Different style of Portfolio Site

[smadamij]

http://thegraphicquarter.com/

I'm playing with this different style of web portfolio as frankly I just got bored with my other one thats the standard header, 3 boxes under, 3 boxes under that, footer, etc... I like the fact its not like very other bloody design site on earth. yawn...

I think its going to become primarly a blog to be honest but just building it up. Its quite a weird one cos the portfolio is the home page, there are no sections to speak of. Its good in that it makes you think what are the 15 most popular pieces. Getting my defence in early, ive started posting the pieces that get me the most work on my other site, not my personal favourites, as there's no point being precious, im in it for the money and if I wasn't i'd be a fine artist.

The plusses? Its responsive. Take a look, slide the browser window around or look at it on your phone or tablet. The negatives? I dunno.... and this is where you come in.

Comments welcomed honestly, im looking for constructive comments, not 'i dont like it' or comments on the gradients in logos etc as thats, well, you know.... I know I will get some really good pointers here so please fire away, thanks in advance and i'll be checking back when I can

ta

Jim

[Cosmo]

The kerning/tracking is too tight for me. It makes it less legible.

[Buda]

Interesting. Each section feels like I've entered different website, but each of those websites are pretty generic to me. I guess if you're going for generic, that's good. I like how it looks very open and uncluttered though. Most websites have a crap-ton of links or navigation.

[smadamij]

Thanks for the feedback, I considered adjusting the kerning and leading but on reflection I feel it's readable - Its very bold and viewed across many devices and platforms, it's fairly consistent. Regards the generic feel, I see where you're coming from but that was semi-purposeful. I want big image, punchy message, call to action and let it have room to breathe.

Yes, each section is almost a separate webpage. Thank you. It was my intention to keep it ultra simple, and in time the homepage 'portfolio' will scroll down to include about 15 pieces, or promotions.

This is a bit of an experiment in seeing how 'Joe Public' interacts with this style of site, and will it work for them. I've had good feedback from designers, but they wont commission me, I want to get feedback from customers and non-web designers next.

It may fall flat on its backside, or it may attract different customers my main site fails to grab. Thats the aim here, experimentation. If it doesnt work in 3 months, it will transform to a blog with the aim of driving traffic.

Thanks for taking the time, appreciate it.

[coco]

I like it a lot! Different than the average portfolio. Good job!

[smadamij]

Cheers Coco, appreciate that!

[infinity]

touching on buda's comment, it does give the feel of moving into different sites as you scroll through (btw i like the scrolling effect on sites, and what you have done with yours i feel is pretty neat) however at the same time you have seemed to (at least to me) found a way to connect each different area together to make your site a whole.

the name does feel a little tight to me too, but again i feel it ties into the website a little bit. and for me its still readable/legible. everyone is going to see/read/perceive things differently when it comes to that so i have learned at some point you just have to leave it when its working because your not going to be able to please everyone.

an example on that: for years when i looked at the GE logo i thought it was an H and wondered how the heck their name was GE when their logo was an H it wasnt until just a couple of months ago that i realized that its a g and an e.

[smadamij]

Thanks infinity,

I think you're right - I'm just going to back this design now all the way and build on it. Overall the feedback has been positive, and any negatives are for things that you could argue are subjective. But at least the Ui and feel of the site is going down well. Onward and upward from here on in I say

Thanks for all the comments, really appreciate it.

Jim

[troop1]

I really enjoyed the fresh feel of it and it's nice to have a different experience on a website. I like the sort of serenity of each space and the resulting clarity of message.

but that said, I did start to get a sensation of being lost once I started choosing what to look back at after browsing what was available (as people are apt to do). I actually felt almost like the design was challenging me. which is an odd feeling and perhaps contradictory the aim of a portfolio. Unless you're so busy with work you're using the site to filter out the impatient/unimaginative clients (tempting idea *whistle*) I did feel it was missing some kind of navigation aid.

small niggle stuff:
For me the 'back to top' speed is far to fast given the tonal contrast between the spaces. It creates a violent and unpleasant strobe effect at odds with the otherwise calm vibe.
_blank target the external links. (unless this is another clever potential client filter )

but overall, like I said. I like it.

[sbowes]

As someone re-vamping his portfolio site, I appreciate this interesting approach! I like the nice big images and simple blurbs that lay out what you can do and entice you to check out some more. The call to action at the bottom is really nice too. I imagine this works really nicely on a mobile device too, though I have yet to try it since my cell is rendered useless in my basement office!

I can agree with some of the other points about the name being a little tight and the navigation being a little bit challenging since it is so sparse. A simple nav that is locked at the top that allows you to scroll directly to web or illustration from anywhere might be a nice feature to increase ease of use