Project One Preliminary Critique

[CedarM]

Hello, my name is Cedar, and here are my rough draft attempts. I am not in love with them so any advice will be greatly appreciated. I solved the problem by using a large mountain scape as the background, because that is something that is very dear to me, while still being aesthetically pleasing. I then used some simple geometric shapes to create some more interesting content, as well as my navigation links.
and here are the websites I found inspirational;

https://le-qb.com/

I found this website very aesthetically pleasing and it inspired me to do the simple black and white design in my first two designs. Unfortunately this website is extremely tough to navigate, and I would not base my navigation set up on this site.

http://ellensriley.com/

This website I found inspiring because of the way the creator used hand drawn animations in her design. Animation is something I play with in my free time so I would like to incorporate it into future websites, even if it is too advanced for me now.

[meekster_]

I like rough 3 and 4, with the simple black and white design. I think if you got rid of the white shape behind the project links it might look nicer, like the way your name is displayed.

[missStormy]

I like the first designs, though I would suggest adding a slight transparency so the boxes containing your navigation and text doesn't feel like it's fighting with the background.

Stormy

[sndbox]

I like the first design with the Black and White, it's a nice contrast from the background photo.
I think maybe taking the photo opacity down to around 60%-80% may add a little bit of depth from the background and the information, this may also give a 3D effect too.
I do notice that there's a stroke around the shapes that have the information, maybe try also making the stroke a little bigger too so it's more noticeable?

[darth vader de pot noodle]

ello ceder i personally like computer design 1 with the slanted angle following the mountain line and the simple color choice, especially the black, it really stands out from the entire page.

[Gr8K8]

Cedar, I love the mountain images you used! They're lovely to look at and create a nice frame space for your header/name at the top.

I think either version could do without the black boarders around your shapes. And maybe play with making the shapes just slightly see through so you still have some texture going on in the white spaces?
I really like how you've presented your name in both versions.

Between the 2 versions I think I like the Versions 3&4 best - because I'm liking the heavy black/white contrast. However, I do like the blues that are present more in the picture you used for versions 1&2.

[SkellyboneJones]

The black and white design is definitely stronger if you ask me. What I would do is try and minimize your elements a little bit. The majesty of your mountainscape is being a little strangled by how close all of your elements are together. The angular design style is really cool, but I think if they were reduced a bit, the whole design would flow better. I wouldn't change the style though, just size/scale. You're definitely on the right path, I feel.

[suiish]

I like your first design better! It's very modern looking and I really like the way you aligned the type.

[JamesC46]

I like the design of the first one as the black and white colors are consistent with the background. I like the idea of using geometric shapes, but I think if you replace the white background with a gaussian blur, it would help move away from the wireframe look. As it stands now, the white boxes make the site feel congested.

Thanks for sharing!

[KJX]

Hey! I like both of your designs. 1 and 2 needs some simplification to express that background awesomeness and your tile at the top. 3 and 4 get rid of the awkward blueish triangles.

-KJ