Website Design Pass 1

[Alexandria Rosales]

Howdy.

I'm in the process of updating my online portfolio and wanted to get some critique/advice for my current website design.

Something to keep in mind-

- The nav bar is partially on, meaning they've all got the glow to show the spacing and the text is in the "off" state

- i will have an iFrame in the blank area to show contents

-this site will be made in dreamweaver cs3

[Senira]

i will have an iFrame

AAAAAAH. Sorry, that's a reflex reaction. But if you're building this site entirely in Dreamweaver it probably can't be helped. I'm assuming you don't know any code?

I took a look at your work, and I must say that I can't see the connection between it and the design of the site. The black/blue/glow combo is techy and potentially overpowering. There's a lot happening texture-wise, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but just be careful that the site isn't detracting from your work-- particularly if you're planning on showing the full-scale images in the iframe.

[Alexandria Rosales]

AAAAAAH. Sorry, that's a reflex reaction. But if you're building this site entirely in Dreamweaver it probably can't be helped. I'm assuming you don't know any code?

I took a look at your work, and I must say that I can't see the connection between it and the design of the site. The black/blue/glow combo is techy and potentially overpowering. There's a lot happening texture-wise, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but just be careful that the site isn't detracting from your work-- particularly if you're planning on showing the full-scale images in the iframe.

Hahah, yah. I'm not to code savvy. And as for the sites style compared to my personal work, the site is more of the type of thing I do in my professional job and the actual art is what I like to do in my free time. I'm hoping, that even though they are both very different styles, that an employer would be happy to know that I can do both.

And as for the iFrame I plan to have the thumbnails for my artwork/bio information/ect appear, then clicking on the thumbnail open the full sized artwork in a new blank window.

And why the reaction? Do you have any spiffy secrets to tell?

[Senira]

Hahah, yah. I'm not to code savvy. And as for the sites style compared to my personal work, the site is more of the type of thing I do in my professional job and the actual art is what I like to do in my free time. I'm hoping, that even though they are both very different styles, that an employer would be happy to know that I can do both.

And as for the iFrame I plan to have the thumbnails for my artwork/bio information/ect appear, then clicking on the thumbnail open the full sized artwork in a new blank window.

And why the reaction? Do you have any spiffy secrets to tell?

Ah, I see. Well as long as the site reflects you/your art in some way, that's fine.

As for iframes, they've fallen out of favor in the last few years because they're not very user-friendly. People who want to bookmark a specific section in your site won't be able to because they can only bookmark the container frame; also, given the number of people who have popup blockers these days (or just plain don't like popup windows), having a site that relies on popups to display content can be iffy.

If you're willing to learn a wee bit of code (or at least learn enough to know where to paste the code snippet), a more accessible option would be to use a php case/switch statement. It serves the same purpose as an iframe, but also enables the user to bookmark that specific page in your site.

http://www.digital-web.com/articles/easypeasy_php/

If you wanted to get really fancy (or at least make your life much easier) you could use PHP to split your site into independent files (header, content, footer). That way when you need to make a change to one portion of the page you'll only have to do so once, rather than changing it on every single page of your site.

http://buildinternet.com/2009/12/using-the-php-include-function-to-template-faster/

As for your gallery, take a peek at some of these options and see if there aren't any that appeal to you. The benefit to these is that while there are many users who disable popups, there are few people who disable Javascript. And all of these come with install instructions.

http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/resources/57-free-image-gallery-slideshow-and-lightbox-solutions/

[Alexandria Rosales]

Ah, I see. Well as long as the site reflects you/your art in some way, that's fine.

As for iframes, they've fallen out of favor in the last few years because they're not very user-friendly. People who want to bookmark a specific section in your site won't be able to because they can only bookmark the container frame; also, given the number of people who have popup blockers these days (or just plain don't like popup windows), having a site that relies on popups to display content can be iffy.

If you're willing to learn a wee bit of code (or at least learn enough to know where to paste the code snippet), a more accessible option would be to use a php case/switch statement. It serves the same purpose as an iframe, but also enables the user to bookmark that specific page in your site.

http://www.digital-web.com/articles/easypeasy_php/

If you wanted to get really fancy (or at least make your life much easier) you could use PHP to split your site into independent files (header, content, footer). That way when you need to make a change to one portion of the page you'll only have to do so once, rather than changing it on every single page of your site.

http://buildinternet.com/2009/12/using-the-php-include-function-to-template-faster/

As for your gallery, take a peek at some of these options and see if there aren't any that appeal to you. The benefit to these is that while there are many users who disable popups, there are few people who disable Javascript. And all of these come with install instructions.

http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/resources/57-free-image-gallery-slideshow-and-lightbox-solutions/

Those are some very spiffy links you sent me! I've looked them over already but I feel like I'll have to do a little bit more researching on basics to fully utilize their potential.

Also, after talking with a buddy of mine he took my design and played with placement a little.

[Senira]

MUCH better. Looking at the two again, the diamond shape was taking a lot of the focus in the first design; this new arrangement is more balanced and puts the eye's immediate attention on the content.

You're taking it in a good direction. Keep it up!

[Alexandria Rosales]

Almost there. Just a couple of more tweaks....

[robertdoom]

hi , the design looks good, i had the similar issue few months back & was really in a mess while you have done a great job with all the effort. I contacted few companies in the area and i am presently using a subscription from Pixpa (http://www.pixpa.com) and i am happy doing my photography while my portfolio is managed properly. Now i can build unlimited galleries, share my work on Facebook, twitter , and also sell it online using fotomoto.

Its good to have a portfolio designed yourself but if you are not good in codes & looking for a professional looking profile for business then i think you must contact the service providers.

Happy Clicking!!!