Portfolio – refined comps

Portfolio Comps

Possible design firms to visit in Seattle

• Zaaz
• Flying Spot
• If/then
• Digital Kitchen
• Elephants and Ants
• Engine Interactive

Portfolio Process

Research (competitors, future employees, inspiration):

http://www.zaaz.com

http://www.gagedesign.com

http://www.elephantsandants.com

http://www.methodologie.com

http://bkwld.com/

http://www.narrowdesign.com/

http://www.goforchange.pl/

http://www.thisisgrow.com/

http://www.soft.se/#/index

http://zinnidesign.com/

http://www.agent8.co.uk/

http://mnatwork.com/#/?state=0

http://www.twigglegraphics.com/

Word list/brainstorming:

design, development, art, pyschology, color theory
web, network, connections
code, logic, analytical, technical
clean, organized, understated, modern, friendly, accessible
clarity, balance, functional, purposeful
duality, synthesis, professionalism

Concept:

I think the thing that sets me apart from other designers is the fact that I have a background in programming. I have completed the Web Manager certification program through the Internet Studies Center and have worked with Javascript, PHP, SQL, C#, Visual Studio, and the ASP.NET framework.

To reflect this, my portfolio is going to be focused around the concept of synthesis; for employers, I am the perfect balance of web designer and developer. I want my site to be both well designed and showcase my technical abilities. I plan to keep the design clean, minimal, ordered, and functional. I have not had the chance to work with JQuery in any of my projects, so I would incorporate JQuery elements in my portfolio as well. I also have found that many portfolio/business sites include links to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, so I am planning on making these social media sites a part of my portfolio and extending my look/feel/identity to them as well.

Site-map:

HOME

1. Work
   • Web
     • IKEA
     • Campus 100
     • Jump Music
     • Summerstart/Transitions
     • Bookstore (redo)
     • Sarah Jerns (new)
   • Video
     • Music Video
     • Kinetic Type
     • Foul Play Commercial
     • Synesthesia Video (new)
2. About
   • Resume
   • Bio
3. Contact

Wireframes:

Proposal & Timeline Draft

Proposal:

1. Sarah Jerns Portfolio

   Description:

   My friend Sarah and I have been discussing working together to create a website for a while now. She is a music major at Western and heads up a band called Pan Pan. For one of my projects, I am going to create a personal online portfolio to showcase her work and capabilities. As well as being a public profile for her fans, friends, and family, Sarah also would like the site to appeal to important people in the music industry.

   The site will be detailed and informative and include audio and video files of Sarah’s work. It will also link to the various existing Pan Pan sites/social media pages. To make the site more interactive, I plan to create a blog in which Sarah will be able to post content and upload media through a password protected admin page.

   Goals:

   • create an informative promotional site that can be easily updated
   • become more familiar with using media (music, video) on the web
   • learn about search engine optimization

   Technical:

   The site will be created in HTML and CSS. The blog, since it needs password protection and the ability to upload content, will be created in ASP.NET using Visual Studio.

2. Synesthesia Music Video

   Description:

   I want to create one more motion graphics piece for my portfolio using Aftereffects. I plan to tie this video into my other project and work collaboratively to create a short music video with Sarah Jerns. The video is going to center around the idea of sound-color synesthesia:

   Cytowic calls sound → color synesthesia “something like fireworks”: voice, music, and assorted environmental sounds such as clattering dishes or dog barks trigger color and simple shapes that arise, move around, and then fade when the sound stimulus ends. For some, the stimulus type is limited (e.g., music only, or even just a specific musical key); for others, a wide variety of sounds triggers synesthesia.

   Sound often changes the perceived hue, brightness, scintillation, and directional movement. Some individuals see music on a “screen” in front of their face. Deni Simon, for whom music produces waving lines “like oscilloscope configurations—lines moving in color, often metallic with height, width and, most importantly, depth. My favorite music has lines that extend horizontally beyond the ‘screen’ area.” (Taken from Wikipedia)

   I want to animate various shapes/colors to move organically and abstractly with the music. My focus will be on create audio/visual sync in which the shapes respond to various instruments, tempo changes, rhythms, etc. within the song.

   Goals:

   • create a beautiful, abstract video for a composition from Sarah Jerns
   • learn more about animation in Aftereffects
   • work collaboratively

   Technical:

   This video will be created in Aftereffects.

3. Redo PHP Bookstore Project

   Description:

   A while ago I created a bookstore site in PHP for MIS 314. The site functions well, but the design is not portfolio worthy. I plan to redesign the site from the ground up. This will include entering new books in the database to create a limited and unique product line.

   Goals:

   • To improve the design on an existing site so that I can include it in my portfolio and demonstrate my knowledge of PHP
   • Create a unique bookstore identity and interface with a limited product line

   Technical:

   The redesign of the site will be done mainly with CSS and new images. Updates will be made to the products in the database using phpMyAdmin. The existing PHP code will not be modified.

Timeline:

timeline PDF