Final Post!

Wow, we're REALLY THERE! This is the one of the final few assignments I have left to do in my degree program!

This was really one of the more enjoyable classes for me. I played with a new web development program in the process, so it wasn't my best work but I had fun! I think that if I could do it again, I would spend a little more time on the content and less time on being nit-picky with little design things.

When it came time to put together all of my portfolio items, I felt more like I was throwing it together than anything... trying to dig up information.

I need to revisit those items and find a better way to present them in the future.

Portfolio Evolution

I'm sure that 5 years from now we will be seeing some more dynamic portfolios pop up that mainly feature new social aspects. I imagine that social networks will continue to evolve over the next couple of years and I'm sure that the webmaster tools section of those sites will continue to add new features.

I think that portfolios have a huge potential to become more socially interactive. Maybe even a portfolio social network? I guess you could call LinkedIn that, but I'd like to see something where people could use components of the social network freely in their own designs.

Concept, Wrong.

Being a long-time web developer, I know better than go experimental on my visitors without seriously considering the consequences of psychologically messing with what they consider to be the "norm". Web designs have been studied over and over again and what's been tried and true is tried and true for a reason.

It works.

Web development is psychological. Visitors tend to want to look in certain locations for information, they want their navigational menus in certain places. So, before you go experimental, funkadelic disco on your portfolio, think about the effects that your site will have on my brain.

This is my brain.

This is my brain on your site.

Please don't do that to me.

http://kashiwasato.com - A horrible example of experimental gone wrong. Why? Because it's confusing to visitors... I had no idea what I was looking at for the first two minutes! Also, it's full-screen flash which means that no iPhone, iPad or mobile devices without Flash support can access this portfolio. Get with the AJAX and HTML5 program.

http://clearmediawebsites.co.uk - Freaking gorgeous. Clean layout and updated technologies (AJAX) without going crazy. I love the grid layout of their portfolio page. I'll probably adopt that.

The Most Difficult Task in Building My Portfolio

The hardest thing about building my portfolio was the amount of time it took me to perfect the look I wanted. I think I've spent 85% of the time so far finalizing the design and only 15% of the time actually making content. But, that's how I am.

Once I was happy with the design, it was a breeze from there, just placing items where I wanted them on the pages. Trial and error to see what I liked..

Keep on rollin.

video Video VIDEO!

If a picture is worth a thousand words... well, let's see..

30 frames per second x 60 seconds is...

mmm... math anyone? Wait while I get my calculator.

Okay, it's 1800 pictures! Yes, 1800 pictures in a one minute long video.

So... times a thousand words...

1,800,000 WORDS in 60 Seconds!!

Okay, I get it, that's a little bit over the top. But, really think about it - what better way to showcase your work than by creating a professional video that allows you to paint EXACTLY the image you want your prospect to see?

While video may not be the best solution for everybody's portfolio, I'd say that it has quite a chance of making itself useful on most. In fact, with something as simple as iMovie on a Mac, you can create a stunning video in under half an hour. Heck, a pictures slideshow with sound can take just minutes!

Below is an example of a video template that's made for Adobe After Effects, an advanced video editing piece of software, that shows how you could use video to display pictures of work or photographs! Check it out...

Viable Media Content (Unit 6)

In researching your industry, what is the viable media content to your profession that you should be including in your digital portfolio? Not all industries operate with the same standards when it comes to social media, for example, so it's important to know what platforms 'people' pay attention to and why.

My industry is in software integration and creative display solutions using Apple hardware. To connect appropriately with others, I would definitely integrate all three major social networks (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) into my portfolio — technology buffs and business owners are my main audience and I need to reach them by any means possible.

In terms of what content would actually be suitable for displaying my work, I believe that photos of finished installations, well-designed diagrams of how the software interacts, and even videos of installations are all appropriate pieces of documentation.

Audio may be useful when I want to describe a particular installation, however I don't think it would be very useful on its own.

I've embedded a Lighting 101 video that shows some really great tips on lighting subjects with different types of light. Great for taking some amazing looking portfolio pictures.

Portfolio Highlight: Left Brained or Right Brained?

I'm right brained, but I think that I tend to be closer to the middle than anything. I've always been involved in art, music, and creative things such as web development and programming. The weird thing is that I'm very obsessive-compulsive and I like things to be simple and in order... which makes me feel like I'm a bit left brained as well. Oh great, now I'm confused.

I think that I try to compensate for both which works out well and I guess that means I'm pretty well balanced. But, the fact that I have to work at both sides of the spectrum makes me feel like I'm not always in the right spot.

I'm always playing a game in my head in regards to my career. I think I confuse my managers because one day I want to do this job (which is the technical creative job) and the other day I want to be the manager/leader. I think that I need to get that figured out so that I stop trying to go in so many different directions.