Good and bad website portfolios...

I am going to research the good, the bad and the ugly websites for portfolio promotion.

I will explain why they are good and bad, pointing out areas of interest and areas I like. (And would possibly like to include in my own).

The good….

BLACK MOUNTAIN

http://www.blkmtnstudio.com/#/home

the home page for the website ‘Blk +Mtn’. It has links to his about me section, his portfolio, news, his blog and contacts.

His about me section shows his nickname and his specialties, this could possibly have been put on the home page though as they are important to see. Also links to his other websites.

Its ver simple and easy to use, and thoroughly easy to find things.

His portfolio is separated into sections i.e. for website design, photography, print… they are all of high quality, and easy to navigate. The images are neither too large or small, and evenly spaced apart to minimize confusion.

The contact section contains his image, email, Skype number, full name and where he is from. This is extremely clear and easy to figure out.

The bad…

POY’S JOURNALISM PORTFOLIO

http://poyileung.wordpress.com/

This is the portfolio website for a journalist. It looks good from the homepage, but there are a number of things wrong from this. For starters the titke is badly designed and merges with the design at the top of the page. The writing is hard to make out, and blends with the background. Its hard to find anything on her as the links are all jumbled up.

The contact page only has an email dress and no other means of contact.

I cant even find the portfolio for examples of his work.

flash catalyst

this is what we have been using to create the website for our work.
its a relativly easy programe and Andy has been leading us step by step through it..

The following are a few pointers which are important to keep in mind when designing a portfolio website.

1. Logo

Your logo is usually the first thing a user sees. In the Western world, we read from left to right, top to bottom, so it makes sense to put your logo in the top left of your website so that users can immediately identify who owns the website. It doesn’t have to be your own name, but when trying to promote yourself it is quite important.

2. tagline

Definition:

‘’ The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product (like a film), or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product.’’

Once the user sees who owns the website, they’ll want to know what it is you do. This is where you explain what you do with a tagline.

Your tagline should be short and snappy, summarizing what you do.

3. Portfolio

This is a personal portfolio website after all, so your portfolio will determine whether the website is interesting or not. People will want to see your previous work to decide whether you’re good or not and for general interest, to see what you’ve been up to in the past.

You need to have large, high quality images, which are clearly accessible to people who visit your website.

4. Services

What can you offer? Break it down into little sections, so that you can clearly show what you do, and can do for other people.

5. About Me

Use this section to explain who you are, and allow people to see the person behind the work. You could show an image of yourself and explain your background and profession.

6. Contact

This is one of the most vital parts of the portfolio, as it will open the gateway to future clients. It should be obvious and easy to use, including you email, phone number and website URL as essentials.

7. Blog

A blog is always a good idea. Blog about your area of expertise; show you know what you’re talking about. It will help promote you and prevent your website from lying static.

Be sure to enable comments for feedback.

8. Call to action.

Each page should have a call to action, a “Next step.”

The best way to accomplish this is with a “call to action” button that is clear and stands out from the rest of the page.

Link it to your blog, portfolio or contact page, and use appropriate language (e.g. “Hire me,” “Request a quote,” “View my portfolio”).

Promoting my work!

when it coes to the time to promote and sell my work, then i need to have a plan of where and what im going to present.
Currently in major studies we are creating a baisic website to hold our portfolio work.


Its relativly easy to create a simple website design containing a contact,about,portfolio and a home page. These will all have working buttons and my own work will be held on them. This would mean that i could send my website link to publishers and agents such as:

puffin
Penguin
usborne
Little tiger press

I had some answers to my emails!!

Yay!! two people replied, and this was my feedback:

sorry if you have trouble reading it, i didnt know how to put it up properly :)

Jemima Hunt

Hannah Bagshaw

Questions, questions, questions...

1. WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

I dont realy know, anything odd, from buildings that look like faces to my dog. Interesting and inovative ways of producing art such as intricate little models and strange substances. Other illustrators and artist whos work stands out from the crowd.


2. WHAT AREA OF ILLUSTRATION ARE YOU MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT? WHO INFLUENCES YOU AND WHY?

I am most passionate about Childrens illustration. I like the tales and myths that children get to read about. Myths and fairytales are more my thing, and also animals.
DR. Seuss is my all time favourite illustrator, and has been since i was little, i like the wierd and wacky stories he comes up with along with the illustrations. The artist Dustin Parker is also a personal favourite, his way of painting has heavily inspired the way my traditional portraits appear today,

Blogs that happen to be rather nice..

FIONA SANSOM - Fiona's Blog

I was inspired by Fiona's blog because of how personal she made it, i.e. with the dragon on the title, and her profile photo being one of her illustrations. She certainly made it eye catching and hard to miss her work. She's a little slow with updating work, but what she has uploaded already is interesting.








ROSALIND MARONEY - Rosalind's blog

This blog inspired me firstly for the reasons that it was personalised and i liked the illustration. Then reading the blog, it is also full of self promotion in the form of books she has illustrated as well as art she has created.

ANDREA JOSEPH - Andrea's blog

I chose Andrea's blog as an inspiration because it is a blog dedicated purely to the rough sketches and unfinished work. So it gives an insite into the rough areas of her illustration.

AOI (The Association of illustrators)

AOI www.theaoi.com

The AOI is a large agency established in 1973, to ''advance and protect illustrators rights, and encourage proffesional standards.''

Members consist primarily of freelance illustrators as well as agents, clients, students and lecturers.

The cost to join the AOI as a student is £79 a year, or £6 a month..with a joining fee of £24. With this you can upload up to 20 images at a time on your portfolio,with a free subscription to Varoom magazine.

As an illustrator you can join for £150 a year or £12.50 a month, you get added benefits like exclusive access to the AOI members page.


In the long run i dont think that i would join the AOI, its quite expensive for what it is, even for a student.
Also i dont think my work would be noticed as much owing to the size of the website.
So id rather join something a little more low key.