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Site Critique

J

jenkins

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 7, 2004
Messages
340
Ok guys, you know the drill. Tell me what ya think. It ain't done yet though, still gotta add the text, but that's it.

www.portfolio87.com

-jenkins

oh yeah, need a loader too. ppl on dial-up need not apply.
 
site design looks great. when i hit enter i want it to open in the same window, damnit. or a new tab. i hate new windows.

i hate the "page-flip" sound. it's distracting as hell.

good job other than that though, looks very creative and professional.

 
Looks very filtered which makes it kinda gross. I like the tree. The type on the splash starts to get lost in all that texture. Is black the right color for that? Could it have a bit more weight? If you're going to use a "hand drawn" typeface why not just hand draw it? That way your e's in enter wouldn't be EXACTLY the same which kills the spontaneity.

I also hate popup windows. The load time before I can begin looking at work is WAY to long. What's with the blood? Are you also a murderer? Is there a conceptual reason I'm missing for it being there? Despite what this forum would have you believe the word is spelled artwork not artwerk. The last thing a potential employer wants is to hire someone who is going to spell a word wrong on their 5000 printed piece project.

There is no indication when I get to the end. The arrow should go away, or it should just loop.

Some info about the projects would be nice.

Me link doesn't work.

What's with the name? Is this your 87'th portfolio? Are you 87 years old? Where you born in 1987?

I don't mean to sound harsh, it's obvious you have some technical skill. I just don't see any conceptual backing, grasping of color theory, or strong aesthetic skills. I also ask a lot of questions, I'm trying to get you to think about your site and why you do what you do, and how you can do it better. Keep with it, you'll get better.
 
Ok, first off, let me say thanks for the criticism. Honestly.

1. I used no filters
2. The type was thrown in last minute (this all had to be done thursday)
3. again, time constraints
4. The popup is a temporary thing. I'm going to make the whole site have the same border as the first page, and be on a black background.
5. That's not blood, it's ink. but everyone else says the same thing.
6. I agree with you about an indication about the end. I think when I add info about the projects, it will help.
7. Me link isn't done yet, also no text is in yet, I stated that one on my first post. ;)
8. On the Me link, everything will be explained. (I was born in 1987)

I agree with you on some of this stuff. I need a better font, the front page could use some work. I'll try and find someone to hand write this. (mine isn't legible.) I'm also gonna try and fix the ink, to make it look like ink, not blood. Thanks for the advice, I'll get back with you when I'm through.
 
What resolution are you designing for? I'm using 1024x768 and I have to scroll down on the splash page to get to the "enter" button.

I have cable and the second page took an eternity to load. In IE, it positions itself a bit off the screen and I have to manually move the screen yet it doesn't go to full height, and the portfolio87.com is still off the screen. It's better in Firefox, yet you are not using the full width of the screen. I hate when someone takes away my controls, e.g., no address bar and no status bar.

So I'm on page 2 and see the question mark, but nothing happens when I click it. Your navigation isn't entirely intuitive to me.

Why are you wasting space on the lower left with that solid orange box? I would rather see larger images of your work. And that yellow "tape" across the top of the top box obscures a lot. Under "sites" I can't see the logos at the top of the images because of it.

Overall, it's just too "artsy" for my tastes. I realize that's what you're going for, but there's a reason why people generally stick to certain conventions in web design and that is usability for your visitors. Don't make me have to figure out how to use your site, and don't take away my controls. If I wanted the address/status bar turned off, I would do that myself. Please let me use my browser how I want to use it.

Also, if you only intend to have visitors to whom you've given the url, that's one thing. But there is absolutely nothing there for search engines to index. Nada, zilch.
 
Here's a bunch of tidbits (I'll try not to repeat what was already said).

- Your interface build is way too slow. Shave off about 2-3 seconds on it.
- The initial image with the question mark doesn't fit with the rest of the textured design.
- Your portfolio isn't diversified enough. You're showing a lot of the same thing. This is always a tough thing for designers in their early years since they haven't gotten a lot of work under their belt.
- You need to work on your identity. And ".com" in the brand looks tacky IMO.
- You have a pretty large interface design, but you're only using about 1/3 of it.
- Embed the Flash module into an HTML page rather than displaying the SWF file directly.
- Try adding some interesting rollovers or transition. Otherwise, I don't see why this site should be in Flash.
 
I agree, it loads way too slow. I lost interest after waiting and I have a 5m bit connection.
Make it load faster and I will look again.
 
lot of negative criticism, ill list a few of each .... btw i have been watching you since the reviews of the insomnia design logos ;)

negatives:
load time
empty rectangle
seems very "bare"

good:
use of space for limited content
colors
the flow of the site and scheme throughout the artwork
works with 800x600
nonlinear approach to the design in physical and mental terms

alright:
contrast of color, a bit too saturated for the desired effect IMO
blood spot doesnt seems as "laid down" on the background as much as the containers of information
the use of the popup window to aid the lesser width
the arrows .... not sure how far down the line of artwork i am. in order to get to the first if your on the last, youd have to backtrack each one. i made a little php script that grabs the image names in a directory and puts a link for each name on the page area (its basically a realty site where they just add images named by number to a houses directory and it displays the image numbers below the currently loaded image, allowing a user to go to each image directly without having to edit the code each time an image is added/removed fromt eh directory)

on a webmaster note, i like little things like the way the tape goes over the bottom of the image corners; requiring more than just a square block (details take little time and can make/break a site).

good luck
 
First off, I want to say that you have some great artwork in here. I am going to point out some blatently honest things, but hey... you asked for a critique. I will lay out first why Flash or why static. Then I will explain myself.

Static/Non-Animated Design:
Graphic Designer communicates information using images not in motion.

Flash/Animation Design:
Graphic Designer communicates a message using animation and static. The animation should add to the meaning of the message that you are communicating.

You have some great static images on this site. You are a 2D designer, not an animator. Unless you are using backend functions in Flash, I would recommend making this site in HTML. Animation on your site adds nothing to the appeal of it. I would like it better if it was a fast loading static page. Never use alpha fade in and outs to make your site "appear" cool. It drastically adds to load times.. which is why everyone is complaining about loading. I am on a 3 T1 connection and it takes like 30 seconds to load your site. Hense why fading in and out is not cool.

Look, I have no doubt that you are talented, and that you can make some kick-butt stuff. The reason most people hate Flash and it is becuase the majority of designers don't use it for animation, they use it to make things fade in and out and do things that don't add to the content and message of the site. My personal advice is to go to HTML because everything you have done on this site can be done with regular code.
 
Takes way too long to load. There are other things that others have mentioned already but honestly, there's no reason for it to take that long to load.
 
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