Project 1, First Preliminary Critique

[Instructor]

Looks like you've got a couple of very good designs here. I'd say the one with the dark gray background is working the best though my critiques can apply to both.

I like the way the dark gray in your first design highlights the colors of your portfolio page links and makes the type stand out. It works well with the colors you've chosen and serves almost like a dark page in a scrapbook. I also like the bright white header acting as a framing device for the composition. They layout of the design is very strong as well, with good use of proximity and distance and good margins throughout. Typographically it works as well. The type is well chosen and serves to emphasize important elements in the design with excellent use of tracking, kerning, and leading establishing proximity and distance in your type as well.

I'd say though that you've gone a color too far. I'd ditch the light olive green and stick with a color scheme of yellow, orange, white, and shades of grey. I'd also move the labels for your portfolio page links to a common corner and put a slight dark outer glow behind them. In the center, they get a little classy with some of the elements in your featured designs.

Excellent work! I look forward to seeing these be realized.

[ariaaearnest]

Hi Jody!

Both of these websites are super solid designs! I absolutely adore all your graphics and illustrations!

For you first design. I love the strong contrast between your graphics and background. The only thing that bugs me is the text over your buttons in the middle of your design. The white text blends in too much with some of the photos and illustrations. Maybe you could change the word view at the bottom to say what they are instead of putting the text over the images.

The second design is really great too and I love those illustrations for your buttons at the top of the page! So cute!

I feel like you could go with either design but the first design is definitely more eye catching due to the color of your background.

[gr8ful1]

I think both of these sites are incredible, with a great attention to detail and trying to get all your messages and skills across minimalistically. I am drawn to the lighter design, and I agree that the name implies lightness. On the darker design, I like how you made previews of your personal info with the 'read more' tab at the bottom. The text overlaying your gallery thumbnails is really hard to read though, especially on the ones that already have text in the graphic.
The lighter design really draws my eye to your welcoming photo, and I like the idea of your gallery being in smaller thumbnails at the top. I also really like the use of a mission statement, I think it makes more of an impact on your home page than putting it on an about me sort of page.

[dbranby]

Jodi Coyote! First of all, nice work on two great comps! I prefer the darker one, simply because it's a bit more dramatic. My only feedback for improvement is that I am not clear where you're going to put your Project 2 and Project 3 from the navigation you have put up. I was also curious to know whether the skills that you list are a laundry list, or if those are intended to be links to galleries or drop-downs to show some of the work. Anyway, you know what to do ... have fun!

[ravens.way]

I like the style used in your first design. The black background makes the images stand out more. The orange links are hard for me to see.

I like the layout used in your second site. A tint of color in the background would make it easier to see.