Design Portfolios--http://www.veen.com/jeff/archives/000935.html

Design Portfolios
To be honest, it took me a while to catch on to what okaydave.com was all about. I seemed like a whole lot of random stuff, and I could not really understand the connection. After I spent some time viewing Dave Werner’s site, I realized that he is an artistic genius. His site includes many of his lifetime design projects. He combines his creations and ideas allowing the viewer to explore his most impressive developments. His website explains what is important to him and how he got where he is today.
After I explored what Dave Werner’s design portfolio, I also found another website with tips for creating a good portfolio. The website I found was http://www.veen.com/jeff/archives/000935.html. It was created by a man named Jeffrey Veen. Because our English class has viewed a design portfolio, I think it is important for us to have an outside opinion on what makes a good one. Veen emphasizes the importance of keeping the website easy for the viewer to navigate through. He also stresses the value of finding a happy medium between creativity and accessibility. Veen says that the designer needs to have a creative way of displaying their work; however, it is important to avoid unnecessary complications. He says that the main purpose of allowing the viewer to see the designer’s work is lost if the website is so complicated that it is hard to navigate. Another one of Veen’s points stresses the importance of keeping the images large enough to be seen easily. He thinks that the designer should explain his or her process of creating in order to allow an outsider to be able to better understand what is actually going on. His final tip for design portfolios is to display examples of work done for the enjoyment of the designer rather than only displaying projects done for school or a job. In the design portfolios that he views, Veen wants to see designers who are passionate about what they do, rather that those who just do what they have to do to get by.
I think that website is relevant to our class because it allows us to look at okaydave.com in a new way. After reading Veen’s website on design portfolios, no longer are we outsiders to this new form of advertising and displaying one’s artistic abilities. We can use the criteria that Veen presents in order to analyze Dave Werner’s website from a more knowledgeable perspective.
I feel like Dave Werner’s portfolio would definitely meet the standards for design portfolios put forward by Jeffrey Veen. Werner’s website is creative and interesting, but is still formatted with user-friendly navigation. The portfolio allows the viewer to easily access his work, and to also understand his motives behind each project while its visual appeal keeps the viewer engaged. Using the information about design portfolios presented by Veen, I feel like okaydave.com is an excellent representation of the work of Dave Werner.