{"id":1099,"date":"2024-11-05T20:20:17","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T20:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/?p=1099"},"modified":"2025-11-11T04:03:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T04:03:31","slug":"1099-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/1099-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Project 3: Senior Portfolio Website"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your Senior Portfolio Website\u00a0should\u00a0present 10 of your best projects\u00a0in a digital experience\u00a0that is coherent with\u00a0the personal branding you have developed.\u00a0When building your online portfolio, display\u00a0of work, craft and language should be your main considerations. Project concepts, execution and craft should meet professional standards and work field expectations, proving that you are prepared to pursue design with passion and cultural relevance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Photographic documentation & mockups of finished pieces\u00a0are required to be used on your website.<\/p>\n

On the bottom of this page you will find\u00a0a few design portfolios that may serve you as inspiration for formatting, and as reference for how to showcase\u00a0your work though\u00a0photography, digital images and properly articulated descriptions.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Considerations:
\n<\/span><\/strong>+ Who is your audience\/user?
\n<\/span>+ What message do you want to convey to\u00a0your audience?
\n<\/span>+ What narrative are your articulating through your user’s experience?
\n<\/span>+ How does the selection, quality, presentation, description of your images help convey this message?
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Platform Considerations
\n<\/strong>You can use WordPress.org<\/a>,\u00a0Squarespace<\/a> or Cargo<\/a>, as the platform to build your Portfolio Website. You are also welcome to design and prototype your site through Figma<\/a> and export as html, but this class does not fully provide technical support for such process.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0all\u00a0approaches, securing your own domain name (URL) will be necessary. Additionally, you will be expected to design and build a site that is coherent with your personal branding, and to modify an existing WordPress,\u00a0Squarespace or Cargo theme to do so. (Please note that WordPress.org is different than WordPress.com. See links below.)<\/p>\n

You can look into domain names that you want to consider to see if they are available on a service like google domains<\/a> now part of Squarespace, GoDaddy<\/a>, or others. Domains need to be bought (rented for a period of time), and then mapped to your site location.<\/p>\n

Brief List of Pros & Cons of WordPress vs. Squarespace vs. Cargo<\/strong><\/p>\n

\/ WordPress
\nPro: Many\u00a0themes available,\u00a0both free and paid.
\nPaid themes often come with many ways to modify within the theme itself (instead of having to write custom CSS for most modifications)
\nWordpress works with Gutenberg Blocks, which makes editing content simple. Making use of other page builders such as Elementor Pro<\/a> also allows for a simpler and more visual editing experience.
\nCon: Need to host your site on a separate hosting service (i.e Just Host<\/a>\u00a0& Siteground<\/a> specialize in WordPress). Other recent offers from students worth exploring come from GreenGeeks<\/a>, Hostinger<\/a>, and Bluehost<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\/ Squarespace
\nPro: Low monthly payments, including site hosting, domain purchase & email, offers student discount. <\/a>Themes are\u00a0responsive\u00a0and well conceived for mobile usage.
\nCon: Less themes\/templates available, and can be trickier to modify with Custom CSS<\/p>\n

\/ CargoCollective (use Cargo 3<\/a>)
\nPro:\u00a0Low monthly payments, including site hosting & domain purchase. Free account for a year while a student. Ask for code!
\nPart of a creative community.\u00a0Themes are\u00a0responsive\u00a0and well conceived for mobile usage.
\nCon: Less themes\/templates available, and\u00a0can be trickier to modify with Custom CSS than WordPress.
\nDoes not offer email hosting. You can sync\u00a03rd party services that offer email hosting\u00a0like google & fastmail.<\/p>\n

\n

Personal\u00a0Portfolio Examples<\/strong>
\nAndy Stewart
\n<\/a>Mariana Bukvic<\/a>
\nAdam Ho
\n<\/a>Sonia Castillo<\/a>
\nTala Safie<\/a>
\n<\/a>Zuli Segura
\n<\/a>Javier Jaen<\/a>
\n<\/a>Aries Moross
\n<\/a>Catalina Estrada<\/a>
\n<\/a>Andrea Trabucco
\n<\/a>Alejandro Magallanes<\/a>
\n<\/a>Joshua Leplay
\n<\/a>Ben And Martin
\n<\/a>Agnieszka Ziemiszewska
\nChristoph Niemann
\n<\/a><\/p>\n


\nPersonal\u00a0Portfolio Examples \u2014 ACM-GD Alumni
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gisela Ochoa<\/a>
\n<\/a>Eric Ng<\/a>
\n<\/a>Ayah Elgendy<\/a>
\nBrandon Marshall<\/a>
\n<\/a>Nolan Mendoza<\/a>
\nJoseph Labib<\/a>
\n<\/a>Ronald Solano
\n<\/a>Rochelle Anne Bernal
\n<\/a>Sara Barcelos<\/a>
\nLiam Gunning<\/a>
\nLuis Reyes<\/a>
\nYuli Rojas<\/a>
\nMathilda Galano<\/a><\/p>\n


\nPortfolio Websites Galleries<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cargo Collective – In Use
\n<\/a>Square Space – Portfolio Tour
\n<\/a>awwwards – portfolio submissions
\n<\/a>Site Inspire – portfolio submissions<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Portfolio\u00a0Website Process:<\/strong><\/p>\n

+ Consider what kind of experience you would like to create with your portfolio website, and how you want to present yourself.<\/p>\n

+ Consider the\u00a0“entry point” or landing page experience to your site: static page, motion\/video opener, selection of work (as grid or slideshow), a statement, etc.<\/p>\n

+ Consider the work that you have identified for you senior portfolio. What are potential ways it can be organized? How will the organizational choice affect a viewers experience, and assist you in presenting your work?<\/p>\n

+ Decide on the parameters of the content that you want to accompany each project, such as:\u00a0Title, brief description, production or material details, collaborators, if applicable.<\/p>\n

+ Create a list of all portfolio pieces to consider for organizational options.<\/p>\n

+ Develop a few possible site maps. This will help you develop your site architecture or\u00a0narrow down\u00a0preferred\u00a0templates.<\/p>\n

+ Consider your personal branding and\u00a0consider the design of your website as an extension of that brand. What are the components of the visual language you have developed? \u2014 Font, color\u00a0&\u00a0supporting visual\/conceptual elements.<\/p>\n

+ Research from wordpress.org<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0Squarespace or Cargo archives\u00a0to provide you with ideas for the structure and functionality you want for your site, and choose a few possible themes or templates to work with.<\/p>\n

WordPress\u00a0Resources<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/wordpress.org\/themes\/<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/www.themecircle.net\/<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/themeforest.net\/category\/wordpress<\/a><\/p>\n

Squarespace Resources
\n<\/strong>Squarespace Templates<\/a><\/p>\n

Getting Started with Squarespace (Videos on Different Topics)
\nhttps:\/\/support.squarespace.com\/hc\/en-us\/categories\/200204575<\/a><\/p>\n

Building a Page
\nhttps:\/\/support.squarespace.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/206543687-
\nBuilding-a-page<\/a><\/p>\n

Integrating\u00a0Figma and Squarespace
\nFigmafy<\/a><\/p>\n

Templates and Design
\nhttps:\/\/support.squarespace.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/206796007<\/a><\/p>\n

Squarespace Lynda.com Tutorial<\/a><\/p>\n

CargoCollective Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Basic walk-through videos & feature highlights:
\nhttps:\/\/support.cargo.site<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

More about working with WordPress:<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are both free and paid WordPress themes. The paid have a lot more functionality and support. Paid themes will generally be easier to work with, provide many more built in portions (less custom CSS required), and will include support from the company you bought if from if you have issues or questions. Very useful! (Paid themes are usually around $50 or sometimes less.)<\/p>\n

Read reviews of any theme you consider with the following in mind:
\n+ When was it created?
\n+ Last updated?
\n+ Nature of the reviews?<\/p>\n

There are also many free WordPress plugins that can allow you to easily add functionality to the theme you choose such as slideshows, e-commerce, social media feeds, etc. See\u00a0https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Consider AIGA’s membership offer to use a “.design<\/a>” domain extension.<\/p>\n

Purchase Domain and\u00a0Wordpress site hosting. Updated hosting service recommendation\u00a0coming soon!<\/p>\n

Procure the theme you want to work with, and have your Host set it up for you on your domain (If you purchase your domain through the same place you purchase hosting, this will make the process much more simple. JustHost and SiteGround normally include the domain name in their costs – but these platforms update their pricing regularly.)<\/p>\n

Examine, explore and experiment with your WP theme.<\/p>\n

Determine an organizing principle for your curation
\n(Refer to different structures and navigations in\u00a0WP themes for inspiration)<\/p>\n

Upload and format the content.<\/p>\n

~ the end ~<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your Senior Portfolio Website\u00a0should\u00a0present 10 of your best projects\u00a0in a digital experience\u00a0that is coherent with\u00a0the personal branding you have developed.\u00a0When building your online portfolio, display\u00a0of work, craft and language should be your main considerations. Project concepts, execution and craft should meet professional standards and work field expectations, proving that you are prepared to pursue design […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,7,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-assignments","category-inspiration","category-resources"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-03-at-12.36.00-AM.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6vrFy-hJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1099"}],"version-history":[{"count":83,"href":"https:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2046,"href":"https:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1099\/revisions\/2046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acmgd.info\/gd5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}