Your Questions About Graphic Design Portfolio

admin answers:

Not knowing exactly what your skill set is with web design, there isn't a whole lot I can do for you myself. Just keep it simple. All you need is a page with short blurb about yourself and your background, a page with your actual work, and a spot to list your contact information if people want to get more information. You can take a look at my portfolio site (that hasn't been updated in 2 years - shame on me) for starters.

Http://www.mattbruning.com

Otherwise, here are some links of some fantastic portfolio websites that should get you motivated:

http://www.portfoliodesign.org/portfolio.html

http://creattica.com/css/latest-designs

admin answers:

You actually are asking two things:

One is that you need to create a portfolio. That' easy. Just throw some drawings together into a binder or something.

The other need is to have portfolio to "impress" the judges who will determine who will get an internship. The frank and honest answer is that you can't do this in a week. A quaity portfolio should only contain the BEST of the best of an artist's work. It should include examples of, in most cases, YEARS of study and work. It should have about a dozen or so pieces, each one showcasing skillful mastery of the medium, technique, and esthetics. A good piece of artwork usually involves HOURS and longer of hard work and consideration. Exactly how many HOURS can you devote, during this next week, to creating this work?

I put it to you that you DON'T have enough hours. Not for quality work.

Presentation, in a portfolio also counts when a job or position is on the line. Thinking about your internship possibility, what do you think they will expect from a candidate that simply stacks a dozen pieces of paper and stuffs them into a folder without any thought to how this "looks?" A good portfolio is much like another piece of artwork. It could be technically "staid" and straightforward, and that's fine. The pieces nicely mounted on uniform sized boards, organized by subject, or color, or even chronologically A neat presentation is indicative of an organized and thoughtful individual. Who wants a sloppy intern?

Or, the presentation can be artfull in itself, with a unifying theme. I knew an artist who had several pieces of his artwork scanned and printed on four by six photo paper, and then each mounted on five by seven inch matboard. He packaged these into a custom fitted box and then glued a sheetof fireplace matches into a flat layer, cut to fit the box. He placed this sheet of matches on top of the mounted prints and then designed a label for the cover of the box. It was, essentially, a flaming motif with the words, "Hot Stuff!" displayed. This was his very impressive portfolio. His artwork was, already excellent, but it was the presentation that first caught the attention.

So, unless you've already got ten to fifteen pieces that are relevant to graphic design, I suggest you don't bother applying for THIS internship. You don't have the time to create that many high quality, impressive pieces. If you DO have that many pieces, then spend the week figuring out how to PRESENT them in an impressive way.

admin answers:

Well, I don't know what kind of design programs you have, but you might want to start with Photoshop and Illustrator if you don't already have them, because those are a must. For a portfolio, you'll probably want an example of a logo, business card, envelope design, letterhead...things like that. They seem to like layout-type things. Also, you'll probably want some creative work--self portraits are popular. If you have stuff from graphic classes you've taken, some of that might be good to include. Things I have are movie posters, advertisements, typography, and some drawing pieces (including a vector self portrait), but that's because I'm more on the drawing spectrum of graphic design.

You might want to check out the websites of schools you're thinking of applying to because they'll usually tell you what they want to see. And some require you to include a "home exam" which is a required piece that they give you guidelines for.

Here are some examples of student portfolios from Antoinette Westphal: http://www.drexel.edu/westphal/portfolio/?pID=vscm They tell you what each artist's major was so you can find pieces from students majoring in your field of design. Though I think these are from graduate students, it might give you an idea of things you can include in your portfolio.

Here's a graphic designer's online portfolio: http://justcreativedesign.com/portfolio/ He has a lot of logo/ad/website type work.

Guide to putting together a port: http://www.youthedesigner.com/2008/06/30/12-steps-to-a-super-graphic-design-portfolio/

Good for you for going into the art field, as well! See you later on in the world of design and good luck!

admin answers:

I wouldnt major in graphic design if its not a passion of yours, but if it is, yyou should still be able to study it, as this is why you go study, to build up your portfoilo

Good luck

admin answers:

Graphic Design is about assembly of imagery on a page (such as brochures, posters, ads, catalogs, etc), creating a logo or brand identity, or creative use of typography, all in the name of communicating a message to the viewer. Nowadays, these projects are usually done digitally, using Photoshop and Illustrator, and sometimes assembled in a page layout-program such as Quark or InDesign.

I think the colleges may be vague, because maybe not a lot of high schools offer graphic design as a subject. Mine did, but that might be rare.

If you can offer to do some freelance work for people who may have their own business, that would be excellent work to include in your portfolio. I designed my dad's and my friend's logos for their businesses, then applied those to business cards, letterheads and envelopes. Then made flyers for them to promote their businesses, again using their logos. If you don't know anyone who needs this sort of thing, you could also make up a company to do it for. These could be printed out of a normal, at-home printer and used as examples of your design work and creativity.

Along those same lines, you could take an event (music concert, art opening, volunteer event) and design promotional pieces for them. Posters, flyers, postcards. Any of these could be developed in Photoshop or Illustrator, and included in your portfolio.