Project purpose or objectives:
Purpose– The purpose is to have a portfolio that will also show my skills as a designer and impress future employers.
Objectives– For this project I created and designed a website. This website will act as my professional portfolio, so I not only designed the website but added my work there. The design had to be branded to me- colors, fonts, and even wording describes how I want to be presented to a professional audience. I included all the work (that I want seen) since I started in 2017 in this portfolio. The sections are: Public Relations (media kit, crisis communication plan, etc.), Writing (press releases, news stories, etc.), Graphic Design (sticker sets, watch project, etc.), and Photography (I have lots of different kinds of pictures throughout the years).
The Project:
Here is the landing page- which is also the “about me” section. I have also included my menu drop down in this image for reference, although it does not show unless your mouse is hovering over it.
Here is the bottom of the same landing page, which includes the “contact me” part.
Next, we have the pages with my work on each:
Challenges Encountered:
This project pushed me in new ways. When I started, I planned to use the WordPress website that I started years ago, but my access had expired to the limited version, and after spending a week trying to figure out the new updates and learning the program again, I decided it would be easier to start from scratch and make my own, so I did. However, this was a lot more work than I was anticipating and created some significant changes in the timeline I had for myself. I was not able to complete everything I wanted to in these last 14 weeks, but that is just life! This is a project I can be working on for a long time to come.
Another challenge was finding all my work. I quickly realized that I have used lots of different computers in the last 9 years, not to mention all the external hard drives and USB devices for photos. Trying to find the best work, most high quality, and then where I had it stored was much more difficult than I anticipated. I felt like I was playing a game with my past self trying to remember what I was thinking.
Project processes:
I utilized WIX for the basic layout of a website and the domain, but I desgined all of the pages myself, including changing the tiny details to match my brand. The button design and menu are the perfect examples of this since I had to choose the color, spacing, lines, typeface, etc. for each element- static, hovering, clicked, etc.
Every 2 weeks I would give an update to my followers on the photography Instagram account I have.
I also used the Adobe programs- mostly Illustrator, to finalize my work and make it all branded and cohesive.
An overview of your experiences:
Overall, it was a positive experience. It took a lot more time than I anticipated, and the challenges were frustrating, but now looking at the finished design, I am proud of the efforts I spent. I am excited to use this in job interviews and give to potential clients as a portfolio.
Insights or takeaways you gained from the project:
I was successful because I have a polished, professional website that I can confidently send out with my resume. I will use the enhanced web design skills I earned in any job I have for the future.