Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
move for anyone who is applying for web-based design work and should obviously
have provided a URL.
Second, standards for email attachments have risen now that most people can
receive large attached files. For 2D images the expected format is a PDF file. PDFs are
familiar to everyone, Adobe Reader is ubiquitous, and a PDF can be locked to prevent
unauthorized appropriation of your work (see Chapter 12, “Copyright and Portfolio”).
All of these good points, however, require that you own an application that generates
PDF files (like Adobe applications InDesign, Illustrator, or Acrobat Professional).
Designers (industrial, graphic, or architectural) and illustrators should have no prob-
lem with this. They should also be well-positioned to make their PDF a coherent
design project as well (see Chapter 7, “Repurposing and Optimizing,” for some PDF
format guidelines).
What if you don't have strong design experience? You could still enlist a
design friend or partner to set up a template file that you can update easily when
you want to just add text or new images. If that's not possible, you can move images
into Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote and provide a slide show player.
Slideshows can be a great solution for a photographer, artist, or illustrator, as long as
the size of the finished file stays within a mailable size (see Chapter 9 for more on
this option).
A last possibility is an FTP (file transfer protocol) site—owned by you or, most
likely, provided as a service—where you can upload your work. Dropbox (
www.get
dropbox.com)
is one service that has an enthusiastic and growing group of users. By
grouping your material thoughtfully, you can offer access to different work examples
based on who you have contacted. Some FTP services provide security that allows
invited guests to view, but not download or change, the content. Most, however, do
not, and once you have issued an invitation, it can be shared by the invitees until
you remove them or shut the access down. On the other hand, it could be a great
way to share a high-resolution movie file without having to maintain a personal web-
site or other online presence.
Online portfolios are like profiles on a dating service site. They enable the
potentially interested client or employer to taste-test you and your work anonymous-
ly. If they like what they see, you may hear from them. If it's not their style, both
you and they are spared a painful face-to-face experience.
An online portfolio is any collection of your work that people can view from
inside a browser. Once you recognize that a portfolio can be defined as any venue or
medium where you display your work, you may discover that you have some kind of
online portfolio already. Depending on where you post and why, there are a variety of
distinct sites that provide a range of levels of exposure and can make different state-
ments about you.
