Graphic Design Portfolio - Project 6: Portfolio Web Site

Project 6 - Portfolio Web Site

Due

Group work research (see instructions below)
A completed portfolio web site, uploaded to your personal account at GoDaddy.com (or equivilent web hosting company), with your name as the domain (www.yourname.com)

Group Work Instructions (In Class)

In class, get into your collaborative groups and complete the following:

Create a list of the top ten things a portfolio web site should have
Create a list of the top ten things a portfolio web site shouldn't have
Cite your sources
Type your information and email it to the instructor (kuncec@westerntc.edu)

Good Portfolio Web Sites… (from student research)

Consistency
Explain/Labeling work
Maintaining Site (switching out work/info)
Logo
Tagline
Resume
Design simple, so work stands OUT
Contact Info
Variety
Make it a teaser Show your personality
Let you work speak for itself.
Have your contact information easy to find.
Check for spelling errors.
Use white and black space effectively.
Choose an effective font.
Contrast your fonts with restraint.
Use minimal color schemes.
Make galleries quick and easy to look at. (easy navigation)
Summarize what you do.
Make sure your contact info is clear and specific.
Your tagline should be short and snappy, summarizing what you do.
The more details you give, the better your users can form a bond and build trust with you.
Blog about your area of expertise. Show them you know what your talking about.
Dont innovate--should look appropriate
Make sure you have a link to your resume.
Make sure it is in color.
Should be easy to navigate.
Should make your potential clients comfortable.
Should be easy to update.
answer the questions potential clients are likely to have
shows your personality
Creative
Lack of Excess
examples of past work
Valid code (css/html)
ease of contact, easy to get a hold of
call to action,
show your best work
Good use of icons, logo
Clarity and focus should permeate your portfolio.
Push your best work to the front.
Logo in the top left of page.
Your tagline should be short and snappy, summarizing what you do.
Do consider using multiple portfolios.
Target your market.
Linked, high-quality images
Make usability a top priority.
Utilize the right technology.
Accurate contact information.
Have a logo-link logo to homepage
Have tagline-short and snappy
Portfolio-big and high quality images
Services-clear and specific, break things down
About me-share about yourself
Contact-easily available and useable
Have a blog-help show that you know what your doing
Call to action-on each page for next step
Use social networking websites-twitter, facebook, etc. So they can follow you
Language and communication. Don't ramble, be clear
Logo (your own)
About me section
Contact Info
Portfolio pieces
Good language/ Communication
Have a Tagline
Link Pictures as well as text.
Use social networking
Have explanation next to work
Clean and professional

Bad Portfolio Web Sites…

Don’t let layout be too busy or confusing
Don’t go nuts with branding.
Don’t place work in website that you don’t believe in.
Don’t put a quota on the number of work you need in website.
Actual website design should not over power your work or resume.
Don’t brag.
Don’t make “squinting” text.
Don’t expect to be perfect the first time.
No music.
Don’t use zoomed and cropped thumbnails.
Dont have automatic background music playing.
Dont include to much work.
Dont use other peoples work.
Make sure its organized.
Dont have typos.
Dont show unfinished projects.
Dont provide zero context.
Dont use free websites.
Grammer
Pop Ups and Broken Back Buttons
Huge Flash Intro Screen
Horizontal Scrolling
Slow Load Time Problems
Overuse of Banner Ads
Lots of Moving Things
Plenty of Music
No Contact Information
make sure it flows nicely
Don’t cram too much information into a small space.
Bad Navigation.
Visual Clutter.
Lack of contact information.
Lack of labels on work. (such as “poster,” “web banner,” etc.)
Lack of resumé.
Less is more. Don’t overdo design elements.
Talk too much about yourself.
Lack of variety in artwork.
Bad menus.
Do not put all your work on, stick to your best work
Do not make the user "think too much"
Do not have content that could make the viewer uncomfortable
Do not start a layout with a concept-stay away from trends
Do not repeat yourself often
Do not use the forum for any other stock photos
Do not have website become too busy-stay with same fonts, colors, etc
Do not use material that is not yours
Do not bore the viewer-have personality
Do not make everything have equal importance
Site Waste (Bad quality work on site.)
Browser incompatibility
Frozen links
Inadequate photo enlargements
Slow page loading
Over-done. (less is more)
Uncommon navigation
Visual Clutter
poor spelling
Over-use of Banner ads.
Don't let other people advertise on your site
Don't make it too complex
Don't say how great you are
Don't make contact info too hard to find
Don't ask for critique
Don't have music/sounds
Don't put work you don't feel happy talking about
Don't put too much of your personality out there
Don't throw too much at the viewer at once
Don't be offensive

Be a professional, build a portfolio web site

A web portfolio is becoming the standard for professionals wanting to be taken seriously during their job search. This is why a web site portfolio is required for this class, and when you graduate from the graphic design program.

Having your own portfolio web site, with your name as the domain, will help you stand out in the crowd of our very competitve field. Even if you don't plan to be a web designer, graphic designers and artists should demonstrate that they know how to build and maintain a web site.

Samples

Here are several links to designer's and artist's portfolio web sites. A portfolio web sites is impressive, impactful and helpful when you apply for a job and list your URL on your resume. It shows potential employers that your are an up-to-date, web-savvy graphic designer and job hunter who will be a valued asset when they hire you.

Anatomy of a Web Site

Download a PDF of a web site's div and css set up: website_anatomy.pdf (11mb)