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1. patdryburgh
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   Hello everyone,

   My name is Pat, and I am a self-taught freelance designer. I started using WordPress last spring, and have fell in love with it. Even more so now that I know more about custom fields, how to manipulate the loop, etc.

   I just finished my personal portfolio this past weekend. It is entirely powered by WordPress. I would love to hear your thoughts, both positive and negative. I know that in design, so much is subjective, but if we keep learning about the principles of good design, then we're all better off in the end.

   Check out the design at http://www.atrickdesign.com. Thanks so much in advance!

   Pat

2. TVDinner
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   hi there - nice work.

   to be honest with you i like http://careynieuwhof.com/ much better, colors, layout, etc.

   your portfolio page is nice, but lots of scrolling and big blocks of page sections. i hope that makes sense. personally i would love to see smaller thumbnails of the portfolio options - maybe 250 by 250 images that then lead to the other sites in your portfolio. Just a thought, and as you said it is very subjective.

   good luck!

3. patdryburgh
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   Hey

   Thanks so much for taking a look!

   I got the idea to stay clear of thumbnails from this article at astheria.com. In it, the author points out that we have 10 seconds to capture someone's attention. I know that for my site, the highest number of designs I will feature on the front page is 3-5, so that people won't have to scroll too much. With that said, as this article on boxesandarrows.com points out, it is a myth to think that people don't naturally know to or are opposed to scrolling, especially now in the age of the "roller wheel" (or ball, as my Mac Mighty Mouse has).

   The philosophy I took with the design was to let people see the designs up front, without having to click anywhere, so that they can make a decision in a split second whether or not they like what I do. Your reaction to the Carey Nieuwhof blog shows me that you do like the design, and if you were a potential client looking for someone to design a blog for you, you may come to me. I think that is the reaction anyone wants to get as a designer.

   I hope I didn't come across as trying to shoot down your comments. I am just showing that there was some thought behind what I've done, and while even though I could still be wrong, it wasn't an arbitrary decision.

   What are your thoughts on those articles and ideas?

   Thanks again for the comment!

4. TVDinner
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   no i understand what you are saying and I have seen some of those articles. I did not mean traditional "thumbnails" which are small. I mean larger rectangles or squares (like 250 by 250 or 300 by 300) but not the huge rectangles you have now. You could have 2 next to each other instead of one huge rectangle. Does that make sense.
   I'll go back and look at the article and ideas now

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