Hello everyone :p
I'm new to the forums, but I've been reading AWN.com for years now. And I've just about finished University, with a BA Digital Arts and Digital Animation (not got the grades yet though..)
I've recently had a go at making my own online portfolio website, and I'm looking for some criticism please. I have most of my Flash work on there (not all of it is great unfortunately!), and I'm hoping to apply for a job with it all.
So yes, hello, and criticism is welcome please (for the website and portfolio work, if possible). :D
~Vox.
PS: Oops and the site's here.
*hears wind, sees tumbleweed*
Okay, nevermind. :p
I took a look at your sight, you should do a little more posting here about your work. You have lot of example of your work but I have no insight as to setting up sites like yours.
I think the overall look and feel of your site is working to convey your particular style and personality. I'd recommend putting some animation on the home page, though (you're an animator--hit 'em with some animation from the get-go).
Make a looping montage of some choice bits. Doesn't have to be all animation either (since your pieces are all pretty short); you can intercut some of your illustration.
As for the samples page itself:
- Rearrange them so that your best pieces are the first.
- I'd have them start automatically instead of have the Play button after the loader (they've already clicked the thumbnail to see it--you want to minimize the number of clicks for a visitor)
- I'd have some intro text with the thumbnail view so the viewer has an idea about what they are. (or rollover
- Keep working on your pieces. Improve or delete ones you don't feel are good enough. For example, I think the kite clip has promise; it starts out cool but it just ends. There needs to be a gag. Maybe there's a (very surprised) mouse caught in the string when it finishes whisking past--just a simple, quick visual punch will make that one much more satisfying.
That's really the biggest recommendation, to keep developing your pieces. You've got some good stuff in there; it's fun, colorful and imaginative, but keep refining. I'd work on bringing the images a step beyond the raw, "drawn-directly-in-Flash" line quality. Be ruthless with yourself about pieces that don't convey enough about what you can do. Good luck!
Ted Nunes - www.tedtoons.com
Hi Voxie, and welcome to the AWN Forums.
I had a hard time navigating your site. I kept wanting to clink on things that weren't clickable, like your name in text. The fonts you chose are very hard to read, and the basic site layout was just all over the place. As for your animation, I would put your best work into a demo reel. As it is now, I clicked on the first animation link at the top, and it was just text spinning toward the camera. This made me not want to bother clicking on the rest of your links.
I think as a whole everything needs to be tightened up, and simplified quite a bit.
Aloha,
the Ape
...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."
Hello again, thank you for your comments guys I really appreciate it! :)
Okay, I'm looking to tighten up the site a bit more. Yeah I got the impression things are a little messy, I guess I was trying to do something new.
And yes you're right about continuing to work on my animations, they're exactly the same as when I had handed them in as homework heh.
I think I should put animation on the front page somewhere, to express myself as an animator from the start, thanks, why didn't I think of that?
Thanks again for the crit guys, I will be making changes to the site over the next few weeks. I'll be happy to post again when it's ready!