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Spring 2021 ︎︎︎ CUNY Queens College ︎︎︎ (ARTS395) Senior Capstone

Spiel:
Website Platforms & Strategies


Website platform options

You should have some experience with these already but you know the deal here from Design 1. 
    • Cargo︎
      • For a portfolio site this is generally what I’d recommend. The templates here are fairly extendable and “cool”/contemporary looking. They have a good font collection. I use Cargo for this website which is not ideal for you but I can help you trouble shoot things on here if needed.
    • Squarespace︎
      • This seems largely worth it if you pay for it, and there are so many YouTube people sponsored by them you should be able to find a discount code. I’ve found the templates hard to extend in the past but it seems like the overall quality of the templates has gotten better.
    • Adobe Portfolio︎
      • I’ve found the templates here to be hard to modify or extend and to have random issues with experiential design of some of the menus but this is technically “free” if you have Adobe Creative Cloud. You additionally get access to most of the Adobe Fonts collection if you have preferences there. 
    • Wix︎ This is no longer recommended for Design 1 students. It can get quite complicated and doesn’t look cute if you don’t pay for it. All that being said, it feels closer to using Indesign which I would characterize as a plus. They also have offices in NY.
    • Readymag ︎ I actually found this through an Instagram or Facebook ad, and it looks to be cool. I haven’t tried it out yet but it seems like it would be good if you want something more dynamic. 

Strategery

Keep things simple ︎︎︎ Take care in the fonts you choose and pair and carefully manage the spacing, but generally I would recommend simpler and focus on showcasing your work, don’t overthink it. Unless you are specifically wanting to work in web design or development (and even then) I would consider just keeping your website on the simpler side.

Make sure things work on mobile ︎︎︎ Most website creation services listed above work on mobile, but often times you might have to slightly adjust how it appears. Be more mindful of this if you are linking from say Instagram or Tiktok. 

Adding a blog or related social media to generate continued interest and SEO. ︎︎︎ Your website might sit dormant as you apply or look for work, have a fulltime job, or are just otherwise busy. This is borders on social media, but you can make it such that your website is found more by relevant people by making a blog or some kind of regular content. This can be super easy like J.Scott’s icecreamhater︎ which I believe is just a tumblr that collates his likes on vimeo. You might go as full bore on something like the below channels that have fun content like redesigning logos and then also low key sell their services/expertise.

Making multiple websites for different fields ︎︎︎ Be mindful that you might just have to do this. While you might feel that your portfolio website is a great showcase of the breadth of your skills if you apply to a job for motion graphics, the art director who looks at your website is expecting to see your motion graphics reel. While you are totally allowed to show a wide variety of work, be careful to curate how it is presented. You might also want to create a private page or section of your website for a very niche skillset like whiteboard animation. 

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