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Archive for the ‘Design’ Category

Portfolio Showcase: Kristen Byers

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Our latest Portfolio Showcase comes from designer and writer Kristen Byers. For a closer look, click on the screenshots to visit the respective area of her portfolio at kristenbyers.net.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I work at the Monterey Institute of International Studies as the New Media Development Specialist. I mostly work with the Institute’s web and social media presences, but I get to design print documents from time to time. I also pick up the occasional freelance project, and my portfolio definitely comes in handy for that.

How long have you had an online portfolio?
I’ve had a formal online portfolio since the spring of 2006, so for about 4 years now. You can still view the first iteration of my portfolio online. My portfolio has evolved quite a bit since then as I discovered that a content management system would make it way easier for me to add and feature new portfolio pieces. I’ve been using WordPress for my portfolio since 2008.

What was your design process?
I always start by choosing a color palette and then a typeface for my name. For some reason I see these as small, achievable goals that help me get the design ideas to start flowing. Then I seek out a WordPress theme that meets my basic needs (in terms of general layout, number of columns, built-in contact form, etc.). Determining my WordPress theme needs is probably the hardest part. Once I find a WordPress template that I can use as a starting point, I tweak the heck out of it to make it my own.

Do you have any advice for other designers about creating online portfolios?
Remember that your digital portfolio is an ongoing process — it’s never really “done”. I have found that the best time to work on my portfolio (and resume, for that matter) is when I’m not actively seeking employment. That way the pressure is off and I feel much more relaxed about my design and content decisions. I highly recommend soliciting feedback from friends and coworkers during this time.

Also, don’t forget to create a favicon for your portfolio. It’s a great finishing touch (and often a fun challenge to try to represent yourself in 16×16 pixels!).

Tags: freelance, Portfolio Showcase, portfolios, web design, Writing
Posted in Design | Comments Off

New resource: Bounce

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

I came across Bounce on Twitter the other day, and its “fun and easy way to share ideas on a website” tagline says it all. Simply add your notes and then share via your social network of choice.

This is a great tool for designers who want an easy way to give and get feedback on various phases of a site design. Anyone else using this yet?

bounce-app-bw

Tags: resources
Posted in Design, Web | Comments Off

Portfolio Showcase: Victoria Pater

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

Our latest Portfolio Showcase comes from graphic designer Victoria Pater. For a closer look, click on the screenshots to visit the respective area of her portfolio at victoriapater.com.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a full-time freelance graphic designer living in (and loving) Chicago. I design for both print and the web, but like to think I specialize in logos & branding. I’m also slightly obsessed with typography and Twitter.

How long have you had an online portfolio?
I launched my online portfolio in November. It’s gone through one massive redesign since then, but my main goal for ’09 was just to get my blog and portfolio up at victoriapater.com. This year I’ll focus on loving how it looks!

What was your design process?
My portfolio site runs on Squarespace, so I picked an extremely minimal theme and designed around that structure. There were a few elements I had to add manually, such as the Twitter feed header. By tweaking existing code, I ended up customizing a lot of the site. Overall, the design was kept simple to showcase a wide range of work.

Do you have any advice for other designers about creating online portfolios?
My suggestion would be to find a platform that works for you (whether if be WordPress, Indexhibit, Cargo, or Squarespace), then customize it. They have all the main elements you need, plus the social and community aspects are already built in.

Tags: freelance, graphic design, Portfolio Showcase, portfolios
Posted in Design | Comments Off

Portfolio Showcase: Sarah Jackson

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Our latest Portfolio Showcase comes from designer and illustrator Sarah Jackson. For a closer look, click on the screenshots to visit the respective area of her portfolio at sarahjackson.ca.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a freelance designer and illustrator based out of Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). I went to Grant MacEwan University for Design Studies (Illustration stream) and after 3 years of illustrating and another 3 years of doing graphic design for various companies, I decided to take the leap and begin my own freelance studio. Sarah Jackson Design + Illustration was born a year ago and cuss, I’m loving it!

How long have you had an online portfolio?
Before I went freelance, I had an online Flash portfolio (NIGHTMARE!) that I ignored on a regular basis. When I started freelancing full-time I knew that I no longer had any excuse and that I’d have to do something about that god-awful Flash take-a-whole-coffee-break-to-load Nightmare… I’ve had my current customized WordPress portfolio since the Fall of 2009 and it’s been serving me very well.

What was your design process?
I feel like there is a lot of design on the web that is overwhelmingly busy and cluttered. It’s like we’re trying to scare people with our quantity instead of impressing them with our quality, and it never fails to give me a headache. I purposefully chose a VERY simple, very clean aesthetic for my website (a free WordPress theme), and then worked with my brother Justin Jackson to customize and tweak it so that it contained all of the elements that I needed. Lots of back and forth and edits. For example, one thing I really wanted for my site was ridiculously easy navigation – so, now my viewers can access my portfolio from the top menu, but my projects are also all listed and clickable along the right side of the template: easy access at all times, and viewers know exactly how many projects/what types of projects I’m featuring.

I know other designers on your blog have already said this, but it’s worth repeating: more than anything else, I needed my site to reflect me: my personality, my quirks, my uniqueness! Opposed to what some people may believe, I think that clients hire people, not just skills. Generally they hire someone that they know can do the job AND that they will like to work with: I’ve seen it time and time again, and the fact that 100% of my clients are mine through networking and personal referrals speaks for itself. I chose the layout, colors, writing style, and aesthetic to all communicate both my skills and my personality as well.

Finally, I wanted my site to be engaging – that is, to get viewers interested in me and my work, and to encourage viewers to return to my site. My answer to this was to have a “Monthly Highlight” – like a blog feature, but more like a short monthly newsletter – as my home page. Every month I highlight a different project, idea or something design-related that I’m excited about. This adds value to my site, so that people always leave feeling like their time on my site was well spent. I’ve found it’s good to offer value because it shows viewers that you respect them and their time.

Do you have any advice for other designers about creating online portfolios?
Have a purpose and build your portfolio to suit that purpose!

Tags: illustration, Portfolio Showcase, portfolios
Posted in Design | Comments Off

An experiment in crowdsourced web design

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Joining a blogathon means committing yourself to a month of daily blogging—not an easy task. For this year’s WordCount Blogathon, one blogger approached the challenge with an experiment in web design.

Ron Doyle—freelance writer, web designer, and author of Blog Salad—let his readers vote on different elements of his blog’s design.

Yes, I know, my blog looks like it was created in 1994. Here’s why: For the next 31 days, you will decide the fate of my blog’s design. I’ll walk you through the stages of development and you’ll vote. I will make changes daily based on the results of my polls.

Everything, from layout and navigation to fonts and colors, was crowdsourced. Now, “design by committee” is a phrase that has come to represent the negative result of too many people having a say in a design project. It was even spoofed in “The Process“, a video that shows what the stop sign would look like if it had been designed by committee.

I admit that when I first read about Ron’s experiment, I saw it as a huge risk. I know my personal concerns would run along the lines of, “What if they choose a color I hate?” Or, “What if they insist on using Comic Sans in the logo because it’s ‘fun’?”

But while having too many opinions from people who aren’t knowledgeable about design has the potential to lead to disaster, isn’t it the job of the designer to incorporate requests, translate technical jargon for the client, and ultimately produce a design that is—while perhaps not what you would have done alone—still cohesive and professional? In his decision to hand over creative control to the internet, Ron turned a month of blogging into a month of learning how to be a better designer.

Breaking down the process this way makes me realize how complicated my job as a designer really is. For every decision that you made, I had to make three more to execute it. And there are at least 31 more things that need to be done. It’s an endless to-do list of those little details that only matter when someone stumbles upon them.

And it’s why [...] I’m more proud today of what I do for a living than I was 31 days ago. So, sincerely, thank you for helping me confirm my professional purpose.

What do you think? Good idea, or bad idea? Take a look at the transformation of Blog Salad over 31 days, condensed into 33 seconds.

Tags: web design
Posted in Design, Web | 1 Comment »

Portfolio Showcase: Joe Sak

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Our latest Portfolio Showcase comes from web developer Joe Sak. For a closer look, click on the screenshots to visit the respective area of his portfolio at www.joesak.com.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Joe Sak, I’m a web developer in Chicago, IL. Currently, I work full-time with 4 other people at Neoteric Design, Inc. I love bikes, music, technology, books, and friendship.

How long have you had an online portfolio?
For over 3 years.

What was your design process?
I picked a theme on WordPress that was elegant and matched my tastes, then I chose a highly rated plugin for the portfolio and because it was so easy to use, I stuck with it. I picked my favorite projects from memory and wrote about them. I wrote what the project was, what my role on the team was, and the skills I used. I also decided to write about my employers and freelance experience. For me, the writing is the centerpiece of my portfolio. It aims to communicate effectively and comprehensively my contribution to the teams and clients I have had the pleasure of working with.

Do you have any advice for other developers about creating online portfolios?
Pick your favorite work, write about it freely, don’t nitpick yourself to death, and just start sharing with others.

Tags: Portfolio Showcase, portfolios
Posted in Design, Web | 1 Comment »

Type matters

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

If you are ever having a discussion (or argument) with someone who doesn’t believe that type matters, then demonstrate your point by showing them this:

audrey-type

These are two identical photos of Audrey Hepburn, only one is captioned in Bodoni and one is captioned in Comic Sans. The distinctive style of each typeface alters the perception of the image—classic or comical?

This is just one of the examples that graphic designer and I Love Typography (ILT) founder John Boardley shared at Type Matters last week in Japan.

I’ve been reading ILT for a few years now, so when I heard John was going to be speaking in Tokyo, I cleared my calendar, added my name to the waiting list, and crossed my fingers that I’d get bumped up. It was wonderful to sit in a room with other type lovers and hear John talk about its history and usage. Here are some of the tips he shared about the four elements of good typography: Contrast, Size, Hierarchy, and White Space.

Check for contrast by printing out your design in grayscale.
Text is the most important element on any page and it should always be a legible size.
Use typography to establish a visual hierarchy.
Many designers fear white space, but typography is about balancing the black and white.

To learn more, check out John’s Guide to Web Typography. In fact, if you’re not already reading I Love Typography, go, browse, learn. There is a ton of content on all aspects of typography, and it’s a fantastic resource whether you’re a professional designer or a type enthusiast.

And for some typographical inspiration, here are some shots I took during the historical part of John’s presentation. You can click on each image for a closer look.

Tags: inspiration, typography
Posted in Design | 1 Comment »

Portfolio Showcase: Matthew Allard

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Our latest Portfolio Showcase comes from fiction writer Matthew Allard. For a closer look, click on the screenshots to visit the respective area of his portfolio at matthewallard.com.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a fiction writer living in Los Angeles, CA. I’ve always loved writing and enjoyed the storytelling process. I grew up in Michigan, went to school in Chicago and then moved to L.A. to work as a television screenwriter. I got lucky with a few nice entertainment industry jobs, and I got to take a stab at writing/producing in the “real world.” Surprise, surprise: It wasn’t all that I’d imagined it to be. I didn’t like it. But I still loved to write. I switched gears and attempted to break into print and web publishing (which seemed the direction that writing was heading anyway). I landed a gig as an editor for a national cityguide website, and I started writing fiction—my real passion—on the side. That lasted about 3 years; I recently left to pursue freelance opportunities and complete my debut story collection, which will feature illustrations by a good friend of mine named Ian Dingman.

How long have you had an online portfolio?
I’ve had blogs where I’ve aimed to showcase my writing for the last 6 or 7 years. I launched a true sort of portfolio hub 3 years ago.

What was your design process?
First and foremost, I wanted to have a site that reflected myself. I wanted it to be personal and have personality. It was, and is, important to me to maintain something that isn’t stock. It seems like everyone wants to be a writer. And, sure, there is something to be said for letting your work speak for itself—yet, I wanted my design to be memorable as well. I’m fortunate to be working with Ian and have the luxury of using his illustrations in my current design. So it feels cohesive, and, since our aesthetics are super complimentary, it works as a great representation of myself. Beyond that, I believe in making it simple simple simple. I think my site is very simple to navigate and find the goods.

Do you have any advice for other writers about creating online portfolios?
Again: Simplicity is key. If I can’t find your work in one click, it’s tedious. At the point that someone is coming to my portfolio, I kinda view it as them doing me a favor. In that, I want to treat them like they are a guest in my home: I’ll wait on you. That said, I’m all for the creativity of portfolios. Express who you are. Not everyone has an illustrator pal in their back pocket, I know. But showing your personality in a welcome message, maybe some personal pictures, etc. People want to work with real people. That seems important. I have a blog attached to my portfolio for a bit of that reason. (And I have a separate blog for rants and nonsense and whatever else aside from my portfolio site.)

My goal with the portfolio was to have a one-stop-shop for the polished me. My fiction writing is what I’m most passionate and motivated toward right now, so my site is geared solely toward my work in that area. The blog on the portfolio has a few things that I’m interested in, but most often it’s become more of a “news” section. I use that blog to write about professional updates, cool life news and releases, etc. Then it’s easy to click over and see some samples of my work. Or, a picture of me (to put a face to the work). Or, my bio.

Lastly, I believe in business cards. Corny as that may be in “selling yourself.” I have a business card designed in the same theme as my portfolio site. It has my phone number, my name, my email and my web address on it. Start sending people to your portfolio site! Business cards are an affordable take-away. Super easy. I know they seem like something reserved for a company man. But you are the CEO of yourself. You are the product/brand to someone who may want your work or expertise. You should have a personal business card.

Tags: Portfolio Showcase, portfolios
Posted in Design, Writing | 2 Comments »

Portfolio Showcase: Sacha Greif

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

The first in our Portfolio Showcase series comes from web designer Sacha Greif. For a closer look, click on the screenshots to visit the respective area of his portfolio at www.sachagreif.com.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a 26-years-old French web designer. Although I now specialize in web and user interface design, I don’t really have a design background. I originally studied computer science and mathematics, as well as Chinese (I’ve lived and worked in China for a short while). So from a design perspective, I’m still a rookie and learning every day.

How long have you had an online portfolio?
I’ve had a portfolio since I started my freelancing career (after one year of working for UNESCO), so it would be about two and a half years. I’ve had the current version for the last six months.

Sacha’s portfolio is navigated using thumbnail rollover images.

Each portfolio piece has a project overview that includes goals, specs, and images.

Clickable images allow for close-ups of portfolio pieces.

What was your design process?
Wow, where do I begin? The design process was frustrating, long, and ultimately fruitless. I went through about 12 variations on two or three different ideas without being satisfied. Ultimately, I decided to completely scrap all of my designs and use a free theme to at least have something to show. After all, a single mediocre site is better than countless great Photoshop concepts.

In the end I modified that theme until I was satisfied, and the result is something that I can live with at least for a few more months. The lesson here is that what makes designing your own portfolio so hard is that you don’t have anything to start from. So using something else as a starting point can be a good way to move forward.

Sacha uses the footer for his About Me, Latest Posts, and Contact Me sections.

Do you have any advice for other designers about creating online portfolios?
The most important thing is setting your goals first. Do you want to get new clients? Raise your profile by writing witty blog posts? Target a special niche? Get hired? If you’re not sure, the easiest and safest route is always to put your work forward. A lot of aspiring web designers don’t have a big client portfolio yet, so they put a blog or huge “Hello, my name is…” tagline first. But the truth is that potential clients want to see your work, not become your best friend or comment on your blog.

Also, it’s always good to add a little personality to your portfolio, but a lot of designers try too hard. It’s become a trend to add a huge welcoming message to your homepage, but this often feels fake and forced. I don’t advise on following trends too much on your portfolio, because it will become dated very quickly. Better to have something a little more neutral that you can use for a few years.

Tags: Portfolio Showcase, portfolios
Posted in Design, Web | 2 Comments »

Portfolio Showcase Series

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

Designing your online portfolio can be a daunting task. Not only are you choosing portfolio pieces and trying to craft the perfect “about me” statement, but you’re also thinking about things like color palettes and web hosting. If your design (or redesign) process was at all like mine, then you know how it can sometimes leave you feeling frustrated and uninspired.

To help, we’re starting a new series for beyondwords: Portfolio Showcase. Inspired by great feedback from our readers, this series will feature the online portfolios of writers, editors, and designers. Along with providing visual inspiration, the featured professionals will also share their design process and advice for creating online portfolios.

The first in the series will be up Thursday, so be sure to check it out. If you would like to share your portfolio or one that has inspired you, please share links in the comments or email us. Thank you in advance to all the talented contributors for what promises to be another fantastic series!

Tags: Portfolio Showcase
Posted in Design, Web | 7 Comments »