ArtLink
A startup concept that formalises hiring in the creative industry by connecting artists with the business world.
- Context
- Creative industries
- Role
- Strategy, business model
- Team
- 4
- Year
- 2025
Overview
A platform concept where companies find artists, request quotes, hire and review the work, with contracts and paperwork built in.
The mission
Help artists make a sustainable living from their work, with the business skills, legal security and clients to do it.
My role
Strategy development and UI design, from research and value proposition to business model, storytelling and pitch design.
Process
-
01
Research
Value proposition canvases for artists and for companies.
Both sides lack a formal way to work together.
-
02
Market
Blue Ocean frameworks and a value curve against Upwork and Fiverr.
Room for a creative-only platform, free for artists.
-
03
Offer
Value proposition, platform features for both sides and business model.
One place to find, hire and review artists.
-
04
MVP
Sign-up and hiring flows as wireframes, with hypotheses for each side.
A test plan with 10 artists and 10 companies.
The problem
Artists and companies want to work together, but neither knows how the other’s world works. So hiring is slow and risky for both.
Artists
- Jobs · what they need to get done
- Build a trusted reputation and the business skills to sell their work.
- Pains · what gets in the way
- Their work is treated as a hobby, with little legal protection.
- Gains · what they want
- Fair pay and secure contracts from companies that value their work.
Companies
- Jobs · what they need to get done
- Find, hire and manage an artist who fits the brief.
- Pains · what gets in the way
- Few artists have the documents needed to hire them, and deadlines slip.
- Gains · what they want
- Professional, documented artists who deliver on time.
The opportunity
Upwork and Fiverr handle contracts and payment well, but they are built for remote, digital work.
Artists pay up to 15% per job on Upwork and 20% on Fiverr. On-site work like a mural barely fits: Upwork is made for remote jobs, and Fiverr leaves in-person services at the users’ own risk. ArtLink is built for creative commissions, on-site ones included.
Hiring
Find, quote, hire, review.
Companies browse artists by category, compare full portfolios and send quote requests, then hire and review in the same place.
Paperwork
Contracts handled.
Every profile carries the documents companies need, and every job runs on a contract with secure payment.
Profiles
Work, history and prices.
Artists show their portfolio, past experience and price range, and set the hours they can work.
Business model
Revenue comes from commissions on hires and fees for premium networking services.
Key partners
- Companies with professional creative needs
- Artists building a creative career
- Brands, for better deals on supplies
- API companies
Key activities
- Recommendations for finding and hiring artists
- Legal security for artists
- Data on trends and needs
Key resources
- The platform
- The artists
- Client needs data
- Skilled team
Value proposition
- Legal security for artists
- Efficient networking
- A trusted community of artists and employers
- One place for hiring
Relationships
- Trustworthy, professional environment
- A safe space for creative work
Channels
- Social media
- Website
- Word of mouth
Customer segments
- Artists and freelancers
- Professionals without formal qualifications
- People entering the creative industries
- Large corporations
- Business owners
Cost structure
- Web development and maintenance
- Marketing for brand recognition, awareness and trust
- Employee salaries
- Contractors
Revenue streams
- Commissions
- Fees for premium networking services
