Portfolio Sites: A Rant
polycounter lvl 18
For the past few days I have been reviewing artists' portfolio sites to fill positions on a project I am Art Managing. I have since, developed a new pet peeve:
I am sick of trying to navigate fancy web sites with super neat-o Flash and/or Shockwave layouts and interfaces. For those of you trying to get jobs in the industry:
MAKE YOUR PORTFOLIO SITE SIMPLE!!!
Something that loads QUICKY, with as few pages as possible, containing images linked to larger images of your work and a resume page. That's it. No need for a flashy interface. I am not shopping for a web designer, I am looking for a game artist. Show me your creativity and skills in game art - not in web design.
I am sick of trying to navigate fancy web sites with super neat-o Flash and/or Shockwave layouts and interfaces. For those of you trying to get jobs in the industry:
MAKE YOUR PORTFOLIO SITE SIMPLE!!!
Something that loads QUICKY, with as few pages as possible, containing images linked to larger images of your work and a resume page. That's it. No need for a flashy interface. I am not shopping for a web designer, I am looking for a game artist. Show me your creativity and skills in game art - not in web design.
Replies
I like to think I kept it simple, quick and fast loading enough that the flash elements are subtle enough to not piss viewers off...I've heard either way. Some people just don't want any animation or flash PERIOD, others think it is quick and subtle enough that it doesn't matter. Personally I just want to add a little more since I know flash well.
good rant.
curious. how would you feel about a shockwave 3d section where you could actually look at the models realtime?
[/ QUOTE ]
That was what I looked at recently that sparked my rant
I really just want to click some thumbnails and view some work to evaluate it. I would rather see a render of multiple views of the model than a full turn around. Show some nice renders with textures (if you did them) and some grey with wireframe overlays. Good enough as far as I am concerned.
Rage: Your site is PERFECT, IMO. Even though you used Flash, it's not difficult to navigate and loads quickly.
Ely: Agreed. I also was thinking about the music thing in regards to demo reels the other day. For chrissakes do NOT use popular music on your reel. I immediately veto'ed an artist for using Linkin Park. Granted, if his work had been impressive he still would have gotten work from us, but that's just another hurdle you are putting yourself up against; someone viewing your reel may not like your taste in music.
My theory to explain hyper-flashiness in portfolio sites is that there's an art teacher out there who's never actually been in a position to vet art applicants, but who is telling his students that true artists aren't allowed to let any part of their professional impression be merely functional.
Anyone who does hiring will be pissed off if you waste even a minute of their time, and you will definitely lose the job. Chances are that the person doing the hiring will be looking at dozens of websites and reels. If the body of your work is not immediately evident, you will not get the job.
http://www.planetquake.com/polycount/downloads/index.asp?author=296
http://user.aol.com/pnhassett/art/whoIam.htm
http://boards.polycount.net/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=32661&an=0&page=0#32661
Oh well.....how about an art test?
Garbled that question a bit, simply put: for showing employers, is a splash page with a good image better, or linking directly to the gallery better?
www.AdamBromell.com
Rage: Your site is PERFECT, IMO. Even though you used Flash, it's not difficult to navigate and loads quickly.
[/ QUOTE ]
So you >want< separate windows cluttering up your workspace? (No dissing to Rage)
Rage: I don't mind a splash page. My main gripe is that a portfolio site should load quickly and be easy to navigate. Yours is.
Adam: Agreed. You get an "A" from me for the day
Soul: I was gonna reply, but then realised that you're not worth it.
B1ll: Plenty of coffee - just tired of looking at people showing off their skills as a web designer as opposed to their skills as a 3d artist
Oxy: I don't mind the seperate windows. It's easy enough to close them.
Ribking: Your site is fine, IMO.
I still don't like that my site opens up renders in a new window, I'm gonna overhaul it this summer, streamline it and generally make it everything-compatible and rapidly loading.
The last portfolio I sent out was a .ZIP file with .JPG renders inside.
His site has been mentioned here before, but I'll bring it up again - Pior's 'flipbook' element on his portfolio site is just about perfect. He's got a separate window highlighting 10 or 15 pieces of his work that the viewer can page through. The full content of his portfolio can still be accessed in the traditional manner, via same-page links on his site. The pages are super-clean, too; aside from his nifty splash-page graphic, there's nothing that doesn't serve both form and function ideals.
really, a very dumb, vain and pretencious thing to say. I mean who the hell..
Anyways, every site that has flashy sprinkles, cream covering and umbrealla decorations is frustrating, because what if you don't want to see it all that? Sometimes you aren't given the choice.. and if you have so little respect to the artist (or too much for yourself) that you cant appreciate what they spent hours on for 20 seconds, try reading a Zen book. You *may learn to see the beauty in anytihng, not just seemingly annoying websites.
The important thing, I think, is to distinguish a more personal site from a portfolio site. A portfolio should include only the top, the best, the edge of your work. Sometimes we combine, we include a little lesser work, thats okay as long as it doesn't make the rest seem real bad. I think Rorshach does it the right way in his "extra" portfolio webby..
Ribking: I had a looksee at your website, very nice models!
I thought "using" other people's textures though is false, even if it stated at the bottom that it's not yours, I'd respect your work more if you show it honestly as what it is... A model. and pretty good ones too man.
The reason for this is something my mother once said to me: "show a prospective employer only what they need in order to consider you as a candidate". She's been in hiring/firing roles since I was in my early teens, so I took what she said as authoritative.
That said I think a job-seeking site should be attractive in its simplicity, so I planned my layout carefully, therefore despite being a very plain site I think my portfolio is attractive.
I don't care to post my portfolio publically, as it contains work that I have only got permission to show to prospective employers, but if you're at all interested in seeing it AZ I can link you to it
http://www.jamesryman.com/
www.artbyfeng.com
www.edleeart.com
http://seegmillerart.com/
http://www.coro36ink.com/main.html
http://www.dusso.com/
http://www.hawkprey.com/mainpage.htm
http://hyung-taekim.org/index.php?cat=9
http://www.imphead.com/
Is there a correct way to approach thumbnails? Some people's sites have the thumbnail goto the image on the same window...
[/ QUOTE ]
I was wondering about that too the other day. I have set my site too so that all images open in a new window. I personally like this but a lot of people like to navigate with the "back" option and would thenm like to keep everything in the same window.
What I don't like when I browse somebody's portfolio is very thumbnails or thumbnails that don't show the complete image of what it's linking too. I like to know what I am going to see beforehand. But then again, that's also a personal preference.
"I was going to reply, but then I figuered you're not worth it"
really, a very dumb, vain and pretencious thing to say. I mean who the hell..
[/ QUOTE ]
Zing!
I agree that thumbnails should at least give you a hint as to what you will be looking at, if not the entire image. I've seen thumbnails on sites that they may have well used a black box rather than the portion of the linked image they chose.
Let me just re-iterate my main points on what I like to see in a portfolio site:
-Loads Quickly
-Looks Nice
-Easy to Navigate
Milla: I've seen your site. Unless you've changed it since you did contract work for LD last year. I'd love to see it again if you've updated it since, though. PM it to me
Hire me and move me out there where you are. Where it's always cloudy and it rains all the time (that's my kind of weather). Pay me a ridiculous salary and I'll promise you this...
All your models will have really nice zebra or tiger striped camo on them and I will also devote a (semi-large) percentage of my wages to keeping you drunk and happy at the local "Bump'n grind" establishments. (Of course I will be drunk and happy too) I will introduce you to the fine art of bourbon and scotch drinking also!
Also chiQ still has me linked prominently on her site so hire her too
but the more i talked about it, especially with people who have had to review portfolios... i ended up leaving the full-size images layed up, end-to-end, on 4 pages divided by section.
because let's think about it: in a traditional portfolio, there's a great stress put on what the first and last pieces you put in it, since they'll be what the reviewer will see first and last.
so why the hell are we thumbnailing images? all it's encouraging is for people to click at random (not what you want), or to be making some sort of judgment call based on a teeny thumbnail (which are often misleading). thumbnails are great for your 'normal' site, but i felt like leaving my images in-line for my portfolio was a good idea.
like fritzthecat said, "i try to imagine the person reviewing my portfolio as being the laziest person in the world. you want them to be able to see all your work with as few clicks as possible." and i have to agree with him. not that people looking at portfolios are lazy (AZ may be an exception
so i say cast off your thumbnails! in-line images 4-eva!
I will also devote a (semi-large) percentage of my wages to keeping you drunk and happy at the local "Bump'n grind" establishments.
[/ QUOTE ]
Seattle area has the naughtiest strip clubs in the country you don't even know !!!!!
Also gauss, not thumbnailing works for you, because each one of your pieces is a single image. For us modeler/texture artists, especially in this multiple maps day and age, need a way to show people only whats relevant at what times. First go through someone might only look at my composite finished images, but then want to look at my normal map and my color map to examine how I do things. My site would be an absolute mess if I just had the full sized images up.
Besides I WANT to be able to pick and choose based on what interests me, but I do agree thumbnails should be larger as a whole, so that I can see what I'm clicking.
www.poopinmymouth.com for those of you too lazy to check my profile.
http://www.planetquake.com/polycount/cottages/qbranch/portfolio/2k4/
And there's also a very temporary one I did before this (Volition wanted to see my work ASAP and I didn't have my portfolio finished, so this was a stopgap to tide them over until I did, they were happy with it I guess). This is about as simple as it gets
http://www.planetquake.com/polycount/cottages/qbranch/hosted/portfolio/
Well, Dabu just got hired.
http://www.dabudesign.com/
So, I don't think the simplicity of a website is all that to get a job....something else came into play.
Pogonip: Heh, I notice you linked directly to Hawkprey's main page, not the actual base link of www.hawkprey.com - because Hawkprey's site has an unnecessary "Enter site!" image, which serves no purpose at all, and in fact rather annoys me, because his site is otherwise fairly good.
A very good example of wise use of flash is peppis site:
http://www.peterboehme.com
Note: He studied traditional design! Clear and easy simple design. Thats how it should look like.
As for my site i guess i made a wise decision after realizing that really nobody does download a ZIP. I have a little portolfio with thumbs. If somebody is more interested in my art you can download the complete portolfio. Not want to say its perfect, but hey it works and its fast.
Seattle area has the naughtiest strip clubs in the country you don't even know !!!!!
[/ QUOTE ]
Portland has the most strip clubs per capita of any city in the country. I can think of 4 strip clubs off hand within a 4 block radius of our offices at LD
We also have the most comic shops per capita ... not sure what the connection is there
The web is fluid, a site should adapt, and work in anything.
Happy to supply the code for my image solution.
*click on sig*
[ QUOTE ]
Seattle area has the naughtiest strip clubs in the country you don't even know !!!!!
[/ QUOTE ]
Portland has the most strip clubs per capita of any city in the country. I can think of 4 strip clubs off hand within a 4 block radius of our offices at LD
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, but do you have contact danses? I'm actually asking, cause I never knew there were places where you could touch the girl until I came to Montreal.
For my portfolio site, I just had all my items listed in columns, with thumbnails and descriptions. I'll admit for mine, I had ambiguous thumbnails. Bleh. But, it was really easy to navigate (all items linked off 1 page) and had my resume in *.doc, *.pdf, and *.html.
Im sorry, but I think we here in Las Vegas probably have the best strip clubs...and the most of them.
Alcohol w/ nude?
touching? (yes you can touch them , no pink or stink touching tho')
full nudity?
Spine meltn' East bloc acents?
How did a thread about sites get to this?
How did a thread about sites get to this?
[/ QUOTE ]
I think I moved it in that direction while I was giving AZ my resume
Portland has the most strip clubs per capita of any city in the country. I can think of 4 strip clubs off hand within a 4 block radius of our offices at LD
We also have the most comic shops per capita ... not sure what the connection is there
[/ QUOTE ]
Im moving to Portland ASAP and im not even kidding ! Strip clubs and comic shops ....and it's SOOOOO beautiful there !
Um.. does LV have..
Alcohol w/ nude?
touching? (yes you can touch them , no pink or stink touching tho')
full nudity?
Spine meltn' East bloc acents?
[/ QUOTE ]
Lets just say in Seattle they sell condoms in the strip club bathroom for a reason
Spine meltn' East bloc acents?
[/ QUOTE ]
MMMMMM......Sett you read my mind!!!
I had to go thru about 40 demo reels this last month and quiet a number of websites.
-Often the info I wanted was burried behind 3 or 4 clicks.
-Many didn't link their phone numbers or emails
-Most spent more ti researching web tech than game tech.
I think Rorshack has the best mix of style and ease of use. I copied his layout for my site for the most part.
-R
i recently got my portfolio together (for the first time, in some ways), and i had mocked up some pages of my concepts on about 4 pages, intending to of course thumbnail them.
but the more i talked about it, especially with people who have had to review portfolios... i ended up leaving the full-size images layed up, end-to-end, on 4 pages divided by section.
because let's think about it: in a traditional portfolio, there's a great stress put on what the first and last pieces you put in it, since they'll be what the reviewer will see first and last.
so why the hell are we thumbnailing images? all it's encouraging is for people to click at random (not what you want), or to be making some sort of judgment call based on a teeny thumbnail (which are often misleading). thumbnails are great for your 'normal' site, but i felt like leaving my images in-line for my portfolio was a good idea.
like fritzthecat said, "i try to imagine the person reviewing my portfolio as being the laziest person in the world. you want them to be able to see all your work with as few clicks as possible." and i have to agree with him. not that people looking at portfolios are lazy (AZ may be an exception
so i say cast off your thumbnails! in-line images 4-eva!
[/ QUOTE ]
erm, so the interested viewer can go back to their favoite one without trawling pages of images?