I was looking at some portfolio sites for inspiration and came across this one, which I realized is a great example of Manovich’s principles of new media.
Notice the lighting effects and smooth cinematic transitions–evidence of transcoding from the language of film. The extensive interface options are a perfect example of the logic of variability.
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Wow, that portfolio is really cool! The animations and lighting is excellent, though its a bit hard to navigate.
I guess that raises the question, does creating an experience so “cool” infatuate a user enough to render them immune to worries of usability limitations? How far exactly would be considered too far? It seems that his primary portfolio piece is really the portfolio itself and this design makes it difficult to really focus on content within the portfolio.
Its an issue I’ve been struggling with when creating my own portfolio. Should I create a portfolio who’s design is essentially invisible and merely highlights the work inside it? Or is an ideal design portfolio very much like this one?
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*Site Owner: Hi, sorry about the second post; this one corrects some mistakes I made in my previous comment. Thank goodness comments are being moderated!
I agree with you, datrushurtz; it is form over function at certain parts of it, especially the navigation for certain styles of displaying (I had some trouble with the ‘Vertical’ display of his works).
I think the portfolio itself should reflect what you do or what you’re good at, even before a potential customer or viewer sees your actual works. So, I think this ‘New Media Portfolio” is a testament to its designer’s skills and abilities.
But conversely, your portfolio should also demonstrate your understanding of usability. If the portfolio is not very usable, it’d be hard to convince a potential customer that one is able to create usable designs…