Hi Guys,

 

Been a long while since I last posted here on the forums. I've been very busy re-evaluating my direction as a website designer and indeed as a company and I've also been putting everything in to action.

 

Recently I've been working on a couple of website design examples to add to my personal portfolio at Chocolate Cherry Design.

 

The main portfolio site is not complete yet and quite possibly, based on your comments and suggestions, the others may not be either.

 

Anyway, the main portfolio website will have a rotating Flash/JavaScript gallery displaying the latest portfolio examples. The user will be able to click on these images and be taken to the specific website example. The work section will contain all examples and the contact page will of course contain contact information and a contact form.

 

Although I would also like to read your comments and suggestions with regards to the main portfolio website, the main examples I would like your critique on are as follows.

 

• InterSpace - Abstract Lines
  
• iNET Systems - Switch On!
  
• YogaDEN - The Calm Amongst The Chaos
  

 

The main areas I would like critique on are:

 

• Design and Layout
  
• Copy
  
• UI Design and Usability
  
• Cross-browser Compatibility
  
• Load Times
  
• Theme
  

 

I hope all of you guys are good and that business is going well for you all.

 

I look forward to your comments.

Hey Guys,

 

Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hey mate, Your portfolio is looking great!

 

I really dislike the Default font used for the bullet points under your Current Skills/Learning section.

 

I think you should change it to Tahoma, like the header.

 

I love the colour combination, well done!

Hi Gareth

 

I am only going to cover the copy section.

 

The face of a website is your unseen voice, so you must make your words heard.

 

They must never cross a boundary which becomes a bore. However, they must always stamp an immediate impression which says” I am what you are looking for”.

 

Clients expect to read very briefly into what they can expect, before they open any links.

 

That initial impression is priceless, because even if they steer away from your website - their mind will bring them round in a full circle if it has bought their eyes.

 

You are a freelance web designer based in Liverpool and so are many others!

 

There is more than enough space in the Chocolate Cherry Box to give yourself the right plugs.

 

I hope that simple advice helps.

 

Good luck with your website.

They all look good, but you may want to check and see what they look like in ALL browsers, in IE the main site sections "current Skills" & "currently developing" menus go past the bottom of the block. Otherwise they look good, OH an dthe site with sound, cut the volume by half and make it so the user can TURN IT OFF! Very irratating to go to a website and be inundated with sound.

Hi Guys,

 

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated.

 

I think I'm gonna remove the music completely, bad practice really.

 

Also, I will change the text of the bullets as you suggested.

 

The main portfolio site isn't finished yet, but I take your point about selling myself.

 

The portfolio isn't really to get clients, it's more to show to web design agencies to get a posiyion within the industry, so I really need to target those guys.

 

Thanks again. If you have any more feedback or anyone else would like to comment then please feel free to do so, the more advice the better really.

 

P.S. PVCBlue what version of IE does this occur in? As I've tested in IE 5.5 upwards using IE Tester and it doesn't appear to show what you say?

 

Thanks again guys.

P.S. PVCBlue what version of IE does this occur in? As I've tested in IE 5.5 upwards using IE Tester and it doesn't appear to show what you say?

 

 

IE 7 - at a high resolution of 1680 X 1050

Hey Guys,

 

PVCBlue - I've sorted that issue out (I hope).

 

OK! My portfolio is now finished and just requires final critique.

 

On the work page their is a blank space for an image, but I don't know what to put their, any ideas would be appreciated.

 

Anyway, any final comments please folks.

 

Chocolate Cherry Design

Hey Guys,

 

PVCBlue - I've sorted that issue out (I hope).

 

OK! My portfolio is now finished and just requires final critique.

 

On the work page their is a blank space for an image, but I don't know what to put their, any ideas would be appreciated.

 

Anyway, any final comments please folks.

 

Chocolate Cherry Design

 

 

Looks great in all the non-IE browsers, still having that issue in IE with your pages tho

That's weird cause I'm using IE7 and it is absolutely fine. Is your page zoom increased?

 

Looks great in all the non-IE browsers, still having that issue in IE with your pages tho

That's weird cause I'm using IE7 and it is absolutely fine. Is your page zoom increased?

 

 

No, no zoom increase. all default settings and everything normal - your list menus and text run out of of your boxes.

Theirs a few things I don't think are quite right here on my portfolio and I don't think it's doing me any justice.

 

The brown content area and the text. I don't like it but I'm stumped on what to do?

 

I'd appreciate your comments on the whole design. Thanks.

Hi Guys,

 

I think my portfolio is basically finished now. I've changed the cheesy handshake image and replaced with something I think is far better.

 

Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

 

Chocolate Cherry Design