Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Values
Values determine what makes you comfortable
and happy. You shouldn't knowingly target situations
that you'll dislike unless the wolf is scratching at the
door. Even when things are tough, it might be better
to take a series of freelance or temp jobs than to
accept a full-time position that you know is completely
wrong for you. Long term, if you subvert your taste
and instincts to land a client or a job, your portfolio
becomes a collection of compromises, and your self-
confidence can ebb. Eventually, you've done a lot of
work you don't want to show, and you will have to work extra hard to counteract it in
your presentation.
That being said, everyone makes work compromises at some point in their
careers. Some are worth making. Only you can determine where you draw the line, but
you should at least know where the line is, and whether it is a realistic limitation. You
can't survive without a certain amount of flexibility. Not every project is groundbreak-
ing and edgy, and you can learn a lot from projects that make you think along unfa-
miliar lines.
In a project, you can't really ever
take yourself out of the equation.
You will always be present, but
the percentage changes. In an art
project, you're close to 100 percent
present. In a design project, that
percentage is smaller, maybe 10
percent.
—Yang Kim
What a portfolio is not
A portfolio is a marketing tool that can help you improve the amount and type of work you
do, the kinds of assignments you land, and the rate of response to your presentations.
Here's what it's not:
•
Your autobiography.
With very few exceptions, no one cares about artistic prehis-
tory. They want to know who you are and what you are capable of now.
•
Your résumé.
Unlike a résumé, where time gaps stand out, your portfolio doesn't
have to include examples from every job you've ever held.
•
Therapy.
You don't want people's sympathy; you want their confidence. Don't apol-
ogize and don't whine.
•
An inside joke.
Never forget that you are not Presenting Your Portfolio to
your friends.
•
A grab bag.
Don't throw your work in randomly in the hopes that there'll be some-
thing for everyone.
•
A checklist.
No one reviewing a portfolio is keeping score. They don't care if you
have four textbook covers, three package designs, two annual reports, and a post-
er in a pear tree.
