Jessica Greenwalt

This portfolio website is for Jessica Greenwalt, who is a freelance graphic designer. The layout for each of her pages is consistent with horizontal bands of color and orientation. The color palette of gray & white with pink accents is calm & whimsical. Along with her name & job description at the top a logo is included. Navigation of the site is provided by links at top & bottom of each page & links 1/2 way down (also horizontal) to specific portfolio categories. The portfolio category links appear as if on a ribbon that is wrapped around the middle of the site. She included a resource link that provides graphic design pay rates, gd organizations, websites, etc. Her portfolio pieces look very professional & I personally like the color scheme, but wonder if the use of pink as an accent color throughout the site would deter a possible client who is not looking for a girly product.

tiffany beasi art

Maybe I'm biased to appreciate this artist because she also paints & works with graphic design! The background which repeats on all of the pages has a layered textural feel: photograph, paint drips, tape strips, etc. I like that is has depth & doesn't appear to be totally contrived on the computer, since all of her artwork isn't computer based. Her sense of colors is similar to mine - bright & energetic. Type is kept to black & white, which doesn't interfere with the background or images displayed.

Negatives to this website: I'd like to see larger images of her work. Also the size of of visual content doesn't adjust to the size of my browser window (blank white space left at right side of screen).

One word: visceral

TWS (Theater Website Services)

This website has a well considered color palette. Variations of blue, red, and green are weaved throughout the site with the logo, links, horizontal bars that repeat, and the information box that describes the portfolio projects displayed. A few of the print portfolio projects also seem to fall within the color palette. The logo links for LinkedIn, Skype, Twitter, & RSS Feed at the bottom of the pages also appear to belong, as if considered part of the overall design instead of just being plugged in. 

The navigation seems easy to understand. Within the portfolio sections, a slide show with arrow buttons and descriptions are included. The box that displays the project images looks similar to Preview's slideshow option on Macs - the image is set in a black box with a mirrored reflection at the bottom of the image that fades out. Difference here is that a horizon line is given in the background.

A small negative: I couldn't locate information about where the design firm is located. Many links are offered for methods of contact, but no phone number or physical address. No hint of what continent they are on. Maybe this is to appeal to international clientele? Different portfolio pieces were shown for a company based in Georgia, USA and a website for theaters in India. From my understanding, being able to easily locate information about who & where help to build a sense of trust compared to vagueness.

Two words: aesthetically pleasing

10 Best to Improve Upon

 (I've actually posted 12 projects, some of these included more than one image that work together.)

Serial Cut

Serial Cut Imagemakers has a clean lined portfolio website. The images of works are the prominent feature on each page. All text, descriptions, and navigation links are aligned to the left side of the screen. This works effectively to let the image take center attention, except when the descriptions of the lower left corner aren't visible due to color similarities. When the background & text colors are similar, the viewer can still roll over the company name to highlight it. Too bad the same doesn't occur for the descriptions. (I didn't locate any other area to read information for the projects.)

One word: calming

 

No Pattern

No Pattern is Chuck Anderson's design studio and art. One of the first things I admired about this online portfolio is that multiple projects are immediately visible upon opening the website. You immediately can get a feel for the look of his work. The gray/neutral background and page tools help to showcase his highly colorful pieces without competing for your attention.

Navigating the website and finding the buttons is no mystery. They are located under the heading in the top left corner. Majority of the information given is through the images, instead of too many links to click. Thumbnails of the images can be clicked to enlarge and view other pieces from each of the projects or campaigns. After accessing a project, the viewer can scroll up or down, which moves the various pieces to the left or right. The unexpected direction of movement caught me off guard & seems very creative.

The design of this portfolio has an elegance that lets the work speak for itself. When navigating to a new page within the website, a different version of the logo heading is displayed. This adds another layer of interest for me & wow factor.

Negatives for this portfolio? I could lose myself in it, because it is all so interesting. Bright colors and lights seem to be a signature for this artist & I'm personally drawn to both visually. After perusing the site for a while my eyes do crave soft lighting.

One word: exciting