GRC 175 Learning and Discussion Forum

Hello again,

I found this first project to be a welcoming start to learning web design but it's definitely a style out of my comfort zone. Which isn't a problem by any means but made expressing myself through a website difficult to understand. What helped a lot was my inspirations below, Jackie Droujko a freelance character designer and Lena Raine a musician who primarily works in the game industry. Both fields of work I'd like to have a career in one day. I found how simplistic they made their websites to be relatable and direct, and made that a goal of mine. Though I appreciate any and all critique so these website designs can improve. ♥︎

Inspirational Websites:

- Jackie Droujko: https://www.jackiedroujko.com

- Lena Raine: https://lena.fyi

Informative Websites:

- https://andrewcouldwell.medium.com/tips ... 7e063e8371

- https://kinsta.com/blog/portfolio-website/

Hi, Rena!

I really like both layouts, the colors are great. I personally love the first one, I think everything is tied together better. I really like the font you used on that layout as well!

I think you can play around with that empty space a bit more, it looks a bit awkward. Mess around with type size in your intro paragraph too, that will give it some good hierarchy!

Great work! Looking forward to what you do

I like your top one. You've got a lovely palette of colors and good contrast going there, Serena.

The various sands and browns work well together. They're just light and dark enough to create good contrast. The sand colored bar makes for a good container for your copy. I do like the way your headshot breaks out of it. That adds a lot of visual interest and a bit of design rule-breaking fun. Good selection of your typography. It's non-standard enough to stand out yet has a certain ancient delicateness to it to make the whole thing look like it might have been written on parchment or fired onto the side of a clay pot. It's all easy to read as well. Your navigation is well placed, easy to see, and presumably easy to use.

You have a lot of vertical and horizontal space to play with on this one. I'd recommend extending your light tan copy container all the way across the screen and then vertically center it in your composition. For your mobile version, maybe break your photo out and put it above your bodycopy with the tan container extending from side to side and vertically centering that whole kit and caboodle,

Good work!

Hi Serena!

I like the first design most. Going off of your style in the photo, the colors suit your personality more.

BUT taking from the second, what would make the design pop is having a secondary larger image of something, or a preview of your work below. Then you could crop in the photo, or use more of a "portrait" for your face. That second image fills some of the negative space and helps bring the colors alive!

Hi Rena,
I like both of your designs, but of the two I prefer the second design. I think the colors are nice and happy and work well with the overall layout. the second layout seems to be more contemporary and the flower design around the headshot is very appealing. the only thing I could suggest is to raise the text at the bottom of the page, maybe above the bottom border. Just my opinion.

Hi Rena,

I like your designs! I really like your first design. The shape in the back really helps ground the whole design. The header is very clean and easy to navigate. And I like how you use the colors from your picture throughout your design. Really brings it all together. I would suggest shifting your design to line up vertically on your mobile design.

Great job,
Rebekah

Serena,
I think the first one works better because it looks like the layout colors were pulled from the image, which is more visually appealing. I also love the typeface you used for the body copy.
If you do choose the first design, for the mobile version, you should stack the body copy below the image (like you did with the second mobile layout) to make it easier to read and get rid of all that empty space.

Hey Rena!

I like the use of bright colors in your second design. I think that the second design has a lot of cool shapes. I think that the font you picked for that design works really well to support the fun vibe of the site. I think that the main thing you need to work on is filling up the space. I don't know if you still need to add pictures or text, but filling up those spaces with something fun and engaging would go a long way.

Hi Serena!

I love the muted colors they’re very nice and friendly! I think you should try to use up more of the space in your designs, I love your use of negative space but it can appear very empty if not used to its fullest.

Have a good evening!

Hi Serena!

I enjoy the simplicity of your first design and how cohesive it all is. I love your second design but the first one fits better with your image and is easier to read. The text for your "About Me" is a little squished together and is a little hard to read. Overall, they are both really good but I enjoy the first one the most.

Thank you for sharing!