expression for artists.
- 02.
Balancing the social feel (engagement, follows, likes) with the commerce layer (pricing, inquiries, purchases).
Screenshots / Demo
In action
Screenshot coming
Add image at /public/projects/artaffinity/screenshot.png