Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
If you've designed and produced a disc portfolio, you'll probably be sending it
out for review. Almost any place you target probably gets scores of other portfolios in
a month. You want your work to stand out from that crowd. Generic-looking material
could easily be tossed in the trash in a fit of end-of-project house cleaning.
Designing a disc package
There is a difference between adequate and excellent portfolio packaging.
Design creativity is of course critical, but good process will help you maintain quality
and produce a better package. Consider these issues as you develop your design:
•
Maintain design consistency.
Connect your physical materials visually to
your online portfolio. You might be surprised by how many people begin
their package design from scratch. Packaging, like your portfolio, is part of a
self-branding process. You should reinforce that branding whenever you can.
•
Aim for legibility.
You want your package to be distinctive, but your design
should never sacrifice legibility for effect. Make sure your name, and the
word
portfolio
figure prominently in your packaging and related materials.
•
Design all elements.
If you are using a jewel case for your CD, make sure to
design all surfaces: front, back, and the side. The side is particularly impor-
tant, since discs are often stored standing up.
•
Design a leave-behind.
In addition to having a digital portfolio, it's always
a nice touch to have another form of portfolio leave-behind to accompany it.
It offers a way to show your work in tangible form, and can double as a great
way to advertise your site. (See “Mailings,” later in the chapter.)
•
Print on stiff stock.
Your jewel case cover and insert should be printed on
(or constructed with) heavy paper. If you're lucky, it will be opened and
closed multiple times as people pass your disc around. You don't want the
design to look shopworn after a few people have handled it.
•
Design your print portfolio.
You may still
be maintaining a print portfolio for pieces
that can't be shown, or don't work well,
digitally. It should be organized and
designed to match your digital presenta-
tion. The absolute best book on developing
a stellar print portfolio is Sara Eisenman's
Building Design Portfolios: Innovative Con-
cepts for Presenting Your Work
(Rockport
Publishers, 2008).
I know folks who won't even open
the package if it's sloppy and hand-
written in marker. Places like ILM
get thousands of disks a week. It's
a lot of volume and you can't be
bothered if someone doesn't put
their time into it.
—Terrence Masson
