http://valmiloje.com/
Designer: Valentin Miloje
Source: The Graphic Designer's Guide to Portfolio Design, p175

The first thing that strikes me about this site is the logo. I love how it reflects the designer's tools of the trade. I can't figure out what the lines at the top of the M represent, though. Ideas?
The splash page follows a to-do checklist of design principles with the emphasis clearly being on the designer and not on a show-me-all-the-gadgets web site. Although the splash page appears to have a "button" to enter the site, the viewer can actually click on any part of the logo or name to enter. The home page is set up in a simple grid system with a broad spectrum of projects represented. One of the interesting things I noticed was a button labeled "creative process" which leads to — SURPRISE — a sketchbook page!

Next Stop: Creativity

www.creativitystop.net

Designer: Brunella Giannangeli
Source: The Graphic Designer's Guide to Portfolio Design, 2009, p180

This site pulls out all the bells and whistles - no pun intended. It opens with the sound of a train horn and ends with the title rolling to a stop on a blank screen. From there, the train theme continues. The navigation is set up as a railroad map with some of the stops being clickable. The background of the website looks like digital scrapbooking with the purpose of showing the designer's skills in Illustrator. The site actually gets quite old very quickly but it does remain consistent in it's train theme. The designer's reason for the transportation motif was to express the idea of motion — the idea that her work is progressive and modern (and unique).
I found the site interesting for two reasons: first, the fact that it was mentioned as an example for a portfolio piece, and second, because it appears to be the total opposite of what our artist, Joan Stolz, desires for her site.

Hatch Design

hatchsf.com

Designer: Hatch Design, San Francisco
Source: How, April 2009, p153

This site is a great example of the nostalgic photograph look we discussed in class. All of the images have that Polaroid feel with the wide white border which includes identifying labels. The site opens with stacked images showing rotating slides of their work for several clients, all of which are clickable. The site has a very strong rectangular element to it, which contrasts nicely with their minimalistic logo of lowercase Helvetica-rounded letters.
The most interesting aspect of the site is the way they approached showcasing their work. On each client's "Polaroid", there are small thumbnails in the white border which bring up images of everything they've done for the client, including labels, packaging, logos, corporate identities, web sites, even photographs. I found this to be a really clever way of showing their diversity. I think it also speaks volumes to see how clients use them for all aspects of their marketing.

AKQA

www.akqa.com

Designer: AKQA, San Francisco
Source: 2009 How Design Annual, p163

The more you delve into this site, the more you appreciate its "bone structure". The site is solid in its foundation. It's set up like a t.v. with everything anchored and surrounded by a frame. Each click changes the inside information but the very diminutive buttons are permanently placed.
The site starts with a different splash page every time you enter the site. Each is quite unique — from a still shot of a cartoon with an annoying laugh to a video to a slide show.
The information is presented in a very minimalistic style with lots of white space and small, clean black type in close proximity. An unexpected element is a hand drawing on the other side of the screen introducing many of the pages by drawing a "play diagram" with a pencil leading the viewer to the title of the page. I found the contrast between the sketchy pencil and the clean white slate of structured type to be visually stimulating. The site looks sterile when it's dormant, but press a link and it always a surprise.
The contact page had a nice visual with a shadow of each city that the company had an office in located on the bottom of the page. By clicking either the city name or its corresponding shadow, the office location and information popped up. It makes you wonder if they choose a city to put an office in based on whether it has a recognizable skyline? Hmmm...

Cliff Bar 2 Mile Challenge web site

WWW.2milechallenge.com
Designer: Cobra Creative, San Francisco www.cobracreative.com
source: 2009 How Design Annual, p167

I was drawn to this web site's image in a magazine because of it's bold, clean graphics. I liked the complimentary color scheme and the asymmetric balance. The actual site is full of interactive elements, animation, and video. The navigation is very definitive and consistent throughout the site. The graphics are also consistent throughout the site.
Only one font is used, an easy-to-read sans serif, in only 3 type sizes.