Katerina Down

If you were to describe Aestheria in one word it would have to be minimal. The simplicity of the design instantly makes you want to know more, what is the title really saying? Who wrote it? And why? Even from a screengrab, I wanted to see more and step within the design to expose it’s secrets.

This simplicity is precariously balanced on a knife edge, while I was instantly attracted, others may lose interest quickly as they are unaware of what they are viewing. The customisation of the website has a very definitive style, although there is little of the artists personality coming through, the risk of this is an unknown quantity, although it does seem to fit the sites goal:

The goal of Astheria.com is to provide design articles, viewpoints, and resources that are not the same regurgitated, rewritten, articles that seem to plague the discussion of design on the web

A Screengrab of davidairey.com

Like many portfolio websites David Airey has a “holy grail” three column design. The site uses a minimal colour palette using only orange and black, excluding images in the posts themselves. As Ariey specialises in Brand Identity the logo of his page is well situated in white space and draws your eye without being too overwehlming.

The information on the page is clearly broken down for easy reading and allows users to skip to the points that interest them the most. Each area of the website maintains a consistent use of heirachy, clear concise content with a professional yet comfortable writing style.

Something unique from this website is the obvious and easy access FAQs, while most portfolios will cover the frequently answered questions David includes these in the main navigation bar. Not only are these much easier to find here then on many websites the questions are written in a logical sequence and have very little extra filling. The content also maintains a professional feel and there is very little big-noting of his own ability, and he shows he is aware he may not be an appropriate choice for some clients.

The blog content on Airey’s portfolio is highly interesting and I have come accross many articles of interest since joining the design field. His posts range from Advertising, Design, Technical Skills to information for persons not privy to the workings of the design world. I feel that including this information really opens his portfolio to the wider community, something that is critical if seeking new clientelle.

For quick overview of the websites adherence to the Review criteria see the out of ten scores below.

1. Clarity 8/10
2. Customisation 8/10
3. Networking 7/10
4. Professional Content 9/10
5. Usability 9/10
6. Good Interaction 7/10
7. Memorable 6/10
8. Accessibility 10/10
9. Up to date content 9/10
10. Contact 9/10

Overall: 82/100

More information about the marking criteria used here can be found in my previous post Design Portfolio Criteria.

A screengrab for Just Creative Design

Just Creative Design is more then just Jacob Cass’ portfolio, it has become a popular blog for many creatives and has opened many doors for the young designer. When first landing on the page it is clear that the site is an online presence for Jacob, and it states clearly what he does as a creative.

The site is has a very professional feel with abundant industry relevant posts all well written in a way that while being formal is not too formal to alienate it’s readers. The layout and design of the blog are consistent and appealing, and create a united presence of all the content included in the extensive range of information.

Although Cass is still studying at the University of Newcaslte his love of design and passion for his work is portrayed consistently through the site and has given him many opportunities that those still studying would usually only dream of, including job offers in New York and has been featured on the cover of layers magazine. More of his many acheivments can be found here on his bio.

The design and interaction of the website is quite minimal, with a simple three column layout and a neat and clean structure. This simple structure allows the content to be displayed in such a way that most people can easily find all of the information they require and the site appears well across multiple browsers. One unique feature is on the left hand side bar, where users have easy access to a variety of ways to explore past enteries, by both time, categories and even a random blog post.

While this website is the main web presence of Cass, he is also found in other places online and there are clear links to both his social networking and other sites he manages. This allows users to read further into who Cass is and what he is up to around the internet.

For quick overview of the websites adherence to the Review criteria see the out of ten scores below.

1. Clarity 8/10
2. Customisation 7/10
3. Networking 9/10
4. Professional Content 9/10
5. Usability 8/10
6. Good Interaction 8/10
7. Memorable 8/10
8. Accessibility 10/10
9. Up to date content 8/10
10. Contact 9/10

Overall: 84/100

More information about the marking criteria used here can be found in my previous post Design Portfolio Criteria.

A screen shot from Complementary Duo

Complementary Duo creates a strong first impression, the lotus and consistent treatment of type imagery and objects gives the sight a strong visual presence. Although this presence is not instantly informative about the type of business it is selling.

The design is customised to create a laid back and relaxed feeling to the blog, when reading there about us this seems to be a desired state of being, rather then their current desposition. Although the design is laid back and relaxed it maintains a professional feel with the strong visuals and consistency within the whole website. The content is also informal but the personal touch does not override the professional feel and this strengthens the sites professional appearance.

The website has a strong adherence to current web standards and it easily navigated in multiple browsers, including firefox, safari and opera. Customisations are available for users including altering the pages width to suit computers with smaller screen resolutions and text size is easily adjustable. This functionality is easy to control and has a unique feel with the use of sliders on a pop out menu.

While the website itself is very successful, the use of a blog is currently not as the content is very out of date (the last post being made in December 2008) and was rarely updated even monthly, having said that the entries did include some interesting and unique points of views and ideas.

As far a a professional presence goes I feel that Complementary Duo has been very successful, and excluding the poor blog presence and non immediate awareness of their services the site is memorable and appropriately informative.

For quick overview of the websites adherence to the Review criteria see the out of ten scores below.

1. Clarity 6/10
2. Customisation 8/10
3. Networking 5/10
4. Professional Content 8/10
5. Usability 9/10
6. Good Interaction 7/10
7. Memorable 7/10
8. Accessibility 10/10
9. Up to date content 3/10
10. Contact 9/10

Overall: 79/100

More information about the marking criteria used here can be found in my previous post Design Portfolio Criteria.

What is it that makes a good professional profile? Why are some successful and others not? Keep reading for our classes top review criteria.

1. Clarity – is it clear what the person does?
2. Customisation – personal style and design that reflects your professional self
3. Networking – the ability to portray yourself over different channels – is this evident on the site?
4. Professional Content – is the content written in a professional way, does it reflect your professional side?
5. Usability – is the site easy to use? Navigation, easy to control, download times etc
6. Good Interaction – how you interact with the website, unique interaction
7. Memorable – is the website unique? does it provide something interesting that will bring you back to it.
8. Accessibility – can the site be viewed by all? Browser compatibility, valid html and css etc
9. Up to date content – keep it fresh, interesting with new content added regularly
10. Contact – is the person easy to contact?