PODS Digital Portfolio

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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: -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

In this portfolio it is mostly visual with very few words. This style of portfolio allows his work to do all of the talking. To me it was very powerful and bold. What I liked best about this portfolio: 1.It is quick and easy to navigate 2. The photos are captivating and large so you know what you are looking at 3. The landing page is clean, precise and different then others I've seen (it looks professional). 4. When you glide over the elongated photos of the works he has been involved in, large white titles show up to tell you right away what file you are about to open. Example: photo of the production Cinderella, hover your curser over the image and click! Now you have several more photos to look at, all on the production of Cinderella 5. The main menu is large and bold, always visible. 6. There is a small text that shows up "move your mouse over me" encouraging the host to explore and help navigate the site. 7. I like that there are current projects he is working on, he includes awards he has won and he has both a contact page and a resume (that you can download) My suggestions of changes this portfolio could have are: 1. It could use more text, all I see is the work, but where are his ideas and contributions (his experiences in this field?) 2. Does he draw his designs or make models, how does he work? 3. I did not see an about page-what is he like? 4. There is nothing too personal about him. For example: no picture. 5. Resume is all one size and same color of text, nothing jumps out at you. 6. His name and title could be larger (on each page). Because as you scroll down you loose his name and then you ask your self who's work am I looking at again, because this is good and I want him to work for me! (although all you have to do is scroll up or click on the back button to return to menu... there his name is prominently displayed again) Overall: It was very hard to find anything that this portfolio needs to change because I really like what James has done with

likes: -simple non confusing website -easy to use -less is more -you just have to scroll up and down - great visuals dislikes: -too baron -hard to find artist information -lack of title. -boring -no intro or animation

+ clean & simple + uniform and organized + easy to understand and use - have to scroll down - when you scroll over pics on homepage they change to text, I would change that so user can click on image - i'd show a little more personality in display,

User-controlled site that showcases interesting digital portfolios. Like this diigo group, but on a larger scale. Worth checking out.

Likes: 1. layout is creative and colorful-- mexican themed, opening page is mexican objects and clothes on a line--beautiful 2. comments section allows viewer to comment-- allowing criticism to go from viewer straight to artist 3. portfolio is filled with lots of photography, many subjects, bright and colorful, it's hard to get bored looking at such vibrant imagery 4. at the bottom of the page, while viewing his photos, there is a sheet of film negatives that allow you to browse through thumbnails of the photos and select certain ones instead of having to go through the entire batch Dislikes: 1. for such an awesome website, he doesn't have any english translations, which is not to say that every other language should also be translated into an english version, however, if I didn't know any Spanish- like many many people around the world, I would be completely confused. 2. no biography, who is he? 3. no way to contact artist unless the viewer leaves his/her contact information first 4. in the "Links" section there are links to what looks like 5 different artists' sites, however, all lead to one photostream of a flickr account 5. for not having a biography, I think it's a little ridiculous to have an "Awards" section

Likes: 1. theme is interesting. "Fresh Meat" -- but the imagery along with the text go together hand and hand. the "About" section explains the concept behind Fresh Meat- that it is the antithesis of stale- something a designer like Jonathan Patterson strives to be always. 2. in his contact section it shows his most recent tweets rom his twitter feed on the right panel as well as contact information on the left and a link to download his resume 3. background throughout website is dark, allowing the viewer to focus more on the pictures/windows of his portfolio 4. when you select a certain page within his links of the side panel, whatever page you were on last remains the page even if you select another section of his portfolio-- you don't have to scroll through all images to keep on the image you want to Dislikes: 1. wish there was a bigger picture in the home page of "Fresh Meat" -- hard to read the text on the sticker (although very clever, hard to read because it is too small of text) 2. would like to see a page with thumbnails of his work to more easily browse through his work

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

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.

Pros: 1. Gives you a good impression of the designer. 2. Clear navigation. 3. Blog format works well for the interaction he seems to be looking for. Cons: 1.The colors are too aggressive, the monotone with red highlights works, but the other strong colors distract from that. 2.The flickr links are poorly placed. 3. Home page is a little busy, it takes a couple of seconds to understand.

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

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

Pros: 1. Viedo background is great. 2. It is highly organized. 3. Music is good. Cons: 1. It takes a long time to log in. 2. Maybe more kind of langurages here. 3. I think this wed is perfect... can not find the third thing to improve....