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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.

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

Pros: Eye-catching, immediately shows multiple styles, well made. Cons: difficult to get to "about" section, portfolio is not very well designed, too much extra stuff

Pros: Loads quick, well organized, well made Cons: lacks color, confusing labels (web/email is not for contact), lack of personality

DISLIKES... - The Autoplay Music: with other running media, it became really distracting & i became more focused on looking for a way to turn it off. Could potentially make a person exit the website - More Descriptive Home: unlike other online portfolios, they usually state "portfolio" or "photography" or something, just to give an indicator as to what the website is. For his portfolio, there is no such description which would be nice to see - Details?: navigating through his site, his work is categorized, however there are not descriptions as to what the "advertising" was for. Even something as simple as "Canadian Hockey Nike Campaign" would have been nice. - About Him: It would have been nice to know a little bit about him (hometown or even the type of work he does) - No Back: Once you click somewhere, there's no real going back. LIKES... - Black & White: gave a sophistication to where I could see some sort of aesthetic in Chris' work. - The Rollover Effect: navigating through the work, there are thumbnails that you rollover and change opacity & starts to zoom out. I thought that was a really interesting effect that made me want to see more of the photo - Simplicity: his portfolio is really simple, which I find pleasing because it's easy to navigate & doesn't have clutter to distract from his photos - Music Choice: although I found the music distracting, his selection created a nice ambiance to his portfolio & created a "personality" to where I could start to get a feel as to who he was. - Use of Nav Buttons: I like how you can instantly flip through photos

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: 1. Majority of the page is pictures/videos of current works 2. Hover on the left side of page - hides/reveals which section you're in, but always has the "home page" button as an option. A creative way of navigating through the site, while maximizing space for visuals. 3. Has an easy "Pause/Play" option for all videos. 4. Simple, clean graphics and colors are still made interesting by their level of interaction and composition. 5. The optional view option on the right (has thumbnail pictures for each sub page) - is something different. 6. Hovering to the Left hides/reveals (don't need to click and wait for loads) Dislikes: 1. In the portfolios section, the reel starts playing automatically, with music. 2. The left and right view options can be a little confusing - some people might not know that each side contains the same info/pages. 3. Every visual aid is pretty much a reel with music - gives viewer little control of what they see and when they see it.

Trying the link now, it doesn't work... maybe he didn't pay for November domain But, here's my critique: Home Page Redundancy: The button links in the header lead to the same place as the large title buttons along the left side of the page. On second level: I like the close (X), back () buttons. They read well in a line with the title. The page content is small. It is obvious the layouts were made for a different media prior to the website. Having a third level with enlarged text/images would be helpful for understanding the content. Contact page: Having direct contact from the website is a good idea.

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.