[Portfolio] Matt Via - Environment Artist

matthewjvia

I finally finished my grad research project, so now it's portfolio time. I went to GDC and the East Coast Game Conference and got some good feedback, but I would still like to know what other people think. Any advice would be appreciated.

matthewvia.com

FYI the site is under construction, so it may be a little buggy and I still haven't had time to put descriptions for the work.

LMP

Your stuff looks like it could be pretty good... but the JPEG compression it really hurting your presentation. Re-save your shots with a lower compression amount.

cholden

Yea, that image compression is death. Also the white background is playing hell on your dark environments. Neutral color.

Serp

I think you should look at other portfolio websites and try to copy them, because the design isn't that great. Mainly the fonts and background colour.

I think the thumbnail of "remnant" should be replaced with another image, like the second remnant screenshot.

feanix

Use PNGs instead of JPGs. PNGs aren't lossy.

matthewjvia

It's been a while since I have had time to post, but I have updated my site some. I brought the background down from white to a very light gray. Hopefully it is a little easier on the eyes. I switched the images over to PNGs, but they took forever to load, so I went back to JPGs with less compression.

Serp: I'm not really sure I understand what you think I should change about my design. I have looked at several other portfolio sites and they vary a lot, but I don't see how my layout is much different from the norm. Could you please elaborate.

I spent the last few weeks of school trying to get as much done as possible. Unfortunately, now that I have graduated I'm not allowed to use their computer labs, so any progress has come to a screeching halt. I would really like to update my older pieces: the temple, throne room, and guardian. I don't feel like they really show my current skill level. Still, I would really appreciate any more advice you have on my work. As soon as I get a computer that is more than a paperweight, I plan on getting back to work.