Turn on your private browsing
Not that you’re doing anything wrong, but with DeviantArt you never know where a seemingly innocuous search will lead you.
Now Wix has acquired DeviantArt, and it’s really unclear if this will spell mutual destruction or benefits for the new pair. Wix seems like it’s getting cooler though, so I’m pretty confused about their new addition.
Wix coming out of the woodworks
Their “disruptive world” Super Bowl ad was the most-seen campaign. Critical as I am about advertising, this one did catch my attention. Prior to that, I completely forgot Wix existed.
Lately Podcasts only preach the word of SquareSpace, so I assumed Wix wasn’t around anymore.
Now it seems like they finally got woke and are back in the game.
However, DeviantArt has always felt more like a joke to me. Something I don’t want to admit spending time on. Granted, I may have the wrong impression.
Although my many escapades into Harry Potter fan art too often ended abruptly because I accidentally stumbled onto someone’s terrifying Sonic the Hedgehog art gallery. Maybe I’m just using it wrong?
DeviantArt users cover whole spectrum
Sure, it’s a great platform for artists of all skill levels to share their work.
It’s like the Tumblr of art—great community, no filter on content, and a wide range of expertise.
There are some truly impressive artists on DeviantArt who have honed their skills. There are also seven-year-olds who recently discovered Microsoft Paint and really like Shopkins.
Walking the line of success and suck
The acquisition feels like a wannabe jock awkwardly dating a goth kid. It could be a perfect match or total disaster. Wix points out that DeviantArt will continue to operate as a standalone site, but they’re still part of Wix’s empire.
Users on Wix can access DeviantArt’s repository of work to use on their own sites. Likewise, DeviantArt users can use Wix’s web design tools for their own pages.
The future of WixArt
I’m imagining terrifically awful backgrounds on what are supposed to be professional websites. Don’t get me wrong—I enjoy perusing on DeviantArt. I’m just having a hard time taking the acquisition seriously. Neither company has been in my sphere lately, but at least they’re off to a good start.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Wix is valued at $2.86 B, and the acquisition is expected to increase their revenue by $8 B.” quote=”Wix is valued at $2.86 billion, and this new deal is expected to increase their revenue by $8 billion.”]
Look forward to even more handcrafted website ranging from mediocre to impressive riddled with mediocre to impressive art in the near future.
#WixArt
