- Use WordPress as a content management system [CMS] to allow me to easily update my portfolio.
- Ensure the website validates to both CSS 2.1 and XHTML 1.0 [Strict].
- Ensure my portfolio is compatible across the following browsers: Firefox 3.5+, Internet Explorer 7.0+, Safari 4+, and Google Chrome.
- Include a secure easy to use contact form.
- Use a lightbox function to enable users to see my work in greater detail
Competitive analysis
Previous students on the course will form a large proportion of my closest competitors. Therefore I have decided to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of one of their online portfolios. I have chosen Richard Foley as he lives in the local area and I like some of the work he has produced.
Richard’s portfolio has a very clean, minimalist style and there is a lot of white space, which I feel works well as it encourages the user to focus on the work in the portfolio. The main focus on the home page is a large image which displays three pieces of his best work. This is definitely a strength of Richard’s portfolio as it will encourage the user to want to view more of his work.
The typeface Richard uses is very easy to read and has good contrast against the white background. The subtle uses of orange for headers and links also has good contrast and catches the users attention. The consistency of the navigation makes it very easy for all users to navigate around the site.
The thumbnails Richard uses to give the user a preview of his work are a good size. They allow Richard to fit different snippets of his work into the thumbnail to give a better impression of the work at glance. I also like the rollover effect on the photo restoring print project. When hovering the mouse over the old image, it changes to the new image, adding some interaction to further engage users.
Despite all of the positives of Richard’s portfolio I think there could be some slight improvements. It’s a bit run of the mill, and has nothing that makes it memorable or different to a lot of the other portfolios out there. It does the job of displaying his work well but it doesn’t provide any sort of talking point which could attract more visitors to view the portfolio.
I think the contact page could do with the addition of a contact form to encourage users to submit queries. I am also unsure about the arrows on the left of the of the page that allow the user to click to the next page, as they seem a bit out of position and would maybe benefit from being higher up on the page.
I feel that Richards portfolio does provide strong competition and is a good example of why I need to make my portfolio slightly different to create a talking point to attract more visitors.
As well as previous students, there are a lot of other professionals around that make up the rest of the competition. I came across a portfolio for a freelancer called Mike, which I feel is a bit quirky and therefore has stuck in my mind.
Like Richard’s portfolio, Mike’s has a very minimalist look. Although the predominant colour is green, it has a very clever gradient applied to make various different shades to avoid it looking flat. The main image that remains on all three pages is a pair of legs wearing brightly coloured stockings. This is what makes the portfolio slightly different and stand out from the crowd. I feel this provides a talking point and therefore would attract more users to visit the portfolio and look at his work.
Another strength of Mike’s portfolio is his usage of different typefaces. He provides a very elegant feel by using a script typeface for titles and headings, but keeps the main body text in a simple sans-serif typeface. Also like Richard’s portfolio, Mike has placed six pieces of work on the home page. I would imagine these are some of his best pieces and therefore grab the attention of the user.
Although Mike’s portfolio stands out from the crowd, I feel there are still some weaknesses that could be improved upon. I think the thumbnails of the work are too small and when clicked on, the image opens in another window rather than using a lightbox. I think it would look neater and more professional using a nice lightbox feature to display the work.
There are no links to any live websites which would help the user see the websites in working order. The navigation is simple to use but there is no change to the links when hovered over or selected to let the user know what page they are on. Also, the inclusion of a contact would be beneficial on the contact page.
Overall I think that Mike’s portfolio is designed to a very high standard and balances quirkiness and functionality well. I think the usage of the brightly coloured stockings adds a talking point that would spread around and attract more visitors.
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