SANTO GALLERY
Founding An Art Brand For Today's Culture
Launching The Brand
Growing up with a fine art background, I was always passionate about art and interior design. Fast forward many years later, and I had just moved into a new house and wanted to buy a few art pieces. After spending weeks browsing online, I couldn’t find an online gallery with a curation that spoke to me and that made collecting art a smooth, enjoyable process. I saw a white space in the market, and had the perfect idea for how to fill it.
I wanted to create a global art brand to connect a new generation of collectors with original art that resonated with them. By pairing my love for art with my eCommerce and consumer brand experience, I had a clear vision for how to bring the idea to life.
I partnered with photographer Daniel Malikyar to launch Santo, an art gallery for this generation, where we could create and curate original artwork that spoke to our mission.
Curating For The Contemporary Collector
We partnered with a roster of talented artists and curated a diverse catalog exclusively available at Santo. One of the most unique facets of the brand are our ‘Santo Originals’: pieces owned by the gallery that we create and produce entirely in house.
Designing a headless website for dynamic brand storytelling
I wanted to go beyond the traditional “online gallery” by creating a digital flagship that told the stories behind our artwork in an engaging way. I designed and built a new, headless website with a Shopify backend, allowing for a huge amount of customization on both our collection pages and product pages. We said no to long chunks of copy, and put our efforts into creating dynamic content that would connect with site visitors.
Automating International Fulfillment
After securing partnerships with premier fulfillment partners in each region of the world, I used my full stack product management background to create an automated international fulfillment system. As soon as an order is placed, it’s instantly routed to the collector’s closest fulfillment center and dispatched in a matter of days.
To generate buzz around the brand and our catalog, I developed a sustainable 360 marketing strategy centered around product storytelling. I spearheaded all digital marketing channels including paid media, socials, email, press, and web.
Designing Elevated Brand Collateral
I designed brand collateral that gave customers the personalized luxury touchpoint that I felt everyone deserved when collecting art, whether it's their first piece or their fiftieth.
Building A Community
We took pride in providing our community with a white glove customer experience. After just over two years, Santo has received 99% five star reviews from collectors around the world.
As the brand grew, I wanted to do something more disruptive... so we decided to explore brand partnerships with cultural tastemakers to bring new communities into the art space through original fine art photography series.
Santo x Magnus Walker
Our first collaboration was with acclaimed fashion designer and one of the world’s most prolific Porsche collectors, Magnus Walker. The collection celebrated his unconventionality and featured eight of his most iconic Porsche 911s. It resonated quickly, attracting collectors and organic media attention from around the world.
Our next collaboration was with the automotive legacy brand, Mercedes-Benz.
Santo x Mercedes-Benz
In 1954, Mercedes-Benz created the sports car of the century: the 300 SL Gullwing. With only 1,400 ever made, it’s nearly impossible to see one on the road today. This official collaboration celebrated the spirit of the brand and featured three rare 300 SL classics on the perfect coastal drive.
With a strong community in over 25 countries, I’m so proud of how far Santo has come in only two years. Launching the brand was a crash course on how every aspect contributes to its success, from technology to design to supply chain.