Hi all,
I’ve gotten some great feedback here about my portfolio before, so I’d like to post my website - http://www.elizabethkinnmark.com - and get your comments on it. Thanks so much!
Liz_
good work: a few points:
1_ the view window is kind of small. I would condense the header and footer so the view window was as big as possible and so the click in zoom views can be larger as well.
2_ button arrangement. I would put portfolio before sketches, just a personal opinion there, but it signals you want people to go there first
3_ arrangement within the portfolio. You start off with your oldest project. I would start with the project that most resembles what you want to do professionally.
keep up the good work work.
Hey yo,
Thanks for the critique.
I’ve definitely been struggling with how to order my portfolio. Your comment to “start with the project that most resembles what you want to do professionally” really helped. I reorganized it based on that, and I think it makes a lot more sense.
As far as the button order, I want to keep the sketchbook ahead of portfolio, just because I’ve gotten good feedback about the sketchbook and I think it makes sense to put sketches before finished work, so you sort of get an idea of how I work.
I agree about the window being kinda small. That one’ll take a little more time to fix.
No problem, and I feel your pain. I’m muddling through this website thing as I go along myself… but as the song goes “Failure is always the best way to learn” so I figure its better to have something up and rework it as I go and get feedback.
Hi
I think you have a good content rich web-site, the sketchbook page is very cool with a nice thumbnail layout. I would call the page illustrations rather than sketchbook because they are more than sketches and are like a mini portfolio in there own right. The contact submission form is a nice touch which makes it easy for potential customers to get in contact with you there and then. It might even be worth integrating a contact facility within your shopping page as it grows and expands. Make it even easier for the shoppers.
My dislikes are simply a question of personal taste, I’m not feeling the gradients on the text and some of your colour choices, particularly that portfolio green.
mogus.
thanks mogus-
i changed the background colors to something more neutral… hopefully this is be easier on the eyes?
Hey Lizkin-
I liked your site, and especially your sketchbook page. Good job!
I’m trying to put a comment page like yours on my site right now. Was it hard to set up the CGI bin? (Right now mine just goes straight through the senders email to my email, definitely less sophisticated.)
Also, are you using a program to make your website, or just typing in the code?
Thanks!
Hey,
I use dreamweaver, though I write most of the code myself within the program. As far as setting up the cgi-bin, I’m hosted by mediatemple, who gives you complete control of the cgi-bin and who actually already provides you with a formmail script in it. It took me a while to figure out how to do it. Go to Matt's Script Archive: FormMail to get the script and find out how to set it up. Hope this helps!
Liz
Liz-
Thanks! I use Arishost, and have access to the CGI-bin, but they are definitely not very user friendly for a beginner! I’ll check out your link…
-Dave
Ordering is much much better. The only thing I would say now is that I think your pop ups could be a bit bigger… Nice work.
hey Liz, i looked at your site yesterday and the pop ups weren’t loading for me, checked today again and the same thing. it pops up and just remains white. i’m using mozilla firefox if that can help you…if it’s just me then don’t worry about it.
saw your portfolio on coroflot and you have some nice work.
Hey Jelena,
Maybe it is just being slow to load? I’ll look into it, thanks for the tip.
I just made all the pop-up images bigger… and added a couple new images to the sketchbook section.
Way better, you are telling more of a story with the portfolio section now. The pop ups are a great size.
I have another question though, why the chair sketches as the background? It’s a cool image, but if I didn’t know your work, I would expect to see lots of furniture when I clicked the portfolio section…
good point. i suppose it does set you up for what to expect. furniture sketches on the front page are nixed!