Hi,

Please review my newly revamped layout website - http://www.maginnonline.co.uk

 

I am a freelance contract web designer based in Kent.

 

- Peter J Maginn

Its a template, so we can't really review the design as it isn't yours...unless you made that template, in which case why would you say it was new as that template has been around for years.

 

Anyway as for the rest I only feel I can comment on your portfolio...which doesn't show off your work to its full potential. Everything is squashed it is badly positioned and viewing the larger images is also not well thought out. Also why is there a screen shot of DFS and Google are you claiming you had something to do with these sites? So why not spend time addig pages for each of your portfolio pieces so that people viewing them don't get confussed as to why they are there, explain what you have done and stuff rather than just showing random screen shots.

Wait.. so it's a template, and you're using it for a web design portfolio? Shouldn't a portfolio showcase your originality and creativity?

firstly, with the Google homepage that isn't showcasing Google as i didnt design Google.co.uk but the internet browser it is in is mine which that image is showcasing.

 

Secondly, That template wasnt originally mine but i have revamped it with more material.

 

Lastly, I created the DFS website and design for our DFS client back in 2007.

 

- Peter J Maginn

Firstly I wasn't being aggressive but from your reply I think you think I was attacking you, all I was just showing you that I was confused, I wanted to know why you were showcasing what you were showcasing, I got confused clicking on the google screen shot and not seeing what was on the thumbnail. Just having screen shots says nothing about what you have done it says nothing about the project it just shows screenshots of work and doesn't explain why they are there. I wasn't saying you hadn't done the work I just used those two as examples as they stood out to me...If I had done work for someone as well known as DFS I would want to show off about it, if I had created me own browser interface I would want to explain it, just because you know what you have done, it doesn't mean that others do. All you need to do is when a thumbnail is clicked instead of it just opening the jpg in the window with nothing else, breaking your site as you have gotten rid of the design forcing the user to have to click the back button to get back to your site this taking away from the usability of your site, is simply create another page. On this page have a larger picture and underneath an explanation of the job you did. This way people who view your site will know why there is an image of google there, will know that you have created something for DFS and you are showcasing your talents and not just showing people random screen shots but showing them your work in a productive look at my client base kind of way.

 

 

As for the template you haven't really done much to it other than add your content. Personally I don't think there is anything wrong with using a template as your design as long as if it is a free template you give credit to the original designer of it somewhere. My only real problem is I think you need to rethink how you present your work on your site as it is confusing and you should be selling yourself and your previous work on your portfolio. Plus I make it a habit not to comment on the design of a template that someone hasn't designed as you picked that template, you must like it and therefore I will not give criticism to someone else's work, just functionality, usability and accessibility.

 

 

So sorry if you find this aggressive, it is not meant to be, you asked for a review I have given you one, I am not going to say a site is great when I don't think it is as that won't help you at all. I really think the site needs work as you haven't thought about how others will see your work, you have just thought about what you know about it. I know I have said it before but you have to remember that just because you know what a screenshot represents doesn't mean others do, sometimes a picture can say many words, but a lot of the time words can help show a picture for what it really is. You need to just give your images some meaning and think about how users will navigate your site and make it easy for them.

My concerns about this are pretty much the same as Dizi's.

 

If it is someone else's template, why are you putting it up for review? It isn't your work.

 

Why do I have to click twice to get to your portfolio?

 

How am I supposed to know which screenshots demonstrate websites you've made and which ones are something else? You say you made a browser? Also, which bit of the websites you showcase did you do? The design? Front end development? Back end developement? All of it?

 

You have a screenshot with something to do with facebook, what is it showing?

 

You really need to explain what is going on in your profile.

Well thats different to how I saw it, I would hope that the gallery is being worked on

 

You still need to clear up what you have done on the sites. I only say this because the virgin media one concerns me a lot as it does look like you are saying you designed the virgin media site, and if the design company that did design this site or virgin saw that screen shot they could take legal action against you. So my advice is if you don't want to explain what you have done, only show what you have done rather than it mixed with what others have done so you don't get in trouble with people, especially when it comes to big names such as Virgn media (as a lot of people know the design group who did this due to them winning awards for the site) and Facebook.

 

 

Again you might see this as an attack, it isn't at all, I just don't want to see you get in trouble for what could be misrepresented as you passing off other peoples work as your own.

the portfolio is being worked on today so it will be down most of the day.

I didnt know that for a review the template had to be your own, As a web design firm We didnt want our own template as our main one as like alot of web design companies, i dont know why but its like this way.

 

To do with facebook, that screenshot is an application i built myself which notifys you on the Desktop when you recieve new pokes, ims, messages, and notifications.

 

- Peter J Maginn

There are no rules to say for review the template has to be your own, but it is a bit odd to want a review of a website if you didn't do the design... if you see what I mean.

There are no rules to say for review the template has to be your own, but it is a bit odd to want a review of a website if you didn't do the design... if you see what I mean.

 

Yeah, it would be like saying "hey, please review this kit car I built... except I didn't actually build it".

 

On your portfolio you should - as others have said - be more descriptive of what you've done rather than just have (occasionally fuzzy) screenshots - which aren't even that much bigger than the thumbnails anyway.

The portfolio has been revamped

hopefully you like it

 

This time on the portfolio page i have only showcased 5 images/screenshots at this time until feedback,

along with thumbnails i have written the client, what year the design was made, and what code i used as in HTML, XHTML, CSS etc.

 

- Peter J Maginn

It breaks in Firefox (see screen shot) and in IE6 you can't click on the thumbnails.

 

Its a lot better now and doesn't break the layout and navigation of the site, one suggestion would be to have a border around the thumbnail, maybe just a light grey one. This will help give them their own space and make the text next to it not look so squashed, especially when it comes to the thumbs that have a lot of white in them and look a little odd on the page.

 

 

 

EDIT: it would help if I attached the screenshot

 

EDIT:

I've now linked from the index.html homepage 2 new pages near the bottom, They are:

 

1. OS9 Operating System with flash video

2. API Internet Browser with image screenshot

 

ENJOY

 

---

 

LOL

 

Thanks mate, I may be doing a new design of my own yet, Im not too sure as I like the template we are using at this moment.

 

And yes, Firefox 3.0.1 on my machine breaks aswell, I use Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 and it works fine. As for IE6 im not sure, alot of people still use IE6 so ill have to fix this somehow.

 

- Peter J Maginn