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I'm redesigning my portfolio! Can you critique my old one?

almost 4 years ago from , Director of UI / UX at Brandzooka

Hey all! I'm currently in the process of doing a full over-haul of my portfolio site. Would anyone mind looking at my current one and assessing what you like / don't like so I can make drastic improvements in my new one? Thanks!

http://garrettc.me/

15 comments

  • Kyle Y, almost 4 years ago

    You're aesthetic is really clean. The only critique I have is that it feels a bit too slick, like a template site. It would be nice to see a little bit more creativity and areas that feel more hand crafted. Though if you're looking for a desiger/developer hybrid role then maybe clean and slick is the best way to go.

    3 points
    • Noel Torres, almost 4 years ago

      I feel this comment holds the most weight.

      0 points
    • Garrett Campagna, almost 4 years ago

      Thanks Kyle! That is exactly what it is (though modified quite a bit after I bought it). I think the new site will hopefully be quite a bit more creative / visually stylish as I'm not doing as much development as I used to.

      0 points
  • Frédéric AudetFrédéric Audet, almost 4 years ago

    Be careful in the way you promote yourself. Advertising yourself as an art director, developer and designer is dangerous waters.

    Are you looking for a full time job, or freelance work?

    2 points
  • Kirsten Felbert, almost 4 years ago

    First note from a UX perspective you should not have your title of portfolio & case study projects only visible on hover. On mobile there is no hover so I have no way of knowing what the project is before go into it. Having project titles & description below or alongside image thumbnails will give more context and make it easier to use on mobile.

    You could possibly embed interactive prototypes directly into the site instead of just linking to them. I almost missed that you even had them available.

    Would be useful to also be able to download a PDF version of your resume.

    I agree with David , the highlights are nice in your case studies but maybe move them higher up.

    1 point
    • Garrett Campagna, almost 4 years ago

      Thanks for the tips! Downloadable resume is a good idea. And yeah I realize now that I need those titles visible. I'll let you know when the new site is up and you can see all your advice applied!

      0 points
  • Mike AbbotMike Abbot, almost 4 years ago

    Take more liberty to go crazy. It's your playground and you should use it to be as creative as possible. The current design looks a bit plain and outdated, like a template you buy online, which is a shame, because your portfolio is quite nice.

    1 point
    • Garrett Campagna, almost 4 years ago

      That's exactly what it was haha. I bought this theme and heavily customized it about 4 years ago and it's gotten pretty out-dated since. The new site will definitely be more custom / unique!

      1 point
  • Thomas Michael SemmlerThomas Michael Semmler, almost 4 years ago

    I think visually it's fine as it is, but the font-size is just too small nowadays.

    0 points
  • Fernando Lins, almost 4 years ago

    Looking at the main page the stock images used to frame the projects in the devices scream at me. The third one on "Case Studies" shows more computer keyboard than any design. I suggest you use your work as thumbnails instead of framing them into stock pictures. The "Project Quick-Looks" ones are far better at presenting your work - although some are still too stock-y.

    Also I don't get what's the difference between the case studies and the quick look ups, and frankly I'm not interested in learning what the "god + design" thing is. It's all thumbnails and they need to clearly state what I'm looking at. Is it work? Is it study? Are these client cases? Are these just images? What do I get by clicking them? Maybe you could just do with a big "visit my visual blog" link instead of the god thing.

    In the case studies, there is way too much text. I understand you want to take readers through the process, but maybe coupling every other paragraph with an image will help illustrate it better and keep it interesting. Also, you need to shorten those paragraphs.

    0 points
    • Garrett Campagna, almost 4 years ago

      Thanks Fernando! Yeah I agree, the imagery is definitely lacking. I was thinking the new site would just show the work in straight-on instead of trying to put it in a contextual mockup like that. What do you think?

      God+Design is exactly what you guessed: a visual blog. I don't think it will be included in my new site as it doesn't really fit the type of work I'm doing anymore.

      0 points
  • David Woolf, almost 4 years ago

    I really like the highlights section in your case studies, but I would put it closer to the top of the page (maybe after the intro, but just a thought).

    Also, is it better to have project background & client goals separated out? I think if those were condensed into one intro, and it was more succinct, I would have an easier time reading a case study. Some portfolios are too light on process stuff, but I think I would be more engaged with a couple sentences for each image (like you have in your highlights sections), versus paragraphs of text.

    Good luck, hope this was useful, and I like your work!

    0 points
    • Garrett Campagna, almost 4 years ago

      Thanks David! I was thinking of doing a new format for case studies that is essentially: Intro/Background, a sequence of highlights / talking points, and then a conclusion with some metrics/ results. What do you think of that format?

      0 points
      • David Woolf, almost 4 years ago

        Yes exactly! I think that would make your case studies flow a little better. You could even play with having highlights in each section of the case study (if it encompasses different mediums). Good luck!

        0 points