Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Eric Weiand on February 1, 2012 at 10:34am

I think your site is very well done and professional. You certainly succeeded in adding a personal touch and placing a real face with your brand. I don't think that the images of yourself overpower or distract at all.

The only suggestion that I would offer would be to make the thumbnails of your work a little larger. At the smaller size, I think they are a little hard to see and they may not grab the viewer's interest enough to make them click for the larger image.

All in all, I really like it.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Antrobus on February 1, 2012 at 9:22pm

Hey Eric,

Thanks for the comments, man – it's much appreciated. That's actually the second time I've heard that suggestion about the thumbnails and, after stepping back and taking another look at it, I completely agree.

Thanks again

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Permalink Reply by Heather Bice on February 3, 2012 at 10:54am

Well I think with your objectives for site, you have succeeded. But as a 3rd party consumer looking for a graphic artist - I wouldn't stay on your home page very long. The first thing I see is the big image taking up the top half the page, it should be very engaging and pulling me so that I want to see whats going on with the site. Know what I mean? And your business logo, to me... doesn't flow with your color scheme very well - which you may have wanted. Sorry if this feels harsh, my motivations are to give you honest feedback. But to end on a good note, your technique is professional.

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Permalink Reply by Jacque Huang on February 3, 2012 at 4:04pm

I think it's a bit too formal. People would really want to see your work, how you work and it will be helpful if you show it to them and make them feel it as soon as they see your site.

The billboard idea is cool maybe you can use images of individual projects rather than combining multiple projects in one. Try to play a little bit more on the typography too.

It's true that a face will serve good on branding yet i think you have to choose your my-most-cool-and-irresistibly-handsome shot and make it your "official" image online, just like how it Jacob Cass did it, http://justcreativedesign.com/2012/01/07/a-new-profile-picture-an-u... and other famous design bloggers too. 

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Permalink Reply by Scott Antrobus on February 3, 2012 at 10:16pm

First, let me just say thanks for taking the time to post comments.

@Heather: I appreciate your honesty, and don't worry about being harsh – I don't post my work on sites like this to get compliments, just straight up critiques from people who aren't afraid to tell it like it is. Although you make a good point, the goal of my site isn't to generate work from new clients. I probably should've made that clear in the description. I work full time as an in-house designer and don't have a ton of time for freelance jobs. I typically have 1-2 freelance projects going on on the side which come from an already established steady stream of repeat customers. The main purpose of my site is to showcase my work and capabilities for potential future full time employers.

@Jacque: I somewhat agree with you regarding how formal the site looks, but I've heard comments from both sides of this argument and decided I'd be better off going the professional route. Maybe I can figure a way to show the process a little better though.

When you say I should stick with one photo of myself, did you mean for the billboard image on the About Me page or the individual photos on each page where I'm interacting with the billboard itself?

Swapping out the billboard images is no problem, and I planned on changing them up from time to time, so that will be an easy change. I'll play around with some concepts and see what I can come up with.

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Permalink Reply by Saya on February 8, 2012 at 10:35am

Hi Scott,

I like the billboard. It is very eye catchy. My Problem is how your logo placed. It looks like it just pasted on top of the billboard. The sharp rectangle edges of the light blue and your logo are not working together.

Second suggestion is using more line spacing and margin and possibly different font for the content. I feel you nee more white space there either

Nice job friend . Keep it up!

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Permalink Reply by Bonnie Why on February 11, 2012 at 5:34am

Hello, fellow Missourian!

I'd definitely agree with the former comment of the thumbnails need to be bigger. It's hard to see. I was also going to give the same critique at it being 'too professional', but, after reading your comment, I think it definitely works well for being a visual / online-type resume thing.

I like the individual different pictures of you. You don't see it very often. My biggest thing is it feels like the blue of the logo and the blue used in the rest of the site clash. Maybe adjust one or the other to get it to match better or flow better?

Other than that, I work at a science & technology library and I'm almost positive I've seen those Natoli ads. <3 Awesome!

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Permalink Reply by Andy on February 17, 2012 at 2:56pm

I truly like the billboard idea, but I feel that the picture of you on every page may detract from the focus of the site, which would be your portfolio and skills as a graphic designer. Information about yourself is essential in selling yourself to your clients, but when in excess, it may drive off clients who are seeking a strictly professional approach to their business.

Oh and in addition, you should include a resume on your "About Me" page. Even though you explain your skills on the page, there are some clients that have busy schedules and can afford to spend time reading the entire page, so include a short, concise list of your skills, job experiences, etc.

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Permalink Reply by Vincent Herrera on February 22, 2012 at 2:18pm

I think the rectangle navigation is a bit tacky. the shadow behind your banner isnt really something im diggin' your main font is a little to wide and makes the site look a little less professional. the twitter and fb icons seem out of place i think it would be more professional to have those towards the bottom id suggest it go to the right next to your contact me link.(i also think that double placement is a very unprofessional. i understand if you had alot going on on your page but the contact link is very visible at the top). the portfolio part of the website is a little bland. it could be done better the thumbnails make it seem you got a little lazy. anyways the site looks professional there is just a few things i think would make your portfolio a little more professional

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Permalink Reply by Nate Martin on March 27, 2012 at 11:10am

The site feels sterile at first glance. Professional and creative/innovative are not unable to be done in the same design.

The entire header above the slider seems to be dropped into place. Location isn't the problem its the design working as a whole. 

IMHO I feel that the entire site would benefit from a more unified design... find out your personal "LOOK" and go for that. 

The pics of you with the banner are great  but the banner itself seems noisy and unfocused when followed by long blocks of text.

Here are my suggestions of ideas to incorporate.

1. Darker theme, or perhaps do more with the blue grungy stuff. However your logo is shiny and sleek so its up to you.
2. Larger top navigation that is more unified with the background.
3. Blend the social icons into the design. The feel separate from the rest of the site.
4. The slider dominates the home page leaving the actual content dwarfed. Change the relative size.
5. Break up the text. Study after study shows people are quickly turned off by large blocks of web text.
6. For # 5 try side navigation or something like that.
7. Lastly for the thumbnails I like that they are in categories but perhaps make them bigger (4 equal columns) add one little caption for each and a link to another page of the entirety of the category or project.

Best of luck man!

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