15 Dec Portfolio: Website – Amber Edwards
Website: AmberJEdwards
Theme: Marmalade
Below are five of the key components that make up my website:
- Header – I wanted the first impression of my page to demonstrate the clear, simple layout. I chose to only have clear text of my name rather than a more complicated logo to fit with the minimalistic style I wanted my site to achieve. There is also a search bar and additional, extendable side bar on the left (see below). Again, my menu is clear and simple offering links to the most popular categories on my site as well as an ‘About’ page, and drop down ‘Contact’ page. My slider is a main focal point on my home page, with carefully selected posts being displayed – the slider will only contain posts with the higher quality images.
2. Homepage posts layout – Directly underneath my slider on the homepage, my most recent posts are displayed in date order from most recent. The posts can be normal smaller photo posts, or large full-width or spotlight posts to highlight the more important, or popular posts on the home page.
3. Sidebar – My sidebar is consistent throughout the whole site; home page, posts pages and pages. I like the simple consistency and the fact you have access to the same widgets on every part of the site. The sidebar starts with social media icons; connecting viewers with other social media profiles is very important to me, hence it being the first part of the sidebar. Underneath is my Instagram feed, due to the rest of the site being dominantly white and simple, I like the Instagram feed being here to add some colour and fun. Next I have a list of my most recent posts. When viewers are on any post on the site, they will be able to easily navigate to my most recent posts which I believe is an important aspect. Finally I also have my Twitter feed for people to easily see my latest tweets and have the option to follow me.
4. Expandable sidebar – The option of an expandable left sidebar was one of the features that attracted me to the Marmalade theme. I’ve added a poll plug-in to the bar, I intend to update the poll with simple questions about current news in order to get my audiences opinions. It was an element I thought added a bit of fun and interactivity. I also have a random post generator so the audience has a chance to look at an old post, or a post they may not necessarily see. I also have my tags cloud, at first I wanted this on my main sidebar but I thought it looked too cluttered and messy so this provided me with a better alternative.
5. Post page – The title of the post is clear and central, as is the featured image, below is the text of the post and any media that may be relevant. At the bottom of the post page is the option to share the post on social media, like the post or add a comment. There are also a few ‘related posts’ options to encourage further exploration of the site with simple navigation.
