(whoosh)
(upbeat music) - Hello and welcome to this
beginners guide series to Graphic Design.
From what Graphic Design is, skills to be a Graphic Designer
design theory, education you need, equipment you need
to the Graphic Design portfolio and interview advice.
This series is for anyone at any level.
So if you're interested in Graphic Design
and considering in becoming a Graphic Designer
then join me as I discuss a series of Graphic Design topics.
(loud upbeat music)
So as you step out into the design industry
and look for jobs you will need to develop
and showcase a portfolio to demonstrate you have the skills
and showcase that you can be creative
and develop visual solutions.
The Graphic Design portfolio is very important.
It's your ticket to your next job.
Now you can spend years studying
to become a Graphic Designer.
You can spend a lot of money
on courses and higher education.
You can even achieve the best grades
and attend the best art colleges.
Though chances are when it comes down to applying for a job
it will most likely come down to your portfolio.
It's your portfolio that makes the first impression.
It will be this that they will judge you on.
No matter what grade you scored art college
if a client or potential employer in not convinced
by your portfolio
you will probably not make it through to an interview.
In my 10 years experience in the industry since graduating
I not once been asked what grade I got at university.
So I often get asked questions
about the Graphic Design portfolio.
Questions like, what makes for a good portfolio?
What's the best type of portfolio, print or digital?
Do I need a website?
How many projects do I include?
What if I don't have any projects to show?
What are employers looking for?
How much type do I include?
And what's the best programme to use to build my portfolio?
So in this video I'm going to discuss
the Graphic Design portfolio and answer these questions.
In this video I'll also be sharing my experience
and offering some tips to keep in mind.
So the Graphic Design portfolio
should clearly demonstrate your skills
show what you can do and what you have already done.
As a Graphic Designer you really want to create
the best portfolio you can.
It should be the one reason you push yourself.
The reason you try your best.
Of course we should strive to do a good job
for the client too
but you should always be pushin' to create amazing work
that you can include in your portfolio.
Because it's your work that will get you noticed
and get you a better job in future.
So let's look at some of those questions.
What makes for a good portfolio?
Now there are lots of factors that make for a good portfolio
all of which you should try and implement in yours.
So the first is don't over design your portfolio
keep it simple.
One common mistake I see especially with newcomers
is Graphic Designers over-designing their portfolios.
Now it's easy to get carried away
and want to show your skills
and creative flair on your portfolio.
But really it's not necessary.
The portfolio should be about
showing your work in its best light.
You really don't want to distract from this.
The best approach is to keep your portfolio simple.
If you have a personal brand, that's great!
Include it on the cover and back page
but try and keep the presentation layout
as clear as possible.
Consider pace in your portfolio.
Now you really want your portfolio
to work as hard as it can for you.
If you have a lot of work to show for a particular project
then spread this over a few pages.
When introducing a project
consider starting with a nice hero shot.
Allow for whoever looks at your portfolio
to really appreciate the design and details of your work.
Let your work breathe and have impact.
As your project continues over other pages
then you can include more images together.
Using this technique will control the pace of your portfolio
and encourage a viewer to pause
and digest rather than skim through.
This might mean having to increase
the page number of your portfolio
but it will make for a more sophisticated experience.
Include examples of your design process.
Now this is really important.
A potential employer will really like to see how you think
and how you approach a brief.
If you can show some good examples of your process
this will be more convincing and impressive.
It will show you take time to research
plan and think about your ideas and design.
Include in situ examples.
One of the most important things you can do
in your portfolio is show your work in situ.
This will bring your design to life
and is much more impressive than looking at flat examples.
If it's poster, show someone holding it.
If it's a mobile app, show it on a device.
If it's a brand, show it on some stationary
merchandise or packaging.
This will mean getting good quality photos of your work.
Or superimposing your work onto devices or print material.
Start on a high and end on a high.
When an interviewer tries to recall you after an interview
they will either remember your first impression
or how you ended.
Pick out two of your best projects.
The aim here is to put one of those at the front
and one at the back.
Start well and leave a good lasting impression.
Tailor your portfolio.
So as you apply for jobs
one of the smartest things you can do
is tailor your portfolio to your potential employer.
In some cases if you have too much variety in your portfolio
it may confuse or even overwhelm
the potential client or employer.
Tailoring your portfolio can be a key factor.
This can make you seem more suitable for the job.
Depending on what type of job you're applying for
you should tailor your portfolio.
If you want to be a Brand Designer
include your best brand examples.
If you want to be Motion Graphics Designer
include your best motion graphics examples.
If you wan to do UI
include your best UI examples and so on.
Now having said that
there can be roles that ask for an all-rounder.
So in that instance you may want to show a variety of work.
So remember
tailor your portfolio to your potential employer.
So those are some of the things
that make for a good portfolio.
So the next question is
what's the best type of portfolio, print or digital?
So as a Graphic Designer
you will need a strategy to get noticed
get an interview and get a job.
Today this can exist both online and offline.
This will also vary depending
on the type of designer you are
and the type of work you have.
So ideally you will need a digital portfolio
to use online to help you get noticed
and used to send over email
to possible clients or employers.
Once the digital portfolio is in the bag
you can always use it again at an interview.
Present it on your laptop or tablet device.
If you're a Digital Designer
you may only need a digital portfolio.
Though if you're more of a Print and Branding Designer
then you may wish to invest in a print portfolio.
The print portfolio is a much more impressive option
for Print Designers.
Now there is a lot more to be said on this topic.
I will be discussing this in more depth in the next episode.
So the next question
do I need a website?
As stated in the previous question
you will need a strategy to get noticed
and get an interview and get a job.
The website is a good opportunity to show your work online
get noticed and it's convenient to share.
In my experience it's better to have one than not to.
Now if your not able to set up your own site
there are so many online portfolio websites out there today
you can sign up to and create a profile.
The good thing about these sites
is that they are often looked at by recruiters and clients.
So there is always a chance you can be discovered.
As a Designer today
you may find yourself creating lots of these
to increase your exposure.
So the next question is
how many projects do I include?
Well in my opinion there is no simple answer to this
because I am not sure there is really a simple figure.
What you have to keep in mind here
is that it's not about the quantity
it's about the quality.
Instead of worrying about including too much or too little
try and focus more on including what represents your skills
and what you want to do.
As your career develops
you will no doubt create a lot of work.
Some projects will be more impressive
and interesting than others.
In the portfolio you want to project who you are
what you do and what you want to do in future.
As mentioned earlier
try to tailor your portfolio as much as you can.
Everything in your portfolio
must be your best work and interesting.
Take a step back and be objective.
Imagine you are a potential employer
looking through your portfolio.
If there is anything you have any doubts about
then edit it out!
That may mean having a small portfolio
or a large portfolio.
As long as it's strong and impressive
that's all that matters.
Next question.
What if I don't have any projects to show?
Now if you're new to Graphic Design
perhaps a student or you're looking to get into the industry
chances are you will not have many examples to show
that you have done for clients or employers in the industry.
It's common for a lot of newcomers to only have work
that has been done at school or self initiated briefs.
Keep in mind when showing work at an interview
potential employers and clients want to see what you can do
your potential and how resourceful you can be.
Employers will be impressed
by how you can find opportunity and overcome problems.
If you don't have a lot of work to show
then I would recommend you set yourself
some self initiated briefs
and look to do some work for local business.
This is a technique many Designers undertake
at some point to build their work.
Whichever field of design you want to specialize in
set yourself a brief and create a solution for it.
If you know a friend or family member with a business
seek to do some creative work for them.
Hopefully you will be able to build up some projects
to include in your portfolio.
Next question.
What are employers looking for in a portfolio?
Now this really depends
on what type of job you're looking for
and at what level.
Typically in the industry you have three significant levels
junior, middleweight, and senior.
At each level an employer will be looking for creative flair
and the ability to do the job they are requesting.
At junior level you many have just graduated from university
or looking to get your first job.
An employer will know you won't have much
industry experience so will mainly be looking for potential
creative flair, good ideas
and good demonstration of design skills.
Towards the more senior roles
employers will be focusing more on your experience
and what you have already done.
Employers will be looking for more higher quality of work
more specialized work, successful work examples
good design process examples
and good portfolio presentation.
The next question is
how much type do I include?
Now remember your portfolio is a presentation
which you are not there to make.
As much as you should want your work to speak for itself
it can help to add annotations
to help explain the context of the work.
In my experience I would say
try and keep the type down to a minimum.
For each page of your portfolio
aim to include a maximum of two sentences
to describe what the work is and how it fulfilled the brief.
In your portfolio you want the work to take the main stage
and be the main focus.
When using type, try and keep the font size to a minimum
so it does not deter from your work.
So the last question is
what's the best programme to use to build my portfolio?
Well when it comes to working with
anything layout and type-focused
I would always recommend Adobe InDesign.
As simple as the portfolio layout should be
the document itself will be complex
with many image links which you will want to edit.
In InDesign you also have the ability to create
an interactive PDF where you can embed links
to your online media.
InDesign is the best programme for this.
So those are some factors to consider
(soft upbeat music) to ensure a good
Graphic Design portfolio.
If you would like to take
a closer look at the list of questions
I have discussed in this video
you can find out more in the PDF document
that accompanies this vidoe series.
Link is in the description.
So what do you think?
Do you agree with the points I have raised
or have I missed anything?
Let me know what you think and share your comments below.
Well I hope you enjoyed this video.
If you did, hit the like button on my Facebook page.
If you'd like to see more videos like this in future
hit the subscribe button.
And you can also follow me on Twitter @TasyTuts.
So in this video I discussed some factors to consider
to ensure a good Graphic Design portfolio.
A question I get asked a lot is
what's the best type of portfolio, print or digital?
As a Graphic Designer you will need a strategy
to get noticed, get an interview
and get a job.
Today this exists both online and offline.
In the next video
I'm going to discuss this topic in more depth
and recommend which strategy is best
for which type of Graphic Designer.
So see you in the next video.
(loud upbeat music)