Computer Arts Specials - Issue 38 / 2002
Powerful Portfolios

You want to snare your first job, you want to change jobs, you want to win your first commission, you want to pick up new clients; you want a portfolio. At whatever stage you are in your design career, you need a portfolio. A portfolio that presents your work effectively, clearly and professionally is a must if you are to succeed in the creative world. The key component in your armoury, this vital weapon can make or break your next move. It really is as simple as that.

Of course, it's now not as simple as just popping down to your local art store and pulling a portfolio off the shelf. Portfolios come in all shapes and sizes and, of course, in all manner of format too. What best suits your needs and the needs of your clients? Are you thinking; traditional leather-bound affair, CD ROM of all singing and dancing motion graphics or on-line folio that can keep clients right up to date with your latest work? Fear not, we look at the range of possibilities open to you, whether a lone illustrator out for his/her first appointment or small design business looking to create a web-based portfolio that really is the business, it's all here...

Let's start by getting one thing out of the way; there are no right or wrong ways to put a portfolio together. There are good and bad ways though. A great portfolio can get you noticed for all the right reasons whereas a weak portfolio can get you noticed for all...well, you get the picture. Your portfolio is your link to the outside world. It is often the one and only location where a body of your work can be viewed together unless you're lucky enough to have a publisher dedicate an entire book to your product; think Carson, think Tomato, think Designer's Republic. Think again.

What goes in and what stays out...
What makes a great portfolio? Opinions here differ but one area where all agree is, regarding the quality of the work. Put in only the best work you have produced, do not pad out your portfolio with examples that you are not pleased with, not proud of or else be prepared to be offered work that you'll not be pleased with or proud of. Nick Gant of, Brighton-based 3D Design Company, Bobo Design agrees; 'show only what you are good at, edit out the weakest work!' Martin Cox, director of London design agency Blast, reviewing their own approach to building the right portfolio offers the following advice; 'it really makes sense to only show the kind of work that you want to get from new clients so put in work that is memorable!'

When putting together your portfolio it is crucial to consider a number of objectives. It pays to think carefully about your audience. Who do you want to view your work? Where do you want them to view your work? How do you want them to view your work? What do you hope to gain from your work being viewed? All fairly straightforward questions, you may think, but your answers could lead to potentially very different outcomes.

How you set up your portfolio differs if you are looking for permanent employment as opposed to a freelance project or if you are a college-leaver rather than a professional with ten years experience. Whatever your situation, whatever your goal in showing work; make sure it does the right job. It makes sense to kick off with a cracking project, it may be one that jumps off the page or screen, it may be vivid in colour or it may be a recognisable piece. Whatever you choose to open with it should be one sets the mood for the viewer. The same goes for your closing image or project - how do you want to be remembered? End on a high note!

Select the amount of work carefully that is to make up your folio, don't show too much or too little. Most interviewers or potential clients will have a limited time to view your work, keep it snappy but don't skip important projects. Don't be tempted though, if you are a recent graduate, of including every single life drawing that you've ever done. There is a fine line to the right amount of work to show, be prepared to modify, take projects out, add projects in until you get it right.

Formats
Just as the quality of the work that you decide to show is crucially important, so too is the format you choose to use. Being able to guide your clients to your own digital portfolio on-line is a really useful way of allowing them to see work immediately, gone are the days when they have to wait patiently for a bike courier to trek across town or further. The dramatic rise in recent years of illustrators leaving London, where most publishing houses, advertising agencies and design companies are based, to set up elsewhere whilst clients view web based work rather than print-based is evidence of the uptake of this form of portfolio. It matters less and less where you base your studio. Most illustrators email final artwork or at least can burn to CD and arrange next-day delivery anywhere in the country via snail-mail leaving the necessity for being next door to clients practically redundant.

When considering the creation of your first portfolio web site remember a few key issues. The quality of the design, build and speed of the site are all vital to consider. The information that you provide is important too, should your portfolio site include a CV or short biography? Should you give a little information about the projects/examples that you include? It goes without saying that your site should be easy to navigate, people will click off if expected to work too hard - remember you are selling your work and not your state of the art, cutting edge web skills, unless of course that is what you do for a living!

It is worth pointing out that, once your site is up and ready, nobody will know about it unless you tell them - phone, email, send cards, shout from the rooftops; just make sure folk know. Another key method of ensuring traffic to your site is through useful links; members of the Association of illustrators can get a link from the AOI's site, check them out at www.theaoi.com.

Other ways of producing portfolios that are more than just static folders sat on the floor of your studio include CD-ROM and DVD based interactive pieces. The bonus of working this way is that movies and sound can be included and no 56K modem is going to slow down the process of viewing your work. Portfolios can be tailored for individual clients and far more control rests with you, the creator of the work. Nick Gant reflects on the ethos that underpins Bobo's numerous digital portfolios; ' remember, it is a chance to manipulate the way people view your work, you have the control right from the start as to how your work is perceived!'

Upkeep
Now that you have a portfolio, have selected work worthy of making an appearance and have decided on the format most suitable; the least attractive aspect of the process comes into play! The most overlooked angle in portfolio management is keeping the thing up-to-date. Rethink, re-edit, re-evaluate and reorganise on a regular basis to keep your on-line, off-line, digital or print-based portfolio looking as good as the day you created it. Of course, this takes time and energy but is essential in keeping your clients informed.

Showcase

Printed Portfolio - Blast
Martin Cox and Colin Gifford (Giff) are directors of London design agency Blast. They formed Blast in 1996 but for seven long years managed to resist the temptation to create a portfolio that was any more than a collection of printed projects in a traditional leather binder. 'We were scared of ourselves as client's, explains Cox, 'as it has taken this long before we really knew what we wanted to say about ourselves!' Now, it seems they have got the tempo spot on. Launching 'Design - how do you do?' an amusing A2 folded promotional portfolio recently, that includes examples of 28 wide-ranging jobs for clients that span the BBC, The Royal Mail, D&AD and NESTA, Blast have established themselves as big hitters. Printed in a run of 2000 and with very obvious stylistic links to their web site, www.blast.co.uk, this mini-folio is, according to Cox, 'a brand bible for who we are'. Blast's approach has not gone unnoticed. Martin Usborne, Creative Director at Tronjii, for whom Blast created a corporate identity explains 'what drew us to Blast in the first place was their sense of humour and lightness of touch that was coupled with a serious understanding of concept and style'. Quite.

CD ROM - Jayvision
Jayvision is Jason Thomas. Thomas is designer for both print and web and a pretty dab hand at illustration too. After graduation in June 2000 he worked for Red Design in Brighton before moving onto DNA in London, deciding to quit work for while in mid 2001 to travel the globe. After spending six months in Asia and a further six in New Zealand and Australia, Thomas returned to the UK with a huge body of photographic and video work, much of which he was burning onto CD and mailing home to himself whilst on his travels.

Back in the UK and determined to move back into full-time employment Thomas has re-launched www.jayvision.com with a complete re-design and has created a more in-depth off-line version that is to be snail-mailed to potential employers. Given that Thomas wants the work to run locally at a smooth rate he has restricted the maximum size to 200 mb still allowing though for far greater use of sound and moving images than the on-line version could cope with. Thomas explains why the CD is his first choice for a portfolio presentation; 'I find the CD-ROM a flexible platform to express both visual and typographic elements to a captured audience. The very act of inserting the CD is commitment enough, so from then on it's lights, camera and action!'

Web-Based/Illustration - Loopland
Allan Saunders is an illustrator based in London, having started his career upon graduation of The Royal College of Art in 1999. As well as having a very impressive client list that includes Penguin Books, The Guardian and Sunday Times newspapers and Arena magazine, Saunders is also the proud owner of one of the best portfolio web sites in illustration in the UK. At www.loop-land.co.uk Saunders showcases a huge range of his work from commissioned final artworks to non-commissioned ideas and sketches as well as Flash movies and recent projects. Loopland offers, explains Saunders with his tongue firmly in his cheek, 'the latest modern stylings available in technicolor and glorious monotone'.

Although Saunders works mainly for print he also works for screen having undertaken major on-line projects for Studio AKA and FIFA and it is the web that offers him most freedom and flexibility. Loopland goes through constant changes and updates so that the returning visitor finds something new most visits and as his guest book testifies; the site has many global fans too. Loopland has been wowing clients since it's conception in December 2000 and as a portfolio of his back catalogue and most up-to-the-minute projects does a fantastic job. 'Loopland has yielded greater results than I could have expected,' explains Saunders, 'not only has Loopland proved effective in gaining illustration commissions but it has opened up new channels and new directions that I can push my work'.

Web-Based/Graphic Design - Foundation 33
Foundation 33 is, for the time being, still a relatively small unknown design studio. With projects that include the Big Brother identity (who could forget that eye!) and on-screen graphics and identity for Channel 4 early morning show, RI:SE, it is clear that Foundation 33 is going places. Formed in March 2000 by Dan Eatock, a graphic designer, and Sam Solhaug an architect, Foundation 33 describe them-selves as 'a multi-disciplinary studio practice grounded in a rigorous and conceptually motivated design methodology'. Designing furniture, creating interiors, making art pieces are all aspects of the practice that sit equally with the graphic design work they are becoming known for.

With such a broad range of practice, presenting the work of Foundation 33 was never going to be easy. At www.foundation33.com every project, every piece of work is archived and available for the viewer or client to see. At the time of writing Foundation 33 have been attempting to break the world record for the largest signed limited edition artwork ever produced. A million cards are in the process of being signed and numbered in a space at London's Whitechapel Gallery and the web site has been able to capture each and every day of this event. Allowing clients to see the entire range of projects has been possible because of the Foundation 33's commitment to their portfolio site.

Power-Point Portfolios - Bobo Design
'We have no need for a traditional portfolio' announces Nick Gant of Bobo. For a 3D design company with a client list that includes The Victoria and Albert Museum, Dyson, BBC, ICI and Philips as well as George Michael and Vivienne Westwood, this still seems a bold statement. But with a web presence; www.bobodesign.co.uk, Bobo are well used to directing clients to their on-line resource, however they have recently added a new form of portfolio to their repertoire. For presentation to some of their wide range of clients Bobo have been creating tailor-made PowerPoint presentations that are built around the needs of each and every client. PowerPoint portfolios are either small enough to email directly or with larger files that include 'fly-by' video shots of 3D spaces, burnt onto CD and thrown in the post.

'Everyone seems to have PowerPoint,' explains Gant, 'we are presenting work to clients that may not be designers themselves and so have no desire to try and run applications that they have never heard of!' With a template designed and created in PowerPoint, that echoes the look and feel of the Bobo web site, Gant is able to drag and drop different projects into the portfolio in a matter of minutes. Armed with a digital camera/camcorder Gant shoots projects in progress too, giving clients a real feel of the process that Bobo undertakes. 'It is all about giving a far more tailored and individual service to our clients' reflects Gant, and who could argue with that as a model for portfolio design.

Traditional Portfolios
With the evidence of successful digital portfolios it may well seem that the traditional portfolio is dead. Well, think again or at least, think again in many circumstances. Plenty of clients do still need to see work in print, especially if print is the medium that your work is to be reproduced in. At an interview or presentation unzipping a portfolio takes no technical support whereas turning up with a CD requires a little more. The pace that someone can view your work is in his or her hands with a traditional portfolio and they may prefer that. If your clients have to show your work to their associates, using something straightforward is risk-free, as there can be no compatibility problems.

When it comes to a bound portfolio, buy the very best that you can afford. Choose leather over plastic and choose perfectly clear acetate sleeves over wipe-clean thick plastic ones.
The best quality portfolios are manufactured by Press Book Prat and Panodia and can be bought at Cowling and Wilcox on Broadwick Street, Soho, London or ordered though www.cowlingandwilcox.com. They pride themselves on keeping the most extensive stock in Central London and what they don't have, they order in.

© Lawrence Zeegen