Would love feedback on my portfolio

Firstly, complete respect for your service in the army. I find it quite incredible how you have gone from that to design work- but you definitely pull it off!

I like the presentation of yourself, although was a little confused if you were mainly a photographer or a designer. I have a few questions about the design, more to provoke your thought process:

1. Why did you specifically chose that photo of yourself?
2. What does the ROCK stand for?
3. Do you have a main selling point? As in your strongest area? Logo design? Web design? Photography?

Some points;

- I found that the top twitter and facebook link brought me to a blank page? Maybe it's just me?
- Finding your work was not 100% obvious, as I didn't know as a first time user the box's were links to your work, not saying you have to change it, but maybe keep that in mind.
- Maybe it would be nice to have some of your work visible on the home page?

Overall it's not a bad start, far far better than what I made even recently. Some small changes here and there will top it off! Interested to see what others think too...
 
Down the bottom where it says
"Treat yourself to the best browser available by clicking here and installing Google Chrome."

PS Note the browser I use :p
 

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Hi Ash, don't worry, we're not nearly as rough to the new guy as those army boys..!

Honestly, I've just seen about 5 other posts and been disappointed with every single one. I read that you were a soldier-turned-graphic designer. My hopes weren't particularly high, haha. Then I opened up your website... I was pleasantly surprised, to be quite frank. It has a nice feel to it, however, I think there's too much text. It needs some more imagery to quickly distinguish important areas of the page. I also feel that the information hierarchy needs some work. My eyes don't really know where to look once I'm finished looking at the header. I get distracted by the HUGE text beneath the four content boxes.

I'm not too keen on the ROCK boxes, as Gilmore mentioned, what is ROCK? If it has no importance then it shouldn't be so dominant in the design. Another point which Gilmore mentioned, what do you specialise in? Those are some pretty big areas that you cover - I know because I dabble in the exact same things. As a viewer of your website, I've read that you make internet stuff, but in case you haven't realised there is a **** load of stuff on the internet! Do you do Back/Front end Development, SEO? People with money to spend want to know this kind of stuff.

The copy on your website needs some work too, I'm afraid. (You've also used images for plainly styled text (a big no no)) for example:

"Since then, I've worked on some brilliant projects and my kung-fu is much stronger. I made this site so if you can read this I must be getting better."

Ignoring the grammatical errors, I believe there are a number of issues here. What does kung-fu have to do with website development? Is it relevant? Do people like talking to others who use odd phrases in place of more coherent ones? The fact that you made the site they're currently looking at is not a particularly glorious achievement in itself.

You have less than 5 seconds to capture an average users attention. Do you really want to be talking about kung-fu and how you, as a graphic designer/photographer/web developer/project manager (A jack of all trades will never triumph in a global industry. It's hard enough to compete in one industry against people who dedicate all their time to one thing let alone four highly different job types) made your own website?

Good start, but it needs work. I also don't like the fact that your site has no navigation, it makes the site feel empty. I keep looking for it but it's not there, there's also no logo. Lastly (it's very late...) the two first pieces in your web design portfolio would not encourage me to hire you as a web designer.
 
Im with squiddy. I wasnt expecting much (and thats my own negative prejudices and I have castigated myself for doing this) but am really pretty impressed to be honest. dont get me wrong, it still needs work. It does need more images, but it is, in essence, the beginnings of a nice little site and I would stick with it and build on it. Alot of Squiddys points are very relevant but i'll give you a positive....

..I love the tone of your copy (although it can ramble but its short enough to work if you clean it up and i disagree with the Kung-Fu - keep it in but it has to follow something relevant to your design skills). Its personal, shows humour and that your human, and thankfully avoids the fluent BS of 'customer driven solutions', 'bespoke','
customer focussed ‘can do’ attitude to innovative thinking and execution' - and all that mind frying rubbish!

In short, images - more of, navigation - essential, once you come down the site it begins to get a bit disjointed and my eyes are all over the place. Give people the information they want. And quickly. If someones looking for a designer they want to see what you can do firstly, then an example you can do what you say you can, then they start going for the personal preferences - Do I want a stiff, dry uber-professional-germanic company feel, or a slightly humorous, quirky feel. Both can work and you have to be true to yourself here. Stick with your human approach, I like it and with some strong examples of work id ring you and want a chat cos i'd feel I could speak normally to you without you trying to baffle me with designery twaddle speak.

So, overall mark? C+

Potential? For sure. Keep going mate, and after a few more rounds of revisions and some restructuring Im pretty sure you'll come back here and get some pats on the back and go away with your chest all puffed out.

:)

What the hell happened to my text on here by the way haha. Ah well, time for a brew....



 
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