Book Description
Your resume and cover letter, as well as a digital portfolio, business card and mailers, will function as the first contact and impression you make. These items will work to get your "foot in the door." Ultimately, however, it will be your portfolio book or online portfolio website that will land you the job. The creation of your own portfolio is a creative statement about the value you place on your work and craft. This book first uses a system to:
* find your visual identity, who YOU are
* use color, typography, and iconography to develop the look and feel of your portfolio package
* create a layout and composition that you love
* establish your online presence
* create content and design of your resume and cover letter
* and construct your portfolio book.
You will also learn bits of useful information along the way about print resolution, marketing ideas, and how to do all of this on a budget. By the end of this book, you will have an out-of-this world portfolio package that you will be able to use to establish and secure working relationships with potential employers and clients.
Table of Contents
- Front Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgement
- Author’s Note
- Introduction
- Types of Portfolios
- The Comprehensive Package
- Brands and Concepts
- The Book
- Book Construction
- The Online Presence
- Marketing
- Our Process
- Step 1: Evaluate and Edit
- Introduction
- What Constitutes an Effective Portfolio?
- Evaluate, Edit, and Define
- For the Photographer
- For the Designer
- Note: Rework!
- How to Start: Describe Yourself as a Creative
- Exercise: Reverse View/Reverse Roles
- Help: Get Feedback
- How to Sort Your Work
- Q&A: Interview with Mary Virginia Swanson, Marketing Consultant and Educator (© 2009, Mary Virginia Swanson)
- Q&A: Interview with Richard Gref é, Executive Director, AIGA
- Q&A: Interview with Joe Quackenbush, Associate Professor of Design at Massachusetts College of Art and Design
- Step 2: Branding
- Introduction
- Brand
- Research and Analysis
- Discovery
- Defining Your Own Brand Attributes
- Reflect on Your Work
- Reflect on Yourself and Interests
- Reflect on Your Future
- Inspiration
- Looking Outward
- Genres and Styles
- Process
- Trends
- Q&A: Interview with Kristen Bernard, Graphic Design Student, Endicott College
- Brand Attributes
- How to Identify Key Brand Attributes
- Brand Statements
- Exercise: Brand Book
- Q&A: Interview with Will Bryant, Recent B.F.A. Graduate, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
- Brand Identity
- Note: A Brand Identity isn’t for Everyone
- Verbal Components
- Visual Components
- Additional Components
- Style Guide
- Q&A: Interview with Christine Pillsbury, Creative Director, BEAM Interactive and Relationship Marketing
- Q&A: Interview with Jeremie Dunning, Senior Web Designer, Burton Creative Services
- Step 3A: Cover Design
- Introduction
- Cover Design
- A Note about the Interior Layout
- Your Approach
- Concepts
- Q&A: Interview with Gail Swanlund, Co-director and Faculty, CalArts, Graphic Design Program
- Understanding the Range of Possibilities
- Conceptual Methodologies Defined
- Brainstorming Techniques
- Sketches and Word Associations
- Moodboards
- Promotional Exercise
- Q&A: Interview with Beverly Hayman, Recent B.F.A. Graduate, Mississippi State University
- Q&A: Interview with Jamie Burwell Mixon, Professor, Mississippi State University
- Design Focus
- Dominate Elements
- Subordinate Elements
- Compose the Elements
- Consider Material and Formal References
- Logos
- Color
- Color Palette: Dominant, Subordinate, Accent
- Hue, Brightness, and Saturation
- Symbolic and Emotional
- Need Help: Three Different Strategies
- Images & Iconography
- Note about Copyright and Appropriation
- Understanding Copyright Law: Basics and Resources
- Iconography
- Using Iconography versus Visual Icons
- Q&A: Interview with Naomi Harris, Photographer
- Denotative and Connotative Meaning
- Building Visual Texts
- Building Imagery: Illustration versus Photographic Imagery
- Composition
- Overview
- Hierarchy
- Negative Space
- Size and Proportion
- Typography
- Overview
- Words of Advice
- For the Designer
- Tips
- Copy
- Visual Techniques
- Visual References
- Visual Properties and Techniques
- Making Something New and Unique
- Experiment
- Caution: Often Less Is More
- Important Notes
- Step 3B: Materials and Forms
- Introduction
- Binding
- Glued Back-to-Back Binding
- Spiral Binding
- Covers: Softbound versus Hardbound
- Spine, Hinge, and Clasp: Closed versus Open
- Variation: Sewn or Stitched Bindings or Nonadhesive Bindings
- Wood, Metal, and Alternative Materials
- Windows, Cutouts, and Insets
- Accordion-Fold Bindings and Concertina Bindings
- Folded Pages and Inserts
- Flag Books
- Pop-Up Books
- Embossing
- Commercially Available Book Binding
- Consumer Retail Services
- Professional Services: Asukabook, Paperchase, and Pitko Photobooks
- Color Management
- Web Links
- Step 4: Layout
- Introduction
- Q&A: Interview with Hyun Sun Alex Cho, Associate Creative Director, Ogilvy and Mather, New York, NY
- Hierarchy
- One Page versus the Page Spread
- Images
- Number and Size
- Quality
- Labels
- Composition: The Grid
- Number of Columns and Rows
- Grouping: Alignment and Proximity
- Image Layouts
- Negative Space
- Margins of Space
- Single-Column Grid
- Spreads & Margins
- Sequence
- Rule of Thirds
- Extending the Visual Identity
- Typography
- Typographic Systems
- Typographic Range
- Typographic Hierarchy
- Legibility
- Tips and References
- Paragraphs
- For the Nondesigner
- Need Help: Recommendations
- Composition: Working with Images
- Creating Interplay and Image Relationships
- Image Sequencing across Multiple Pages
- Applying Sequencing
- Compound Image on a Single Page
- Getting Beyond Categories
- Scaling and Legibility
- Things to Consider
- Step 5: Construction
- Introduction
- Methods to Construct a Book and Book Terminology
- Parts of a Book
- Materials
- Tools
- Printing Your Books
- Color Management
- Software and Color-Managed Workflows
- Tip: Get Help!
- Duplex Printing
- Alternatives to Duplex Printing
- Post and Screw Binding with Board Covers
- Cutting Your Boards
- Measure and Cut the Book Cloth
- Gluing
- Punching Holes in Your Covers and Book Block
- Gluing a Printed Cover
- Back-to-Back Glued Binding
- Measure and Cut the Cover
- Sewn or Stapled Pamphlet
- Insets and Windows
- Step 6: Digital & Online Portfolios
- Introduction
- Skill Level
- Tips for the Inexperienced
- Goals and Message
- Tips for the Moderately Experienced
- Tips for the Experienced
- Defining Your Goals
- Target Audience
- Usabilit
- Research
- Concept and Brand
- Q&A: Interview with Mark Barcinski, Partner, and Adrien Jeanjean, Partner, Barcinski & Jeanjean Interactive Studio, http://www.barcinski-jeanjean.com/
- Keeping the Brand Voice Consistent
- Web Design
- The Uniqueness of a Web Composition
- Taking Advantage of the Web
- Traditional Website Design
- Fluid Spaces
- Layering and Separation
- Integrated Media
- Video
- Movements and Transitions
- Time-Based Media
- A Note about Blogs
- The Grid System (Again)
- Layout and Content Tips
- Introductions
- Site Architecture
- Grouping Content
- Target Audience
- LATCH and Other Organizational Schemes
- Defining Categories and Labels
- Site Maps
- Navigation
- User Interface Design
- Navigation
- Hiding/Revealing
- Q&A: Interview with Chris Wooster, Group Creative Director, T3
- From Design to Development
- Designing Interactive Sequences
- Development Tools
- Optimization for the Web
- How to Get Your Website Live
- Online Portfolio Directories
- Q&A: Interview with Andrew King, Partner, and Mike Wislocki, Partner, SquareWave Interactive
- Animation/Broadcast Design Reels
- Step 7: Promotional Materials
- Promotional Materials
- Introduction
- Professional Organizations and Networks
- Mailings: Electronic versus Hard Copy
- Marketing Tactics for Photographers
- Have a Plan
- Competitions as Marketing Tools
- Marketing Tactics for Designers
- Marketing and Self-Promotion: What to Do, and Connecting to Your Targeted Audience
- Resources for Finding Your Audience
- What Happens When It Works?
- Your Other Work?
- Get Listed
- Showings and Exhibitions
- Note about Photographer Representatives (Reps)
- Q&A: Interview with Heather Morton, Independent Art Buyer
- Creative Placement Agencies and Reps for Designers
- Q&A: Interview with Kim Wachter, Senior Staffing Consultant, Hollister, Inc.
- Q&A: Interview with Bryn Mooth, Editor, How Magazine
- Step 8: Professional Materials
- Resume/CV
- Type
- Paper Stock
- Layout
- Cover Letters
- Business Cards
- Interviewing
- Photography: Contracts and Pricing
- Pro Bono Work
- Pricing, Licensing, and Salary Resources
- Q&A: Interview with Chris Wooster, Group Creative Director, T3, Austin, TX
- Q&A: Interview with Sean Adams, Partner, AdamsMorioka, Beverly Hills, CA
- Job Listings and Professional Resources
- Endnotes
- Appendix A: Resources
- Appendix B: Interviews
- Appendix C: Contributors
- Index