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I have been very impressed with youtube architecture portfolios from students. I like the way their work is presented as a small 2 minute film. Its fast, its visual and its a great way of introducing your work, designs and projects to this type of profession. What I like about this portfolio: 1. I love the first image you see: "How I do architecture" its a great "pow" and intro to what comes next (your work) 2. I like it when he shows a project in almost a scrapbook kind of way. You see one large picture of the overall project, then you see smaller pictures of different views of the same project. This is how I thought I might show my architecture projects with a plan, perspectives and a small collection of materials. 3. The ending of his portfolio is very surprising, I like it! It is a final quote from F. Wright about architecture and its connection to the heart. 4. I like his second page set up: a sketch of a seating area he designed. It looks very professional. 5. It is great how he shows sketches/black and white pictures and then it turns into a colored rendering of the sketch. What a great way to show design and drawing skills then to bring that sketch to life with color or turning it into a 3D model. Its fascinating to watch the development of the project. What could be changed with this portfolio: 1. I think this is a great way to introduce yourself and get viewers excited about what you can do, but this video is lacking a Homepage, contact and resume (at the least). I would be using this as an interactive tool (a small slide show) to introduce the viewers to my portfolio. (it will serve as an invitation of who I am to the profession) 2. Its too long. 3. Its not consistent and smooth. Its a bit choppy and shows too many different ways and styles, it feels like a little too much distraction of movements, when it should all be about the work. 4. It feels like an archive, a collection of all he has done. There is no direction or reasoning behind his selection

My burning question is how do I make my online architectural portfolio stand out from other portfolios? I found a blog at www.thinkvitamin.com by author Mike Kus that had some great ideas. One of his ideas was to keep it simple and not be afraid of having blank space. I think this is really good input because having a clean and unfettered layout is attractive to potential employers. How the items are arranged on the site and where the blank areas are can also showcase design layout skills. Another one of his ideas is to have a good set palette of colors. Having a specific palette that is consistent throughout the portfolio helps to give the site a coherent sense of identity and character. Also, the color palettes in the example portfolios he gives compliment and contrast with each other very effectively. I plan on doing further research on effective and attention grabbing color combinations as this seems important. Other important aspects that he can make a portfolio stand out if done effectively are imagery and typography, bucking current web trends, and attention to detail. His examples of portfolios are not all architectural but their merits are definitely applicable and are worth taking a look at.

Likes- Zach's layout is really easy to understand. Simple Main Menu on top of the page lets you look at his Architectural work, blog, and contact info. Select one Menu item and a menu bar on the side allows you to pick which project you want to see. He uses navigation devices in 3 different spots on this page, but does it in a way that is really easy to understand. I would say intuitive. Dislikes- The only problem with the page is that I have to scroll down to see all the information. I didn't realize this at first and later found there were written descriptions at the bottom of the page. I also had to scroll down a bit to see all of the image that was being displayed. That gets old after a while, and I think I can take no more of this website. Sorry Josh. You came really close, but I'm giving you a B+. With a little work this site could be much easier to read.

At first glance this portfolio seems to be impressive. I think Josh is good at first impressions, but maybe tends to lose people after they start talking with him. He has a layout that is simple to read, but after you hit an icon it takes you through a labyrinth of pages and outside links. I scrolled down one page for about 2 minutes reading about his project, just to realize I was stuck scrolling all the way back to the top. One project was just an NYT article about a project he worked on at a firm, but not sure do to lack of information. Likes- This portfolio clearly shows the vast amount of experience Josh has. It includes his architecture school work, professional practice work, graphic design work, and a link to his blog. It seems that Josh is all over the place, and wants everyone to know, but maybe he could do better if he concentrated more on a few things instead of drowning us in his all star achievements. I'm going to give Josh a B-, with plenty of room for improvement.

Like:-Overall Layout is clear and concise/simple-Navigation bar remains constant at all levels-Contact information is very clear-Load Sequence of projects is very interesting, and looks great when done-Large thumbnail images -Simple project description on each page; not too distracting and a good balance of images and text Don't Like/Needs Improvement-Page is too simple when you first open it; looks like there is information missing-Projects load too slowly-When you first load a project, it defaults to a blank box, rather than automatically loading the first image -Could be helpful to have a thumbnail image associated with each project to give a quick glimpse/overview -Overall, the site could be a little larger; only fills a small portion of my screen.

What I like... - Branches that come out from bigger titles - Easy to jump into the other work images and to come back - Clear organization of works with proper details What need to be improved... - PDF file rinks on the left and top make me confused and give less impact on the main manu on the bottom - Taking a little time to show related images - Since worked by Flash, web address doesn't change when I move around on the web site

I like the opening page with music. I normally would not say this, but I like the music and the images go along to the change in notes. The work isn't really good, but its a nice try on polishing a dud. I like the layout. Its clear and the gray on black makes the images stand out better. There seems to be too many images that really don't help display this persons work. Some of the images don't seem to have any relevance to the project being shown. Why show random pictures of urban decay? I enjoy the contrast between the former built and the nature that will eventually engulf it, but it distracts from the idea of designing and building anew.  I like the the layout of the individual projects. Main image above with thumbnails along the bottom, followed by a brief description. Too many downloads. In order to see any display boards, one has to down load the files. I think there should be a hierarchy of fonts. All of the font seems to bleed into its self.

According to my best-case scenario dream, I looked high and low for a tag on Google for "fun architecture firm" or fun portfolio." They exist, but not advertised as such over the internet. Ideally, I would ask, "How do you create a fun portfolio to land a fun job?" Now I figure this is either inherent or not in the way you display yourself, so I decided to form another question: "What qualities of a person are employers most looking for behind their portfolio?" According to one site, it comes down to four qualities: 1. enthusiasm (do you want to learn?) 2. skepticism (do you think critically?) 3. eloquence (can you speak and write well? 4. attitude (will you get along with others?) 'Talent' is not a prerequisite for being able to learn, adapt, and grow. A future employer wants to know you will fit with their goals and perhaps style, yet more importantly be able to mold to their already-established way of doing things. They want to know you've got the stuff to make good things for them in the future under their company. Displaying these qualities - enthusiasm, skepticism, eloquence, and attitude - is a promise that you be able to produce great work beyond what you already have in an intelligent way.

+ The main bar appears to stay the same while the content changes, allowing for intuitive and easy navigation + Minimalistic design makes it clean, simple, yet interesting + All of the project links are on a single page and readily visible - Thumbnails for the projects are somewhat small, difficult to see what each project is - Strategy to navigate within projects adds a level of difficulty, arrows to switch between projects and multiple blocks to navigate within a project not very intuitive - Extra space could have been used to include more and larger content

Pros-Simple and easy to navigate. - Well organized images. Work organized into projects from a main portfolio page with a slideshow for each project.-Logo on every screen reminding the view who's portfolio they are looking at. Cons -Very Simple, the home page isn't very attention grabbing. -There are some blank spots on the project selection page which looks unprofessional. -All of the text appears to be pixilated. 

What I like... - A simple composition - Thumbnail pictures that show up when I move a mouse cursor on the first picture - Work images that are automatically open on a new window page rather than on tha continously same page - A use of a couple of colors with white text (Not too many colors.. but an accent color on main title things - Enough spacing on a consistent way between contents What need to be improved... - Maybe, a little too small text? ... Personally, I really like this web design and do not see any other things to be improved...

Pros-Really Cool way of looking at images.-Nice and clear images. -Looks to be easily adaptable. Can add or change photos easily. Cons-Not very clear navigation.- While the image browser is very cool it is a little hectic and seems like it might be somewhat disorienting at times. - poor and unclear organization.

Pros:-Work, online portfolio and download able resume are all visible from the home page. -Site organized in an understandable fashion with a bar along the left and top of links and resources framing images of his work.-Nice and clearly working slide show.Cons:-Home page appears to be very cluttered with a lot of text - Downloadable portfolio and resume are both password protected, Not sure if this is a good or bad thing.- image size differs too much throughout the portfolio and the quality of some of the images leaves something to be desired.

Likes- I like the icons at the side of each page, and the menu bar is a great if you want to return to a project. Dislikes- It looks like she designed this portfolio on a 27 inch Imac. When loading pages I had to scroll side to side to see all the information, and that is clearly a waste of my time. Next please. Her projects look very interesting and compelling, but not enough information is provided in the graphics, or titles. I am assuming she likes to be a bit mysterious. One major problem with her page is her image location. Its locked, and she has at least 10 menu icons per page. That means I have to scroll down to see all her icons and then scroll back up to see the image. Another fantastic waste of my time. I think if she solved just a few issues she would have an amazing portfolio, but due to the lack of thought put into the website design I wonder about her other design abilities. Sorry Kristin. C- on this one.

Likes- This is a really great portfolio, even though his sketches of people look like Sasquatch. The menu bar and navigation are two of my favorite pieces to this site. The menu bar is to the left and always open. Creative, and simple icons exist for each project and when you place the cursor over the icons a short written explanation pops up. The menu bar is also very well organized, with all the important sections existing right there. Once you click on a project there is a series of image icons to click on, and a written explanation at the bottom of each image. Dislikes- The only part I didn't like was the resume portion. When I clicked on the icon it took me to a download screen. I don't want to download the resume yet, I want to see it first. Under his contact icon the resume exists, so he just made up for that one mistake. Nice work Josh. You might get a call back. A

Likes- This page layout is simple and the main menu has all the information an employer is looking for, from studio projects to resume and contact info. Dislikes- (and there are many) The navigation is not easy to understand once you get past the main menu. After selecting the studio option I could see the photo icons at the bottom, though small and not titled, but it took me quite some time to notice the tiny light gray arrows in the upper corner. The main images do little to evoke thought, and are too small to really see any detail. It is almost as if she doesn't want you to see her projects? Also, there is no narrative present in the portfolio and no words to express her intentions. It shows me that she put as much thought into her website as she obviously put into her projects. Very little. I think that Vanessa gets a D on this one.

Like: -Very Easy Navigation -Layout of page stays the same no matter what level you are on, so it is very easy to return to a previous screen/project -It is all about the images! Brief descriptions are available for each project, but can be hidden/displayed at viewers discretion -Clear organization (broken down into studio work, thesis work and employment; all of which can be navigated to at any time from any screen. -Appears as though new projects could easily be added without altering the overall layout -Resume is displayed on site, but can also be downloaded  Don't Like/Needs Improvement -Thumbnail images at bottom of page for navigation to projects are too little; could be a little larger to give a better preview of the project -Don't know what the project is until you select it; a brief title could be helpful -Overall, the site is too small; filled less than 1/4 of my screen and images were a little hard to read -When you reach the end of a series of images, it quickly rewinds to the begining; would prefer it to be a loop. -The solid color across the screen when you load a new project is distracting; it might just be the color, but a smaller bar might be better -It is nice that the project title displays when you first select it; but then it goes away until you show the project details.  Perhaps having a constant title bar at the bottom displaying the project title would be helpful

I like that the page is clean and readable. The simple layout make navigation easy, however many of the pages have far too much information on them. I enjoy reading as much as the next person, but for a design portfolio, I feel that the images should convey the ideas more than words. I like that the contact information is readily available and isn't too distracting at the bace of most of the pages.  The pages move way too fast. One can control where they go but the pages fly by kinda erratically. I like the personal touch, however don't understand why people put their picture in their portfolio. I appreciate her looking professional, however care more about her designs. I don't care for the sounds. I like the fact that it comes in automatically disabled, but then what is the point? If I didn't scroll to the bottom and look at the very light and very tiny font, than I would have never known it existed. 

Like: -Slideshow of projects playing in background -Clean, Simple and clear layout/organization -Color of Logo background changes as you switch pages, to indicate which layer you are on -Navigation bars remain constant on all levels -Option to view projects as a slideshow or in list view Dislikes/ Needs Improvment: -Only one image per project -Cannot tell what the project you are looking at is until you select list view; only know what category it is in -No indication in slideshow of when projects have changed -In list view, it seems like you shoud be able to click on a project to see more info/images, but you cant -Layout-wise, would have preferred list of projects to be on the right side

Redundant two-intro-page sequence The aesthetics of the website are great. I like the two-tone menu buttons (grey/orange) Once looking at a project, you can't sequence back to look at another. You have to start over and click through the various tabs/subtabs. By this time you don't remember which you were last looking at.

After waiting for the loading bar, I'd rather see the main table of contents rather than having to click another button. The contents layout is great, it could use Patrick's name at the top though. I find it annoying to have to click on the title of the open gallery to close it before being able to open another title tab. I'd rather just be able to switch directly.