Re: Portfolio Site Feedback Required

[Brian Meyer]

Tom, I think your site could benefit greatly from moving content around and rescaling that content. I don’t have a problem with the design elements of your site, though I think they could stand to be tweaked a bit too.

Fundamentally, I think the site is weak because I don’t know what to look at. The importance we place on an item is driven by its location on the page, its boldness (colors, etc..) and its proximity to other elements. I’m probably misquoting some theory of element importance, but you get the idea.

What I would change:
Your header needs some breathing room. I would add some padding and bring it down an inch or so.
“stalk me” as well as your contact form are minimally important on the “order of importance list”. Therefore, they should be placed somewhere else on the page, and made smaller.

After those changes are made I would address perhaps the most important element on the page, your portfolio. This isn’t working for me at all. I’m not sure why, but I would try making that vertical a horizontal.

The America conference poster is very weak. I would exclude it from your portfolio unless you rework it. I would address the type and the background elements.. I suspect this isn’t something you do often, or is an early piece?

Specific design elements. Though you’re going for a hand-done desk aesthetic, it looks a little to artificial too me. I don’t think there’s great consistency amongst design elements. I would suggest going all out with the hand done aspect. Write on real sticky notes, try more handmade type, if that type isn’t handmade. Also, that yellow in the header doesn’t work at all. It’s too faint. I would redesign that in some way.