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In this article, I'll be analyzing the navigation elements of a particular category of websites, i.e. portfolios. Why portfolios, you ask? Because they represent an interesting blend of creativity and development techniques. As they offer an intriguing user interface and interaction, this often borderlines with what is ultimately defined as an enjoyable user experience. Should aesthetics, originality and creativity come at the expense of usability? Can they reside on the same website in harmony?

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

likes clean layout simple design elements that direct the eye color palette is minimal dislikes the large chunky logo at the header, it makes the weight of the page heavy at the top. mouse scrolls over ships world wide it appears as if i can click on it but it doesn't go anywhere. they could remove it as a button.

I selected this portfolio more for the content than the creative design. Visually, the site lacks innovation in the layout, however, it allows the creativity is expressed through the work. I don't know if it was just my computer, the it seems like the site was designed to fit on screen so there would only be lateral scrolling (a change up from the typical vertical scrolling). Not having it universally formatted makes it a little tricky to have the same affect on every viewing platform. What I thought made this page really interesting, was incorporating a blog to her online portfolio. Her main portfolio is really clean & professional. Her blog adds another element to where it allows "fans" to follow her and really feel like they can get to know her. I stumbled upon her page through a friend who goes to her site to look through her blog more so than her work which I found interesting. It just made me really wonder what possibilities online portfolios have, because to some extent, I feel as though she will be getting opportunities because of her blogs & personality.

Likes: 1. The "box" theme correlates with the name of the org. and is a nice visual showcasing element for photos. 2. Icons at the top of the page take you down to the specific client section you clicked on, since it's a very long page to scroll 3. "Back to top" option is helpful, since the page is very long. Dislikes: 1. The descriptions of each client/project take a while to load (at top of page), so it's hard to understand what's going on until you've scrolled down and realized the top is an index, by which time the descriptions have loaded..... 2. There is no way to see larger images--only the thumbnails that appear in the box theme. 3. I think there needs to be more information (like an About section) about the company, as well as more information about the clients/projects being shown.

The homepage has thumbnails that link to various portfolio subjects. I want to be able to access the other portfolio subjects by choosing from the thumbnail bar again, but you have to "go back to portfolio," and then click from a text contents list instead of the thumbnails. The projects are displayed as downloaded .pdfs that open in the same window, you have to use the browser back button. Each screen has too little hierarchy between elements competing for attention.

I like -that he provides background info about the photographs on each image -that there are thumbnails for you to click on so you choose what to view -there are no distracting elements from the work I don't like -there are tabs both on the top and bottom of the page -that the first page is advertising work, I wish it was an about/home page to give an overview first because there's so much work on the site -that I have to scroll down a bit each time to view the whole image

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.