Your website header and footer are universal elements that will appear on every page of your site.

The website header contains your website name, logo, and main navigation bar.
Your website footer typically contains contact info, quick links to important pages, and any other information you may want viewers to see at a glance.

This article covers the following:

Designing the site header
Designing the site footer
Tips & Suggestions
FAQ

Designing your header

Your header is an essential part of what makes your site both appealing and effective. Here are a few tips to consider:

Choose very short, clear names for each page so people can easily find what they need.
Limit the number of links in the menu to 5 to 7 primary navigation items. Too many options make it harder for visitors to focus on what’s important.

Navigate to the Header & Footer section, and click Edit Header Settings to get started:

Logo & Menu alignment

Choose whether to align your logo and menu either horizontally (left to right), or vertically (top to bottom).

If you have not already uploaded a logo, go to Settings to upload a logo file.

Style Settings

The font in your header will be taken from Body text you define in Settings > Body. In this section you can select from a range of other header display and behavior options.

Sticky Menu	This sets the visibility of your header menu: Always - The header will always be visible at the top of the screen, even when users scroll down the page. On Scroll Up - The menu will be visible at the top of the page, and when users scroll up from other areas of the page. Never - The menu only appears at the top of the page.
Header Height	This should typically be between 60–120 pixels high to balance visibility and content space, ensuring clear branding, intuitive navigation, and consistent responsiveness across devices.
Active Menu Style	Choose how a selected menu will appear, such as the example of Underline below:
Logo size	This should generally be 100–250 pixels wide and 30–100 pixels high, maintaining clarity, proportional balance within the header, and scalability for different screen sizes.
Make header transparent	This is useful if you have a full-screen image at the top of your home page, and want the menu to appear overtop of that image, as below:

Call-to-action button

This encourages visitors to take meaningful actions, such as viewing available artworks, exploring exhibitions, joining a mailing list, booking a viewing, or contacting the gallery or artist directly.

Designing your footer

Designing your footer is a more manual process than creating the header. This gives you a lot of freedom to design the footer as you wish. Some sites use very simple footers, while others contain details of the business, page links, social media links, and more. See the following examples from the website templates:

To start designing the footer, go to Header and Footer > Design Footer.

If you're starting with a template, the footer space will already have placeholder content set up, and you can simply modify this to suit your needs. Or, you can delete that setup and create your own.

Here are some examples of elements that you can include in your footer:

Contact information (email, phone, address)
Opening hours
Social media links (Instagram, Facebook, Artsy, etc.)
Newsletter signup form
Logo or wordmark
Navigation links (Home, About, Artists, Exhibitions, Shop, Contact)
Privacy policy or terms of use
Credits (e.g., website by [designer name])
Memberships or affiliations (e.g., Art Dealers Association logos)
Accessibility statement
Language or region selector (if relevant)

Tips & Suggestions

Header

Make your header sticky - If your site has long, content-heavy pages, this makes navigation easier while scrolling.
Use typography that reflects your brand – Elegant serif for fine art, modern sans-serif for contemporary work.
Ensure strong contrast – Text and icons should remain readable over background images or colors.
Keep it minimal – Let the artwork stand out; use clean lines and limited text.
Use a simple navigation bar – Include only key links like Home, Artworks, Exhibitions, About, Contact.

Footer

Match the footer’s tone to your brand – For instance, an artist’s site may feel personal and intimate, while a gallery might feel structured and refined.
Consider background color – A soft neutral or muted tone that doesn’t distract from artwork imagery.
Offer a newsletter signup – Encourage engagement without overwhelming the visitor.
Include contact details and opening hours – Especially important for galleries with physical spaces.
Use subtle visual hierarchy – Divide sections with lines or spacing, not heavy borders.

FAQ

Can I have a different header or footer on specific pages (e.g., a landing page) instead of the universal one?

Header and footers, by default, are a global element, meaning they are consistent across the entire site. It is not possible to have page specific headers and footers.

Are there any performance implications (page-load speed) of having a sticky header, large logo file, or complex footer with many widgets?

The builder is designed to be scalable to the needs of our users. You should not run into any slow downs or memory issues when building out your header and footer.

Does the platform support multi-language headers/footers, where the menu and links in the header/footer change per user-language or region?

The platform does not currently support multi-language options.

Are there any limitations on third-party integrations or plugins/widgets in the footer (for example embedding a map, Instagram feed, or social media live feed)

Let us know what element you'd like to add to the site, and we will always consider it for possible future implementation.

Which website platforms can I integrate with Art Galleria?

Setting up branding themes

Setting up QR codes

Introducing Art Galleria Websites

Art Galleria Websites: Creating your own page layouts

Art Galleria Websites: Setting up your Header and Footer