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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

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.

Working: 1. First thing you see on the home page are large sized images of artist's (best/favorite?) work. This shows a lot of detail in his environment layout designs. 2. Work is organized into separate categories in menu bar, easy access to what viewers want to see, 3. Design layout of site is simple and clean. Has a catchy site name. Not Working: 1. Some works included seem to be in the first stages, underdeveloped. 2. Site includes links to the artist's friend's portfolios. 3. Some story board images too small to see. Should upload a larger image.

breathing art

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.

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

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.

Pros: 1 Simple clean layout with easy straight forward navigation. Layout does a good job at allowing the images to stand alone/ be the focus. 2 Horizontal animation gives nice flair to site and images! Cons: 1 Too little description and not statement of intentions of philosophy.

likes layout simple, clean, and white the site is set up like a grid the site feels like a gallery. dislikes there isn't a home button visually i would want my header, ex. lead pencil to line up with the below images including text (left aline). it seems unbalanced  i can assume the list below are all artist apart of the gallery but there is not a title letting me know for sure.

likes simple layout easy to navigate all images are on the home page header explains it all dislikes busy under links his images pop up again. not a clear point to this action there is not a footer

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. 

Works: 1. Clean and simple layout, few tabs. 2. Design is dark color allowing images to pop out. 3. First thing you see are thumb nails of artists works. Does not Work: 1.About does not include a resume. 2."Prints available".... confuses a little. Is this a store? 3. Text color could be white instead of another shade of grey, site is already grey/ash/black.

What I like... - Thumbnail images on the first page give me a direction where I want to look at - Each catagory like collages, set design and objects continously shows up on the top, so that it is easy to jump to each other - The composition of the pages with work images ( Some simple text on the left side with a number and a picture in a bit enough size) What need to be improved... - It is not easy to move to a specific work image - Not feeling that consistent in the layout of different pages - A somewhat too small text size

Pros: 1.Good layout of work. 2.Simple/clear navigation. 3.Slideshow's work clean. Cons: 1.About page layout needs to be adjusted. The image of the artist is awkwardly large. 2.A label on his work would be helpful. 3. Establish a more concrete 'look', almost seems happenstance.

+shows a lot of personality +great layout +book pages give a real "portfolio" feel -It's not easily read whether or not "page" will turn, user can easily miss it. i would add a clue -I don't like WIX logo all over site, not professional

Likes- Large format images on main page with slide show. Pop down bars when you scroll over menu items. Once again, simple layout. Dislikes: The slide show runs a little too fast for my liking. Text could be better as well. Different san serif font and uppercase.

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.

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.