The new Arts Council England website is designed to be entertaining and easy to use, whether visitors want to experience art online, discover what’s going on in the arts in their area or find out whether they’re eligible for funding.

The new design follows several months of research and consultation with artists, arts professionals and the public, as well as a number of the Arts Council’s funded organisations, to find out what they wanted most from the site.

Mary Wright, Executive Director, Communications, Arts Council England said:

“Our aim was to develop a website that reflects our role as not just a funding body, but also a developer, promoter and investor in the arts. The site showcases the work of our regularly funded organisations, alongside digital artists such as Thompson and Craighead, whose Several Interruptions was created especially for the launch.”

“This will significantly improve our digital presence and supports our mission to bring great art to everyone.”

The site was developed in partnership with digital creative agency Preloaded, who brought their award-winning creative design and innovative approach to the brand, together with a fully integrated content management system, brand guidelines and website components.

Paul Canty, Managing Director of Preloaded said: "It’s been a great for us to have the opportunity to create a digital space for Arts Council England that supports the arts community nationally. We’ve invested a lot of thinking in developing new ways to support their ambitions to be digitally focussed both now and in the long term.”

New features on the website include:

- A pioneering interactive map and smart search engine – to help users search everything from arts listings to funded organisations or regional offices, by entering their location or postcode

- Profiles of Arts Council funded organisations and their work, which will feature streamed audio and video content

- Access to the Arts Council Collection, including an online guide to recent acquisitions

- A unique ‘Eligibility wizard’, enabling potential Grants for the arts applicants to find out whether they are eligible for funding

visit the new site