Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
If you have embedded any video or animations on your site, they qualify as
links as well. You'll also want to provide links to any plug-ins they require, and con-
sider how people will see them. Will you open a new window for your clips? Will they
play in a frame inside your portfolio window? Will you provide a download link to a
high-resolution version?
Keep your chart on or near your computer, so you'll be able to name your actu-
al files and directories to match your documentation. Don't rename files or move
them. If you do, you'll break the links you've made to them. Troubleshooting broken
links is frustrating, and avoidable.
Schematic
You'll have a feeling of accomplishment after you have a completed site map.
Seeing the bones of your portfolio will make it feel more real. Next, step down one
level and do the same kind of planning for your pages by creating a schematic.
A
schematic
is basically a page layout grid. You create one for each level of
your site map hierarchy. On it, you determine where you'll place repeating material,
different types of navigation, and variable content. When you prepare your schematic,
you'll begin to visualize the following decisions:
Choose a page size
How big should your web page be? Consider your target audience. Will you be
showing your work on a laptop, where the screen will be smaller than most desktops?
If so, design conservatively, keeping your window small. It is better to allow a viewer
to enlarge a window than to force a person with a smaller screen to constantly scroll
back and forth, either vertically or horizontally.
Many people currently specify a portfolio screen size to fit 1024x768. This
dimension will inevitably increase with technology. But no matter what size becomes
the norm, you don't have the entire screen to play with in your design. All those
pesky icons and taskbars at the top and bottom of the browser window decrease the
active area—sometimes considerably. To be safe, use a maximum that's at least 60x60
pixels smaller than your target screen size. That margin will leave enough wiggle room
for browser variation, and allow someone working with smaller displays to still click
on the desktop if they need to.
Outline a grid
Some people deal with varying content by creating radically different page
layouts for it. That's a mistake. When you carry a traditional portfolio, you arrange
everything so it fits in the case, upsizing the case or downsizing the artwork. You use
the same type of matte board for mounting, and you use the same rules for position-
ing work on your boards or in sleeves.
