blaw: new site
- Started 16 years ago
- Last post 16 years ago
- 30 Responses
- blaw
I just launched a redesigned version of my personal site. Design work, plus the products of my various hobbies.
I'm very interested in hearing what you think.
- ********0
it strikes me as odd that there's only ever one project at a time, to see anything else you have to find the somewhat hidden 'archives'
- totally agree with this. i didn't even see the other works until now.lvl_13
- it actually makes no sense, because you have to click 'older work' and not 'view images' to see anything else********
- rson0
I would revist this button
- ukit0
It seems like overkill to have a thumbnail, then a detail page with another thumbnail, then a popup. You should be able to view the screenshots on the detail page.
- MrRemote0
You got a lot of wine in that bar of yours.
- ********0
don't like it i'm afraid. i really really love your drawings and that site does them no justice at all. and why is there only one on there anyway?
there is no coherent structure, no visual hierarchy, the colour scheme is dark and depressing. lighten it up. give the elements room to breathe, create a simple grid and stick to it. as with all portfolios the work should be prominent and it isn't here.
i want to see this
not a comment form.
- doctor0
I think you could improve your typography, by establishing a clearer hierarchy, and maybe use something besides that serif font (Georgia?), ie. for your navigation or small body text.
You should draw more attention to your navigation. Maybe live it up with some color, though being careful not to demolish the whole 'mellow' theme of your palette. I'd narrow it down to 5-6 links too, and come up with more intuitive titles. How is your average user supposed to know what 'wood' leads to? Things like this usually leeds to frustration.
Also I'd reconsider the use of curly brackets, and maybe enlarge the photos of your work a bit. The work pieces looks kind of interesting, so use them more.
- ********0
I won't hate
- Don't hold back.blaw
- I got typos and crap on my site. so i'm all hushed out.********
- fyoucher10
Some feedback:
- Personally, I'd get rid of all of the grunge stuff. I feel like you're - mixing more styles than you should (grunge, ornate, and conservative). Almost like you're trying to keep it simple with clean lines but then are mixing in the grunge effect. Not really working for me.- You have two navs and for folks with higher resolutions they both appear on the screen at once without scrolling. I'd get rid of the bottom nav and maybe place your nav up top.
- Not crazy about the gel buttons that you're using on the subpages.
- Use bigger pics. Right now there's so much extra white space. You have plenty of spce to make it bigger. Your logo is about as big as your portfolio pics.
- Give your logo some space especially in your portfolio subpages.
- Look into some type of grid pattern in your folio subpages. Right now things seems scattered around.
- Clicking your logo should bring you back to your homepage.
I've been to Johnstown before, nice area. Good stuff man.
- canuck0
I think the site architecture is a bit off/hard to follow. How come the design section only has one piece, do I have to go to the archives to see others?
Not a huge fan of the font (but that could be personal preference), also maybe bump down some of the fonts in size.
The general look of it is good, not sure about the arrow button though.
- rson0
I would kill that background pattern
make that shat white! It might open up the site abit.
- Point50
that butcher block is amazing.
- doctor0
A good approach is to think about, "How can I bring my users what they (probably) want, as quick as possible and with as few mouse clicks as possible" - besides the whole aesthetic thing.
- ********0
I think your work is 10x better then your personal site. Doctor makes some good points, I think the background and stuff works but I do not like the structure or layout, everything seems a little larger. Definitely lose the arrow button thing. Cleaner and simpler.
Reflect the same personality in the website that you have put in the designs.
- blaw0
All excellent responses. Thanks for taking the time to share them.
- ********0
My overall feeling is that this site strikes me as being designed using some kind of script or CMS like wordpress or something, and you've tried to shoehorn it all together but the structure does doesn't make much sense.
- Corvo20
Good job, Brian.
I really like the "common hoarding" piece under drawing.
Those "cold frames" are also a great idea. Personally, I think your wood-work is great. I live in the country-side, so I find your pieces not only well-designed but also useful (you know what I mean). I didn't get to the dominoes, though ;)
I think I understand why you decided to promote your latest piece individually, with a nice description - but you could also benefit from a panel of works instead of having the user browse piece-by-piece under "older wood", to give an example.
I think when you have a lot to show, it's best to show it right-away.
Just saying. Cheers.
- utopian0
Looks like yet another blog template to me...
- Corvo20
I think it's a wise decision to have a blog tool, rather than a "style" site. Under a varied body of work you can't pull a "design" and integrate everything together. This doesn't mean you shouldn't consider other nav options and a lighter feel to the overall site.