Portfolio site

[studiohetzwarteschaap]

Hi There!

I've started my own company, in webdesign, and logo design. I would love to know what you think about by (kind of new) website

The tekst on the site is in dutch, but its not about the spelling obviously, just want to know what you think about the layout. Im thinking about cutting up the -Diensten (services)- page' into smaller pages.

Wondering what you guys think.
Any feedback is appreciated.

Cheers,
Robert

[Webzarus]

So you're a web design company, you're using a Wordpress installation ... And you want a review on ????

Seriously, if you're a web design company, your site should reflect your talents and skills, and WP just doesn't cut it.

Hate to be harsh, but my 10 year old granddaughter can install and tweak WP. So....

[TheGAME1264]

BLASPHEMY! Did you speak evil of the almighty W*rdPr*ss?

Before you go trashing WZ, keep in mind two things:

1) He's been in a position to hire people in the past, and is probably in one now. So he is in the target market. Anyone else making statements should at least be on a par with WZ as far as his/her knowledge and/or reputation are concerned and be potentially in a position to hire the OP.

2) He has the experience and the reputation on here to make the statement that he just made and have it accepted for what it is.

There really isn't any more that needs to be said other than what he has and what Trend Micro has several times, so I'm going to leave it at that.

[thepaddyman123]

Nice website , looks clean and minimal. Only one small thing when you hover over an image maybe get rid of the light grey background under the title.

Also just noticed its responsive, works well.

Cheers

[studiohetzwarteschaap]

Gotta start somewhere, right?! And although Wp might be considered to be cheating for hardcore proggers, it's a demand as well, as customers want a CMS. Its serves me well and i'm happy with all the new things I'm learning.

Cheers and thanks for your replies!

[TheGAME1264]

Customers may want a "CMS", but that doesn't mean W*rdPr*ss has to be crammed into every situation. It's insecure, it's inflexible, it's a target for "SEOs" who want to exploit it, it takes ten times longer to customize anything than a scratch-coded system, it relies excessively on the concept of mass volunteerism to keep it active and updated, and it doesn't fit the majority of situations.

People who tie their can to WP are in for a rude, rude awakening in the next 5-10 years.

EDIT: Again, keep in mind that WZ is in a hiring position. That makes him a potential customer. He sees WP and instantly moves the applicant to the "I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors" pile.

[studiohetzwarteschaap]

I'm not saying the system is perfect, but it has got me interested and acquainted with creating something on the web. Any euro I will earn will go straight into proper education, so for me its a backward process and a huge window of opportunity. So in that 5-10 years time, my previous customers will be ready for their next website, which I will be able to make the old (by that time- new) fashioned way.

I'm not on this forum to apply for any jobs, so you can stop EDIT: ing

[TheGAME1264]

heh

I hear you. But my point was that you built the site to look for customers. You didn't build it "just because". WZ gave you some insight as to how some of your prospect customers will think, and I can tell you for a fact that he's not alone.

But at least you have a future plan to learn how to do it properly. That's more than most people. Most people see WP as the beginning, middle, and end, when it's at best a beginning.

[Webzarus]

I don't have a problem with WP in particular, more I have a problem wih anyone that does the one click install or god to is they actually follow the 5 minute installer that comes with the download package... And now all of a sudden, they are a web designer.

Here's where the problem comes in... These so called web designers are like the slice and dice crowd of the 80's .... That pumped out many crap sites... Because their clients didn't know any better...

Ask them for a "custom" anything... And they are lost... WP, with all its themes and plugins ... Has made it easy.... To pretend to be a web designer... But if there isn't a plugin already made... Most are lost... I know several people that do really well selling these thing...

But just like the slice and dice designers of the past, they don't present the full picture or options to their clients, because quite simply, thy themselves don't know them. So the client is shortchanged, from the beginning .... And eventually ( because their site never lives up to its fullest potential ), believes that the web is just another ... Marketing bungle ( in their opinion ).

Most of my clients have at one time or another, dealt with someone similar, and they just didn't think that their web site was giving them ANY benefit. Honestly, they think I am a genius, because I can actually explain things to them, give them options, nudge them in the right direction when needed, all the while actually demonstrating a "return on investment", of their web marketing efforts.

This same story is repeated a hundred times a day... And turns a lot of clients against real designers... That actually know why they are doing. Gives us all a bad name... Just like the slice and dice crowd did in the past...

Now... All that being said... At least make an effort to create some "custom themes" ... This will give you some insight in how WP actually works... Do that BEFORE you take on any clients, so you can at least tweak the way a site looks and behaves... "Without breaking" it...

Jump in as a "web design company" without know anything more than how to install WP and its plugins ... And you will be where the slice and dice crowd are ... Doing 5 page sites for $99 on CL.

[TheGAME1264]

^^^

This.

But in the OP's defense, he does intend to move on from W*rdPr*ss. I sincerely hope that intention was serious, because as someone who has managed development/designers and teams in 5 different countries and 2 continents, I can state as absolute fact that there is a complete lack of real developmental talent and insight. This is part of the reason the web moves so slowly, contrary to the published "The Internet Changes All The TIME!!!!" rhetoric.