Portfolio website opinions
II Architect II (43 points) | Sat, 2009-03-28 19:14Hello everyone,
It's been a very long time since I last posted on here and I've returned to get some opinions from the experienced web designers
I've decided that I'm going to make (or try to anyway!) my own portfolio website demonstrating my art and skillset.
I've worked out my content, and to some extent, my layout (which will be simple without having a plethora of menus to navigate through) but what seems to be a sticking point is the styling.
Personally, I wanted to go down one of two avenues:
1) An Art Deco / Steampunk style (not going OTT, just enough to give the pages some flavour)
2) A very vibrant LittleBigPlanet style with bright colours and kind of 'Sticker' style banners and buttons.
At first I was sure this was the way to go, but throwing it out there to some friends, they suggested to keep it very 'neutral' in design.
I can absolutely see their point (because a neutral style will I guess further emphasize my own work) and I've taken that on board, but I can't help but feel it's a little dull.
Something like that would not represent me at all and it would feel very soulless (to myself at least).
Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts/opinions that I can take on board?
Thanks everyone :)
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personally, i'd prefer a portfolio site showcase the work itself. but that's just me.
of course, nothing's stopping you from making a personal site that looks like one of those two options in addition to your portfolio site.
Thanks for the reply gwells.
I guess I could have a colourful blog and a portfolio site.
i don't necessarily mean you shouldn't have color in your portfolio site. just that i prefer (again, personal preference) that a portfolio site be clean and not distract from the portfolio work (as opposed to busy and potentially distracting).
Who is your customer and what will they want to see? I've turned into a big fan of Seth Godin on marketing - google him! If you want to get work, it's not about you – it's about meeting your clients needs. If a particular style is what they want or expect - give it to them. Are you known for a specific style? If it obstructs a variety of styles you offer, then stick to a neutral site.
I think you should go with something very minimalist, so the content pops. Don't worry if it's dull.
My first question is what are you selling? Architecture? Artwork? This may be easier for you to nail down with those questions answered. Simple is always better if you have a large amount of people to market to from different backgrounds but if you are trying to go for a particular type of market then you can do something a little more geared to that particular market. Just a few ideas, hope that helped.
Jessica Mahoney
www.holdtheonionplease.blogspot.com
Hi, thanks for the replies everyone, I should have made myself more clear, I work in the the games industry and not in web design :)
I will be demonstrating a whole spectrum of abilites from documentation examples, photography, traditional art, 3d models (both game and arch vis), example images of physical prototypes and a few other bits and pieces :)