Hi a while ago I asked Arigato about my logo design, probably I took his advice and learnt and then ignored it and went in another direction compleatly... anyway think I have made progress, but everything I add seems wrong I am not sure how to take in further or in what way. What fonts to go with etc... Obviously I have paintings although happy to create new stuff that fits, would like to do some more timeline animation, some video, 3d etc... and into haXe and sharing ideas and code I sort of mod the haXe forum although woe fully under qualified but I seem to be ok at pointing unanswered posts in the right direction, sometimes I create some semi useful code and have the odd good idea, I don't want to go word press and I could try javascript jeash or haXe javascript diy, flash4! or just go with flash 11 and start trying shaders... I have a day job but want to explore, sort feel I am a flasher by heart so irrespective of conventions - flash maybe with some 3d is my direction -f the web standards lot it's my space to abuse, I don't have to prove anything just want to go somewhere interesting, maybe as a backup plan to my current work I want to get my ideas up in my area, also maybe prove i can do visual stuff as well as code - I want a mix. Anyway it's a blank box where should I take it? Any suggestions?
ps I toyed with justinfront.com and before that and between I had many compeate mistakes, think the design is ok and works for me but need to take it further with content, in terms of flash I like to think I can do anything... and if flash is my medium then standards aside I think I should commit to it. So thoughts, abuse etc 
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A swf loads, but it's just a blank area below the logo?
OSX, Chrome
yer I have put stuff in it but does not work - just trying to get some ideas, font suggestions would be very helpful never any clue about font, but also thinking about navigation/content management, so like I said really just wanted to get some ideas, I was thinking about a horizontal scroll. I have some bit's and pieces I want to experiment with or take a bit further, I am sure I can make stuff to go in it, but unless the nav and structure is right and flexible enough then it won't happen. I am not saying design me a site I am saying please throw me some ideas to bounce around in my head with my own.
I guess I am thinking when i check various places on the web often I feel uninspired, I want to create a place I can actively try things and do things that inspire me, ie because it's there I will add to it, and I don't want linear blog approach, but something less about time, but there must be others that have felt similar and had interesting approaches I can learn from. I guess less text more image/movement/code. For instance one approach might be to just add a google search to the site?http://code.google.com/apis/websearch/docs/#fonje But that's probably a very lazy and bad approach and if I use normal # flash address or similar maybe it won't get indexed anyway.
I'd actually create 2 separate threads, one in projects for the interface/ general critique and one in design for the logo / font questions. As it is though since this is very general I will move into projects.
Are you saying that you want this to be a lunching point of various things you've worked on, or more of a portfolio? I find it really hard to put a project together if I'm not clear about what it's for. This might be part of the reason you're struggling.
Some design points:
On the logo - there are a couple small nitpicky things that bothers my eye, namely that the bottom of the U and the curled leg of the R don't touch the bottom edge of the black line. Also I really want to see the U with the scoop in it, right now next to the S it all makes a pretty strange blob, really messes with the overall legibility. If that's a firm design choice, no worries, just offering feedback.
The overall layout - Is this supposed to be a phone app? The box seems an awkward size for the browser page... if it were a little tinier it might seem intentional, or more like a normal site if it were larger and closer to the top. Also the bottom corners, with the angles and the fact that you've defined that space and made a box, you're going to struggle more with trying to put things in it that fit with the overall layout.
I would suggest making the logo area with the black background more of a header, set that at the top of the page, and then build a catalog of your projects in a scrollable page beneath. Don't worry about defining the bottom corners, it's really not necessary and would only detract from the catalog entries.
The projects catalog - As far as font goes, just stick with a simple serif or sans-serif font for now and focus more on a common convention for each project entry. Also, will your list of projects feature all the info about the project and maybe a hyperlink to the site or page, or do you want the home page to be a condensed list that expands or takes you to a project details page to get more info on click? Once you figure out how you want the immediate information to be available, then you can get around to styling the font and so forth.
When you get to the font choice, it's usually good to find a font that's not too weird, but looks good with your logo. Whether serif or san-serif, I think a thin and light typeface might help offset the bulkiness and illegibility of the logo. Also choose one typeface and stick with it, designers will rag on you if you have one typeface for the header, another for the logo, a third for the copy, and another for some other thing like the navigation or callouts etc.
That's a slew of feedback for ya, take it or leave it. I try to be very objective, and have no idea how committed to details you might be - as such not looking to ruffle feathers or nitpick on things that you've long ago established and moved on from. One final question, are you using Illustrator to build the logo and the page mockup? Or Flash or...?
Thad Thanks for the feedback, it's designed directly in flash, it's the medium I know best, I expect Illustrator would be better or inkscape or photoshop but it would take longer and this way I can do stuff with it easier. I would be interested in where your going with the logo suggestions ( quick mod or sketch ), but sort of happy with it, but I think I can always improve. For dimensions... I am not sure on phone dimensions but I was thinking about keeping it small for that reason it's important market and I want experiments to target them, and for any 3d i throw in but I am worried about fitting content in. in terms of moving it nearer the top or something maybe I am not so hot on html formats but can experiment. I made the box because the logo seemed to need it - some how it did not work without sides?
I guess I won't need products on this site, ie I don't want to put any commercial work up there a because it's problematic and because I only do code for comercial stuff or some code tweens and this place is for my mix of code and painting so its just me to expand and diversify, and maybe more sort of stuff I want to make or stuff I am exploring so it can be commercial feeling but all mine.
Since I have a full time at mo portfolio is not so important, maybe why I am more interested in doing something with my domain I don't have to succeed and I can take it where I want, no need to care if it is web safe/standards, but that could always change, I think really I want somewhere that contributes my ideas and where I can focus and make clear I can do more than code but also that I can do serious code.
Not sure if that makes total sense, but I am very able at painting and never ment to become pure coder, not that I don't love it but there are better coders so I prefer to do something my way, and there seems to be lots of barriers in companies, flashers sit here illustrators here, designers here, game designers here... not saying I am good at lots of things just lots of things interest me, so I want a place that connects with that sort of approach and people.
I guess I used to make lots of stuff when I was young, probably not well like clothes, paintings furniture etc... never in a neat way but more experimental, now days I do computers more but I want to get back to the creative side, I don't want to have to justify that, I want it to be there online, so when something interesting is needed I am asked first. I am so far from a graphics designer it's untrue, but for a visual person, it's really annoying not to be allowed to comment on colors movements etc.. and I often post bits of code, or help people but it would be good to have it in my place. I think I start lots of ideas but often don't finish them, but when I do its good so I need to make a place to finish ideas.
tiny comment : the page title doesn't match with the url
Opps, thanks for noticing. I was keen to throw a wrapper round the swf and reuse some html. Not had much chance to do anything with my container... I worked till midnight at work yesterday and been helping a friend, hopefully they will both go live soon and I will have some time to experiment.
JLM, if it's going to be a kind of creative dumping ground for you, I'd make it as freeform as possible. As it stands it looks cramped and closed in. I would lose the border and use the whole browser window as your canvas. I also don't care much for the logo or colours, I'm more of a fan of clean almost minimalist personal branding letting the content on the site engage the visitor.
My 2c: Work up a consistent, but loose and playful visual language and structure. Maybe some sort of animated thumbnail sketchpad type interface arranged loosely on the page, with visual cues or iconography to suggest whether the links are code snippets, paintings etc. Make it so the links to the various items are able to be thrown around, perhaps have them bounce off each other. Maybe have an interface element that reacts when your thumbs are dragged into it.
When activated, the links could stay under the cursor while the whole page slides away, opening up another full browser canvas to display the particular piece of content. This way, each page could have its own unique theme and you could really have some fun with it.
Nat I was thinking of the border creating a focal point but also something that could be played with, so I see this limitation as a plus, I will have a think about your ideas but the bouncy icons are over used. Thank you for the suggestions you are probably right.
No prob mate. I find its always harder to do your own thing. My wife jokes that in the 8 years we've been together, she's never seen me finish my own site