My first shot at "showing off"

Well, here goes.
My first unfortunate thing is I'm starting off with a "free hosting" service, which can hurt me in a couple of ways: Bandwith and an annoying banner Ad on the right hand side. I can certainly see where I will have to upgrade my bandwith ASAP. So, if you get an "unavailable temporarily", you know why. I do apologize for any inconvienence you may encounter. I started off with the free to break into the net, since I am very new to this.
This is my first shot at getting some feedback on my work. After viewing many submissions here to the forum, I started to become a little nervous about posting. It's like, I'm in kind of a different league, maybe. Oh well...will never know until I post and get some feedback from y'all...:-) (good or bad, I'm ready).
kshdesigns

I could'nt get the site to load up ??? It's just a blank white page ......

Exactly what I was afraid of. If too many are viewing at the same time, I over do my bandwith allowance. I'm in the process right now of upgrading to a much higher one. Just the red tape goin on. Sorry, I probably jumped the gun submitting it too soon. You can usually access it within an hour, and I do apologize for the delay...:-(. Like i said, I'm breaking into all of this, folks). It will be straightened out real soon here. If you don't mind maybe try it again. Geesh... wouldn't you know it! Sorry.

Oh boy...Geesh, my first shot at it, too.

A few suggestions:
1.) Nothing really jumps out at me when I first looked at the page. The graphics you have on there don't seem to have any emphasis on them. Being as it is a graphic portfolio, I would think that they would have the biggest impact when someone first looks at the page. Maybe add borders, play with the layout, colors, things like that to make them stand out.
2.) The font seems a bit dull and hard to read. Play around with different fonts and font colors. I know that with geocities they may limit certain fonts and whatnot, but play aroudn with it until it is easier to read.
3.) I think the biggest thing is organization and layout. Just keep playing with different designs until you find a clean, easy to navigate, and effective layout.
Good luck and I hope this helped!

I agree w/dtRick.......I'd first change dark background color to much lighter color....to make your also dark designs pop and say 'here I am'.........theres too many patterns(on the biz cards/ads.... and colors(negative space is a design element as well, and most neglect it:().....it is a good start...just needs a bit of tweaking:)

"Sorry, this GeoCities site is currently unavailable.

The GeoCities web site you were trying to view has temporarily exceeded its data transfer limit. Please try again later. "

bleh. You clearly don't want a portfolio to be hosted on geocities...
If you are serious about starting your own business, a basic hosting service with a domain name is cheap considering your return on investment.

dang, sorry people...:-(. I'm trying. I took advice on changing the layout and lightening up some. I'm going to tell you why I went black. I have "guidelines" for creating a portfolio and they recommended
black" so your work would stand out. Maybe I misunderstood something, tho. Oh well, I changed the home page to a new layout so can you take another peek and let me know if it's looking better (or getting worse)? Would be deeply appreciated.

a little better...
tell me, are you making the site using Geocities page builder?
and what are you using to create your graphics?

for some reason I can't log in? Anyway, yes, right now I am using Geocities. I know...it really rather stinks, I prefer Dreamweaver. I have an FTP server to upload to, but I'm having some difficulties with them right now. Figuring out how to get it all connected has been a nightmare for me. Like I said, I'm new to all of this. I just started actually getting into the site design this year. I'm hoping once my upgrade goes through it will run a little better. I haven't really tried to produce a site at Geocities, so I though I'd give it a shot. There are allot of "limitations", tho...:-(. For now I am just trying to see if I can get anyfeedback on my work, so I can submit a decent portfolio to Design Contest. So, you think it is a little more pleasing now as opposed to what it was? Thank You. so much for your comments!

I work in Photoshop CS, Macromedia Fireworks and Paint Shop ProX, to do my art work in. I also use Freehand at times as well as Illustrator, but not often.
"kshdesigns"

Well..
My first suggestion is just creating a site in dreamweaver instead of geocities. You don't have to hook up dreamweaver to your server to create sites. It is much easier and much much better in my opinion.

I recommend taking the time to learn HTML, and create the site yourself. WYSIWYG editors don't produce good websites.

As far as the black goes, for photography black should be used as a background. It makes the pictures stand out more. That doesn't mean that the text needs to be black and the graphics need to be black. You need to add more lighter colours.

Why I can't log in I have no idea. I have sent a few emails requesting help for this and have had no reply.
I'm working with HTML, and I agree 100% with you on Dreamweaver. I guess I was just in a bit of a hurry to join this site. I know, my bad. I will work on another site and work harder on my HTML. I know allot of the basics, but I admit there is still allot I want to learn and know well. I do appreciate everyones time and suggestions. Maybe in the near future when I return with something better, I might be allowed to work with y'all. I love what you are doing here and hope to become part of it. Once again, thank you for all of your input, I DO appreciate it!
"kshdesigns", Karen

Everything is alright, but I think that your work needs a bit more simplicity and white space. All of the ad designs seem a bit to dark. I do like some of your digital artwork though, and you definitely have the artistic flare that you need to start with as a designer. I think as well you need to show much larger than thumbnail pictures so quality will stand out. I know from experience that it is hard with those free services, but I still manage and I sometimes use them still.

I don't like your site however because it looks a lot like anyother website you come across, and its how I designed when I first started web design. It has a pretty good navigation system, and it is easy to navigate. However, you need a logo for kshdesigns. An image that lasts and stays with you for a long time. Something that stands out as recognizeable. Many designers start out without these things, but as you continue to get experience, you can really awe your clients and others. It takes time and practice for web design, and the know how of advanced HTML and dreamweaver, freehand, flash, illustrator and so on.

You have great potential and believing in yourself and your skills is the most important thing that designers hold dear. Holding your skill dear to you will make you press on and create everyday making you gain the best experience in the field. Learning on your own will make you successful as a designer, and inspiration will help you when the feeling isn't there.

Thank You. Your time you took to counsel me is much more than appreciated
...:-) I know I have a long ways to go, but I will get there. I'm working on a site as I speak in "Dreamweaver", so maybe I will develope something really great this time, or better anyway. Dreamweaver is an awesome program and I still have much to learn in it, but I know patience is a virtue and good things will come out of it. I do have one question for you... You mentioned I should show my work on a larger scale. Would you suggest I link the thumbnail, as I did with my pattern designs, or just enlarge it on the original page? And are you suggesting I lighten my "ad samples" and enlarge as well? Once again, thank you for your time and I also appreciate your positive comments on my art work...means allot to me...:-)
Karen
"kshdesigns"

Karen, will you e-mail me at [email protected] or PM me..Gotta question to ask and maybe a few things that can help ya!

Hello Dt. Just letting you know I emailed you...:-)
Thanks, karen

Maybe you should also consider hosting your website somewhere other than geocities.. there are a number out there who give a reasonable amount of space without any advertising at all. (for example - http://port5.com)
There are also many personal domains out there who will take on "hostees" free of charge; I did this in the past with a few random people online (the long gone Pick-Me.net used to be helpful, having a directory of available hosts). The only thing is you won't know how long they will be around, so there's always a chance the domain could disappear if they don't renew.

But as it has been said, it would suit you best to buy your own domain, and use a paid hosting service. I've been using Dreamhost for a couple years now, and their smallest plan--20 GIGABYTES of webspace among other things--is only $10 a month (or $8 if you prepay for two years). There's also a setup fee of $50, which includes the cost of one domain registration (although can host an unlimited number of domains under the same plan).
If you do decide to pay for a host, and you go with Dreamhost, let me know--being a member allows me to give anyone I want a big discount, which can take a chunk out of that setup fee!

Thank you. I do understand everything you are saying here, and have every intention of not sticking with Geocities. I'm working with my ISP right now on something. I have an FTP space through them, and have a URL. They gave me this for people to view my web page. The problem I am having right now is tryin to tie it all in together with Dreamweaver. I'm only a year into Dreamweaver and still have LOTS to learn when it comes to this area...:-) I pretty much have the design concepts, and I do have basic HTML knowledge. For some reason Dreamweaver isn't recognizing the address and won't connect to the FTP service. I'm wondering...can I just move my folder to the FTP myself when I am through, and use the URL they supplied me with? My ISP tells me they don't have a hosting program, nor can you chose a private domain through them. Geesh, the understanding of trying to tie this all in is actually so nerve wracking to me. The designing part is a pleasure. So, if anyone can enlighten me some on this, I would be so appreciative! Thanks!
"kshdesigns"