Let’s get to know you first. Tell us about yourself.
My name is Olivia Truong, but a lot of people will refer to me by my initials, OT. I like to consider myself as a graphic designer and visual translator, for both web and print fields.
I am currently finishing up my last year in university, studying graphic design at York University and Sheridan College. I am also working part-time at the York Federation of Students as one of their graphic designers, as well as freelancing for Saatchi & Saatchi and other clients on the side.
I am also an avid concert attendee who enjoys travelling, and is also in love with cats—but probably to an unhealthy extent.
Cool, so what’s the story behind your website and its design?
It was the semester before my third year ended, and I had to create an online portfolio before I began applying for internships for the summertime. I had already gone through two personal rebrands and two new websites within the previous year, so I was banking on making another one that will hopefully last a lot longer.
With my current website, I wanted to showcase my pieces through a professional frame, but still have room for character because I didn’t want to make it all about my work, but also about who I am as a designer and a person.
What part of your website is your favourite, and why?
I would probably have to say the homepage is my favourite part. Since it is the first page a viewer sees, I needed to make sure it would make an impact during your first impression, which is why I chose a dark background and bright thumbnails for a strong contrast.
I also like my blinking gif in my about page. That freaked out a lot of people.
Technologies, languages, frameworks, or libraries?
I mainly used jQuery and Javascript for the fading effects, thumbnails, scroll to top, arrow key activation etc.
I also built my website using a boilerplate called Enso, which my friend put together a while ago.
Any upcoming changes we should look out for?
Expect an entirely new website! I am currently going through another rebrand, in which I’ll potentially no longer be working under my name but an alias instead. I’m hoping to have it pushed out for the new year!
There might be some parallax, maybe some css animations, and definitely responsive design.
