Virtual Assistant Forums | Work from Home

eve_k0802 · #1 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008

Hi All!

As you know, I just re-did my website and was wondering if one of the web designers out there could help me with something. I've been trying to figure out the best way to add my portfolio to my website.

http//www.mymarketingdesign.com

Right now I just have a coming soon page. What I was thinking of was putting thumbnail size images of the documents I wanted to include on the portfolio page and when you click on them you'd be able to see a bigger version of them. Here's the problem (or maybe it's not a problem for a web designer with alot more experience than a self taught one like me!): I have websites I'd like to include in my portfolio (not the whole websites, just maybe the home pages), and I also have advertisements I created in Photoshop (jpgs, which I could convert to pdfs if I had to), and I also have flyers, menus and signs from the restuarant which were created in Word (again which I could convert into pdfs if need be) and I also have email newsletters that I'd like to include. Does anyone know the best way to do this? Should I just have the thumbnail link to a pdf? But what should I do about the copies of the website pages? Just add them to my directory in my website and have them load like another page? But then how would they get back to the portfolio page??

Any suggestions? Help???? I'm driving myself crazy overthinking this!!! I'd appreciate whatever anyone can suggest to help!

Tess · #2 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008

Yvone, in my own portfolio I have a screenshot of the website home page scaled down to a size I like (quite a lot bigger than a thumbnail) and linked to the actual site, along with a description of the project, etc.

I use Screenhunter 5 for that, and it's a free program BTW - great to have as a designer - actually, I'd even go so far as to say it's necessary.

I think you could add this in in a few ways - either by creating a 'section' within your portfolio for each type of work (websites together, print work together, logos together, ads etc.) OR, if your work history isn't big enough yet to warrant that you could just settle them all artfully on the same page in sections with little bits of info about each project.

Whether you link to the actual sites you've done or not is up to you, but I think as a general rule designers link up to the whole site. It lends credence to your claim that it's your work. I've seen portfolios that didn't link up and I always wondered why.

If you're worried about clients getting 'back' to your portfolio you could just have things open in a new window - I always do.

For your ads, etc. I think you could just put a smaller sized image on the main portfolio page that opens to the full size version (in a new window) when clicked.

Whenever I'm struggling with how to lay out a page I open Photoshop or some other graphic program and upload ALL of the images I want to work with onto a canvas the same size as the page I want to build. Then I just resize and move things around until I like the look of it. If I'm doing thumbnails then all of my images are ready to go - just insert a slice for each one, export the GIFs and you're all set

eve_k0802 · #3 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008

Thanks sooooo much for the quick response!! Wow, I'm learning so much here, and I'll definitely go get that program.

I actually have a two web clients who haven't finished paying for their sites yet, so they haven't been uploaded yet, but the designs are so nice that I definitely want to show them off. I have another guy who actually stiffed me for the last payment and I took his site down, but his design was beautiful. I these cases, I'd take out all their contact information. My other client is a Mary Kay Director and you have to be a member of her unit with a password to actually get into the site (Mary Kay's rules), so I just want to be able to show the home page). The other sites I can link to, no problem.

You're the best!

Yvone