So I threw up a super-simple portfolio site (using a generic ass web2 design). Can you guys take a look-see and let me know if there are any technical issues? I know there's a ton of stuff I need to do, like explain the projects better and all that, but I just wanted to get something out the door and I started yesterday afternoon. http://www.scottyweeks.com
I'm going to set up the tumblr feed to only grab posts with certain tags (e.g. rails, development, javascript, node.js, and so on), but I wanted to see how it came together first.
It's somewhat irritating that the Indaba and kanon images are cut off. Otherwise it works okay . windows XP; Chrome 13.0.782.220
Looks great.
A few quick thoughts: - load time was slow... like almost a full minute - no clear way to return to the portfolio from the contact page
With your particular portfolio and archive of photos from NYC nightlife, I'd push the personal branding aspect of it. "Sure you could hire any ol' JQuery guy, but I'll bring the sexy. See what I did for Kanon..." Just my two unsolicited cents.
Had you thought of having an option to watch a short clip of the sites... linking off to clients sites has so many problems but static images are very limited, but a short recording of you navigating a site you worked on may work... just something I was thinking about for my page change portfolio, but I am not sure really of best options for javascript, the sublimevideo used onhttp://haxecasts.com/ might be an option anyone got opinions on it... or I could just have flash?
Originally posted by: baron ruhstoff Looks great.
A few quick thoughts: - load time was slow... like almost a full minute - no clear way to return to the portfolio from the contact page
With your particular portfolio and archive of photos from NYC nightlife, I'd push the personal branding aspect of it. "Sure you could hire any ol' JQuery guy, but I'll bring the sexy. See what I did for Kanon..." Just my two unsolicited cents.
Good points. The load time is because heroku spins down their server instances if you aren't getting traffic. What I need to do is set up a pingdom account to hit the site every five minutes or so to keep the instance running.
As for returning to the portfolio, the 'previous' button didn't stick out enough? Also, the back button works, but I imagine most people wouldn't pick that up.
Good call on the last bit, I'd like to do a bit of personal branding along those lines.
JLM, that's a cool idea.
Looks pretty good, but don't like how the next/prev buttons move around.
Originally posted by: Stinky As for returning to the portfolio, the 'previous' button didn't stick out enough? Also, the back button works, but I imagine most people wouldn't pick that up.
Ya, the portfolio items are very different birds from the contact page, so it takes a bit of a cognitive leap to see them as part of the same sequence. If you go that route, some sort of indicator letting the user know where he is in the series would help get around the disconnect.
Good call, I'll rethink it.
I'd be interested to know what wingworm could do with your personal site's design. Your personality seems much more raw and honest and this is more muted colors and barely there. Like a 35 pounds overweight teenage girl at the prom in a beige dress, it's screaming please don't look at me.
I mean, that's something I prefer for my own sites, so I know why we choose these things, and it's also easy for someone flipping through resumes to scan fast and know that you can do some web work, but it doesn't say much at all about how you actually kick ass at it, which is a huge difference. That was a terrible sentence.
I know you weren't looking for that type of feedback, shrug.
I completely understand what you're getting at, persist. I feel that way about it as well, it's very bland and there's not a lot to it. I really just needed a basic website to point adwords at for drumming up freelance work (I'm not ashamed). As the freelance thing grows a bit, I'll put more time into the site.
Good call about wingy though. He'd do a frickin' amazing job, when I can afford him I'll drop him a line 
ah, that works for adwords, no doubt then. Hopefully you'll have some writing on there?
Maybe it's just me, or maybe I'm just old, but it seems ... odd to me to have photos of your dog, gf, nights of drunken revelry, etc. at the bottom of a 'portfolio' site.
Loads super quick here but the big display fonts are rendering aliased (chrome, XP)
Design wise I like, in almost every regard, but the sample pane drop shadow doesn't work for me, it reads like an incomplete stroke. I'd do a very thin stroke or a more apple-style bottom shadow.
Not a huge fan of the teal but hey, no big. Turquoise blue would look much nicer though, sayin'.
I find the instagram pics out of place, too, but I kind of dig what you're getting at. If you really really really want them OK, but at least let them flow horizontally & wrap instead.
Nah, they are just sort of coming through the tumblr feed because I haven't added a filter to it yet. Good call though.
Half the N and all the G in Specializing as well as most of the T in Javascript is being cut off by your content box on my computer and that's after I expanded my browser window as much as possible, which I don't usually do.
I would make that text a bit smaller because I also don't like that CONTACT ME is going on two lines again because of my browser window's size. Maybe instead of having words drop a line if the window compresses you could have the font get smaller.
Then I agree with most of what everyone else says.
For your goal, its just fine. in terms of things i might consider doing: + opt to line up the tumblr feed under the main portfolio content for visual continuity/grid layout + put the next and previous along the bottom of the main portfolio so their position remains constant + some sort of visual indicator for how many items in the main portfolio area that updates as you move through (1, 2, 3, etc). + i'd break out the contact form from the portfolio content since from a continuity aspect it doesn't flow with the other items.
you've got more than just those portfolio items though i assume.