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Tips on making my web/portfolio stand out: UPDATE Revision 3 and top 2

kitki83

kitki83

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 31, 2004
804
0
Los Angeles
Hello,

Some how when it comes to resume of my portfolio and website, I suck. So I am here to ask people what their advice on getting their stuff out there. How do you lay them out, what are the noes and yeses.

I went very simple last year and lead me nowhere.

Questions:

Now that I have a dSLRs to take pictures of my pieces, my concern is most have a lot of white space and having light colored background will be bad. Is it uncommon to have background (like use my wood flooring as a background) as background. Do I need to include every piece in the photo, just a few or portion of a single piece?

Description of the project how much information and what do I put on the print? and web?

Any resources on getting me on the right track? At the moment I am posting word version of my resume on monster and carerbuilder any other sites?

Rev 1 For Reference Purpose

Logo.jpg


Critique my Prototype logos rev2
my initials RMN

Logo_Sketch.jpg



see post 22 for updates
 
For an online portfolio I like to keep things simple, that way my work stands out.

You could go for something creative and whacky which really stands out, bright colours, shapes, images, search google, you'll find lots of portfolios that have this sort of take.

As for resume, I keep it formal and will add one colour in there.

Not sure what your logo is suppose to say about you, but it looks amateurish to say the least, and I don't understand the little lines on the R and N, what do they represent?
 
I'll sing the praises of indexhibit.

http://www.indexhibit.org

It's a very simple minimalist portfolio template that really puts the emphasis on the pieces in the portfolio rather than whiz-bang web effects.

I'm a big fan of Apple's design philosophy: Less is more.
 
good recommendation, thanks for the input MR really helps me as iam trying to get out of my corporate job (just leeching the creative out of me)
 
7on said:
Use a lot of marquee tags and blink tags.

That'll wow them ;)
Click to expand...

Ohhh man flashback I had to do a website where my boss wanted flashing arrow keys on top and bottom. And wanted the marquee to be the content so they don't have to move their eyes the browser will scroll the copy to read, either they have lazy clients or my bosses don't know what is INTRANETS
 
As a designer, I can't help but think that indexhibit is a little bit of a cop out.
 
iGav said:
As a designer, I can't help but think that indexhibit is a little bit of a cop out.
Click to expand...

as a designer, i can't help but think that you should showcase the work in your portfolio, not the box it comes in.* :)

*unless you are a portfolio box designer. eg. indexhibit is a good way for people to put thier work on the web who are not web designers. if i was a web designer, i would completely agree with you - its a cop-out. the same way that a book designer ought to have a pretty darn good looking portfolio book.

having said that, indexhibit its all CSS anyway, so you can customise the hell out of it and some have. i just find it to have a super-easy backend.


from the "manifesto":

indexhibit said:
Indexhibit is archetypal / invisible / standard / for a variety of content / designed to last / made with good intent / Open Source / for everybody / to share / easy to install / free
Click to expand...

the idea being its the stuff, not the box the stuff comes in. different strokes for different folks i suppose. user jvaska who commented above is one of the founders of indexhibit, id like to hear his opinions on the matter, as i don't want to misquote him.
 
shecky said:
user jvaska who commented above is one of the founders of indexhibit, id like to hear his opinions on the matter, as i don't want to misquote him.
Click to expand...

Yes. To each his own.

I still design websites. I like doing it. Sometimes I even use Indexhibit (but I have built a much bigger cms as well). I was a print designer long before I was interested in the web.

Are jeans and a white t-shirt boring? Yes? No? They are classic. While Indexhibit may not be a real classic it is becoming a standard and simple way for anybody to produce a quick and good portfolio. Emphasis goes to work and not to the atmosphere surrounding the work.

Have you ever seen just how far somebody can take a design with it? Didn't think so...people are making all kinds of crazy things with it.
 
jvaska said:
Yes. To each his own.

I still design websites. I like doing it. Sometimes I even use Indexhibit (but I have built a much bigger cms as well).

Are jeans and a white t-shirt boring? Yes? No? They are classic. While Indexhibit may not be a real classic it is becoming a standard and simple way for anybody to produce a quick and good portfolio. Emphasis goes to work and not to the atmosphere surrounding the work.

Have you ever seen just how far somebody can take a design with it? Didn't think so...people are making all kinds of crazy things with it.
Click to expand...

To add to that the designs done from CSS Zen Garden, same code but the designs are incredible.
 
These newer logos are absolutely an improvement over the ones you posted previously. I commend your efforts, love that you've decided to go for the creativity field, and think it's awesome how well you are able to take critiques and use them to your advantage, rather than go away with hurt feelings. It can be hard when you put so much of yourself in your work, and you're taking it in stride, which is a big part of working in this industry. Well done.

I think you're getting closer to the goal on the logo. I wouldn't go with what you have now, I would simplify and make sure readability, clean lines, and simplicity are major factors. You are definitely on the right path. Good luck.
 
I'm glad digitalnicotine had that reply. I second his opinion.

As a suggestion, I would post your new designs down here instead of revising the first post. That way newcomers to the thread can understand the previous posts and follow along on the progression. You could update the original post with a "see post #18" or something like that to indicate where your new content is.

Keep working at it.
 
Your revised logos are a huge improvement.

I appreciated where you were going with your original design (and your new #6), but they just don't read all that well. For inspiration on that direction, you should check out some of John Langdon's Ambigrams.

http://www.johnlangdon.net/typesofambigrams.html

Back to your work - #4 is my favorite. I like the treatment of the word 'designs' and how it seems to fit into the logo. I also like the legibility of RMN.

Keep in mind how the logo will look when shrunken down to a business card as well as when blown up on your website. Just make sure all parts of it are legible at varying sizes, or create some variations for use in different sizes.
 
If any I would have to say go with 4, it seems to break the clutter.

I would probably put the word "design" under the main text though because at the moment it doesn't seem to be a part of the logo.
 
I was going to say either 4 or 5 and am leaning more towards 5, although it needs a little work - perhaps trying finding fonts that flow a little better. I like the simplicity of 5 myself. I find it to be a little H&M esque...clean and simple.
 

Attachments

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shecky said:
as a designer, i can't help but think that you should showcase the work in your portfolio, not the box it comes in.* :)

*unless you are a portfolio box designer. eg. indexhibit is a good way for people to put thier work on the web who are not web designers. if i was a web designer, i would completely agree with you - its a cop-out. the same way that a book designer ought to have a pretty darn good looking portfolio book.

having said that, indexhibit its all CSS anyway, so you can customise the hell out of it and some have. i just find it to have a super-easy backend.


from the "manifesto":



the idea being its the stuff, not the box the stuff comes in. different strokes for different folks i suppose. user jvaska who commented above is one of the founders of indexhibit, id like to hear his opinions on the matter, as i don't want to misquote him.
Click to expand...

I am in no way criticising indexhibit. ;)
 
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