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azukizero · May 2, 2005, 06:19 PM

I just put up my new portfolio site containing some projects from school (which I'm graduating from tomorrow! yay!) and some photos.

I've been studying print design for the past couple of years but I've played around with web design. Still, I'm curious what other people, besides family and friends, think of it.

I appreciate any feedback and thanks for taking the time to check it out.

http://www.demiankato.com/

pyn · May 2, 2005, 07:00 PM

first of all

DO NOT USE PHOTOSHOP/IMAGEREADY TO CODE IT FOR YOU ESPECIALLY IT IS CRAP [the code]

the design is meh but much better than the crap which is becoming more and more noticeable

FYI it doesn't fit on a 1024x768 screen...something to consider :'(

KeriVit · May 2, 2005, 08:55 PM

It has strong points and low points. Better than some of the things I did in my first portfolio. It seems kind of "schoolish". You have the right ideas, but has anything been accomplished for actual "Print" yet? Have you designed anything on a budget under the restaraints of a client?

azukizero · May 2, 2005, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by KeriVit

It has strong points and low points. Better than some of the things I did in my first portfolio. It seems kind of "schoolish". You have the right ideas, but has anything been accomplished for actual "Print" yet? Have you designed anything on a budget under the restaraints of a client?

Thank you for checking it out. I haven't had the opportunity to design anything under the limitations you mention, but I'm ready. I'm not sure what you mean by 'schoolish'. I'm fresh out of school and both the projects and their descriptions in my site accurately represent that but I don't think I can transcend it without real work experience.

I'm currently looking for work opportunities so my portfolio should mature with experience.

art_director · May 3, 2005, 06:53 AM

I believe what KeriVit is trying to get at is that digging up some real world assignments will go a long way. Try approaching some more non-profits and small businesses that give you the chance to learn.

art_director · May 3, 2005, 07:01 AM

The fact is school will give you a base. Now build on that foundation. You have pieces that are obviously school projects � replace them with real work.

Please understand I'm not knocking you, we all start where you are.

One approach that works for many people in your shoes is to peruse the local newspapers and magazines. Try to find businesses that could benefi from your new found knowledge. Approach them and try to do some work they can run in the local pubs. You should be able to make some cash and work on your book at the same time. Not to mention you'll get real world experience of sorts.

azukizero · May 3, 2005, 10:05 AM

Thank you very much for your feedback. There are a couple of places (businesses, non-profits) that I've loosely spoken with about doing some work. I'll try being more aggressive about finding opportunities.

Honestly, before I put up my site, I really didn't have anything concrete to show potential clients. I had a few printed pieces but nothing gathered together into a nice tangible portfolio. This is my next project. Now that I have a website to offer them, so they can actually see some work, I feel a little more confident to ask for business.

I really do appreciate all the feedback.

In response to pyn: I used Dreamweaver to create the site. I've hand coded HTML before but for production purposes, as well as using Javascript I don't know by hand, Dreamweaver was the best choice.

art_director · May 3, 2005, 11:02 AM

Many of the small clients you'll find locally will not be marketing saavy. It's likely they won't even ask for samples of your work.

andi*pandi · May 3, 2005, 11:21 AM

I think it's pretty good for a recent grad--you have to interview with *something* to show. Your illustrative abilities are better than your typography. I liked the flower design shop and the cd cover. You should weed out things that aren't saleable or are weak--like the web font exercise and the calendar.

certainly it's better than the nothing I have up online, so you get two points for initiative.

D3SIGN3R · May 25, 2005, 03:09 PM

your calendar project copy has a spelling error...tessallation; it should read tessellation. spelling is crucial in design. we all make errors and it usually takes someone else to point them out!

Randman · May 25, 2005, 03:20 PM

The pages take an awful long time to load. I can understand wanting quality proofs but many prospective employers aren't going to wait for everything to load.
The designs aren't bad though the writing is weak. The descriptions need to be improved, imo.

azukizero · Jun 4, 2005, 11:43 AM

Thanks for the great feedback.
I've updated my site, cleaning up the design a little and reducing the size of the files for faster loading.

I'd really appreciate some insight into how I can improve the layout of my resume page. It looks fine in IE but gets stretched down in FireFox. The page has a triple nested layer (the bulleted list) which I know can be problematic. I'd like to keep the layout and I'm open to any suggestions. I'm not skilled enough with CSS to accomplish this but I'm willing to learn if thats the best solution.

Thanks!

http://www.demiankato.com/

KeriVit · Jun 5, 2005, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by azukizero

Thanks for the great feedback.
I've updated my site, cleaning up the design a little and reducing the size of the files for faster loading.

I'd really appreciate some insight into how I can improve the layout of my resume page. It looks fine in IE but gets stretched down in FireFox. The page has a triple nested layer (the bulleted list) which I know can be problematic. I'd like to keep the layout and I'm open to any suggestions. I'm not skilled enough with CSS to accomplish this but I'm willing to learn if thats the best solution.

Thanks!

http://www.demiankato.com/

Lookin good.

budster101 · Jun 6, 2005, 09:03 AM

I like it.