Computer Arts

computerarts.creativebloq.com

spring 2017

neXT

MonTH

MasTer Tone of voice

Get more from copywriting

in your branding projects with

top advice from Reed Words.

when it comes to your digital portfolio you have two main options:

presenting it as a pdf or on a dedicated website. from the hirer’s

point of view there are pros and cons to each says Madeleine

fortescue resource and recruitment manager at Moving Brands.

“In one sense I prefer a PDF because I feel it’s a real snapshot

of the work that you feel represents you as a designer; that’s a

really lovely thing to have” she says. “But for ease of sharing

amongst people who are going to review your work having a

uRl is so much easier. If you need to download and upload a

PDF put it onto a google Drive move it onto the server and so

on it can be a hassle. It’s much easier to have a uRl because

everyone can just open the email click and that’s it” she explains.

whether you go for a PDF or website portfolio though will

depend on factors such as how much work you need to show

and what discipline you’re in. “The medium should be right for the

work essentially” says creative director of moving Brands Sean

Rees. “So if you’re a film editor or uX designer then it wouldn’t

make sense having a PDF. But if you’re primarily working on static

design I’d say it’s not necessary to have a website for your work.”

If you do opt for a PDF you need to keep it a reasonable size; a

50 mB file is not going to get you very far with most employers. But

it’s important to strike a balance says olly St john. “If it’s high

enough resolution then that’s cool. But if it’s too low-res that can

be a problem. I’d rather see a site than a lot of pixellated images.”

digiTaL diLeMMa

ShoulD you ShARe youR woRk AS PDFS oR on A weBSITe?

and what his own involvement

had been. It was the perfect time

saver because it was like five short

clips of five different projects

very easy to digest.” Needless

to say he got the job.

keep iT cLean

It’s clear that whether you’re just

starting out are a seasoned pro or

somewhere in between there are

plenty of portfolio traps to avoid

and mistakes to steer clear of. But

all our experts stressed that as long

as your portfolio meets certain

criteria – is clear and uncluttered

easy to navigate thoughtfully

curated and concisely annotated –

you won’t go far wrong.

Remember your portfolio is

only one of many ways you’ll be

assessed along with your CV

cover email and interview. And

the notion of an ‘amazing’ portfolio

that instantly puts one candidate

ahead of the running seems to be

little more than a myth.

As Fortescue puts it: “I can’t

think of a portfolio where we’ve

gone: ‘Oh my God that’s the

role in projects whether
intentionally or accidentally.
“I once had someone come in
for a senior design position here
and they presented my own work
back to me as their own” Smith
reveals. “They’d worked on the
project but they were actually
just doing asset creation for the
developer and the graphic design
was all my work from a year
previously. So it was incredibly
embarrassing. I had to say: ‘I know
you didn’t do what you say you did
because I did that.’ Needless to say
he didn’t get any further.”
On the positive side once you’re
a senior designer you’ll probably
have enough experience and
wisdom under your belt to consider
experimenting with how your
portfolio is presented. Smith
recalls one particularly memorable
example: “One senior sent me a
video of each of his projects. The
whole thing was just one minute
long and he spoke over them in
a quite personal way; explaining
what the final product was the
process they used to get there

“it’s nice to see a portfolio from

someone that seems to have very

similar personality to us”

ti M SM ith principal OF deSign u Stw O

person.’ That doesn’t really happen

in real life. A curated clear concise

bold portfolio is the only thing

we’re looking for.”

Beard takes a similar view.

“Any portfolio that ticks all of the

standard boxes is going the right

way” he states. “But you can’t

really define what works precisely;

there is no formula just like

creativity. If it’s fucking awesome

work then I’m sure I’d get over

any personal bugbears.”