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Question: How do I choose an online portfolio layout? What do different layouts express about the designer? This website shows a number of Wordpress themes, and outlines the type of design work they are made for and the kind of feeling they present. Even if you didn't want to use Wordpress, I thought it would be useful to have examples of portfolios with different intentions. There are key words in the layout descriptions, like "elegant" or "artsy" that might tie in with the reading, which doesn't really say what these might look like. A few characteristics stood out to me. "Elegant" portfolio theme tended to have a simple, clean layout with understated backgrounds in neutral colors. The work showed well, but was often uninteresting because there was little wow factor. "Artsy" portfolio themes tended to be more colorful or include a decorative graphic elements, but the work was sometimes overwhelmed by the backgrounds. Work-focused themes tended to have dark backgrounds with a dimensionality to them, which makes the work almost "hung" in space. Text seemed a little awkward in these theme however, since they also "hung" above the background (perhaps if the image and text were in the same window above the background?). Photography had a layout reminding me of a magazine article, exciting and narrative, but more confusing if the information is complex. Some general comments while looking at sites: Some of the architectural portfolios tended toward neutral colors and crisp fonts, however, they often left little impression of who the designer IS, and what their approach is. Some of the graphic design portfolios were highly graphic and visually bold, but were a little "loud" and in the interest of being trendy or current, again left me wondering who the designer IS.

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

Likes: Good range of work showcased on the main page with the ability to choose between a variety of projects. Quality work, slightly unconventional layout. Dislikes: The black background on the text doesn't look good. Having all the images for each project load at once could be slow on some computers, although it is nice to be able to scroll through them all at once. It could be more designed. The background is rather generic.

Pros Simple layout and things work well Enjoy the different backgrounds displayed on different links Like the simple title of PUSH Cons Don't know what they are trying to portray or what they are about A little too simple need more info and links Need to talk more about projects that have been done http://www.benarent.co.uk/portfolio Pros Like that it gives a description of the person Very in depth and many pictures of previous work Like the sketchbook idea Cons Simple Design, not very complex Would like if sketchbook flipped pages when you clicked on it Don't enjoy the same font throughout the entire website. http://www.josheyre.com/ Pros Like the scrolling images on the front page of the website Like that the contact brings you to google maps and also includes resume Same top page works well and it doesn't feel confusing to me. Cons Don't enjoy the bland background on every page Small links don't work well with design Home on top right blends in with the design of orange. http://amby.com/kimeldorf/sampler/ Pros Very simple and easy to navigate Glad that everything is in order of steps to take. Cons Too many PDFS that take you to separate windows Last updated in 1998 so very old fashioned Don't know what he does or what he's trying to tell us about himself http://design.ocell.net/ Pros Very simple and elegant Like the white and grey background and Title and text is very different and creative. Cons Too little work displayed Not very many links to click Don't know what he is trying to portray within the website

+ Interactive animation are fun and create immediate interest + Bright colors against grey background create visual interest + Logo and name as part of the title create an impression of professionalism - First page is simple and intuitive, however, after this it become cluttered and complicated to navigate - Images are too small due to the confined area - Loading time, although short, is unwelcome - Music playing is low quality and repetitive and can be an annoyance, especially if the person is listening to music on their computer at the moment.

Pros: 1. Visually intriguing background that doesn't distract. 2. Clear navigation. 3. Concise information, not overbearing but still gets it's point across. Cons: 1. Slow to switch pages. 2. The slideshow is distracting/confusing ,and only 3 images. 3. Font and background similar colors.

Likes: White background highlights work. Main page features a rolling slideshow of work, which is intriguing when you first enter the site. Pop up bars indicate the name of the project, but before these appear you get a chance to see the image by itself. A loading bar appears at the bottom indicating when the next image will appear. Dislikes: Not many. It could be a little easier to choose between projects, and the pixel dimension could warrant being larger with the size of monitors these days.

Likes: Compelling main page, text works well with colors. Easy navigation between galleries. Simple bar at bottom. Dislikes: The images are a little small once you enter the portfolio, and there are too many pages to go through to get there. Grey background distracts from images (should be black or white)

Likes: Elegant Layout, easy to understand. No pages to worry about flipping through, everything is there. The black background works well with the content of the images, and the text. You can tell it was done by a designer. Dislikes: Scrolling down is a little old fashioned, and could lead some people to overlook what's on the bottom of the page. Format wouldn't work so well with separate projects.

pros: well made, good use of flash(?), background element adds interest Cons: animation too fast, featured work seems too focused on one type,

3 likes: Personality from the get-go, you get a sense of who he is right away The background coordinates well with the project images, without overwhelming them or looking too matchy When you click to see a specific project, the project images hover over the background, and there are arrows to scroll through the project 3 dislikes: The project images can scroll all the projects, so its a little confusing which project you are on, especially if you "mis-click" like I am prone to doing There is a lot of text, all of which has "personality", which gets a little overkill The contact info is limited to email, with a lot "No's" as to types of contact (is he a rock star? why so cagey?)

three good things: scrolling images shows epicness diverse (event promotion, construction, blog and store) organic website theme three bad things: maybe almost too much information on the main page some really small images the website content only takes up 50% of page space (too much background)

Pros: 1- The projects are expressed in a clean and direct way- no flash to divert attention. 2- The photographic grey background works well with each project color palette and offers continuity to the site. 3-Easy to navigate. Cons: 1-The main page image changes and some images obscure the wording for selecting categories. 2- The project descriptions are inserted with white background and jump off the page. 3- I feel like there might be a more emotive font that is more in line with each project's feel.

What works for this is that immediately you can see that he is a creative thinker. There is a deliberate effort at communicating this with his background image. His work is strong. But the greyscale design of his site with an abundance of curvy lines makes italic typography (his font face) difficult to read. And there is no navigation system, no organization or hierarchy of information. So if he showed his portfolio to a potential client who wanted a design poster done, they might not get far enough down his portfolio before getting bored. One-page portfolios are cool but he needs nav-links and an organization of content.

Likes: -The way "Lyndon Wade," and the images come out when entering the website. -The layout that is so simple, such as five images on dark gray background. -The font "Lyndon Wade" _When you go to the portfolio page, you will be able to see thumbnails at first. Dislikes: -When you enter the website, pop-up will come up. -Your internet browser will expand when you try to go to the website. -The scheme, orange and black, is little bit strange to me.

likes: -very animated -visually consistant -very organized and easy to navigate -nice color scheme -personal touch dislikes: -problematic with slower computers -pop ups can be annoying -buffering speeds vary - possibly too much going on -splash page is unavoidable

Likes: -the way those images fade in/ out -the contrast between the characters(light gray) and the background(white) -two languages are available; ENG and JP -you will see his latest product through flash player, entering the website. Dislike: -another window will be brought when you try to get in the website, which is annoying. -the most important contact information, email addresses have liter color. -strange music

Likes: -the strongest contrast: black and white background -nice fonts that is easy to catch those words up on the website -he puts pages, archives, categories, and meta, other than menu -the idea of putting a search engine in order to enable viewers to search their interesting thing. Dislikes: -the layout is little bit too simple, could be more dynamic. -it seems that he can use empty space more efficiently.

Likes: 1. Pages showing art use the artwork as their background, which is attractive 2. Description of art is clear and out in the open--not hard to find, and readable 3. There are two thumbnail options to click on: to view the full piece of art, and to view a zoomed-in photo (nice to be able to see detail) Dislikes: 1. Trajan font is overused, and the rest of the fonts don't work very well together... 2. The links in the "artists" section don't lead anywhere... 3. Navigation between artwork pages is confusing--doesn't give much direction.

Likes: 1. when you first enter the site, ROBERT KENT appears and two panels of one photo appear like doors, inviting you into the site 2. clean set up, white background adds to the lightness of his photography 3.in Portfolio, a whole side panel of thumbnails of photos appears, making it easier to pick and choose between photos 4. clients list--> allows viewer to see what kinds of companies these photos are used for 5. link to his organization, "compassionate eye foundation" Dislikes: 1. sometimes the website will completely turn into a black blank page if you leave it alone for too long 2. portfolio is pretty limited; only 4 different subjects of photos, pretty specific 3. side panel is at the bottom of the page, I would rather have it on the side or top of the page for convenience