Done and Dusted

Week 12 has arrived and is bringing an end to this bizarre semester and of course our Contemporary Design Culture module. Come the start of 3rd year people will be either going on co-op, global co-op or Erasmus like myself, but now that we have the summer in lockdown why not take the time to create a thorough, developed portfolio? This was the topic of our final class in the CDC module and I feel the material we combined on what is needed for an interview and portfolio is top and is a big help for all of us students.

Sinead and I were required to investigate some tips for creating an online profile for designers. A very broad topic but we settled on 4 main points.

1. Keeping your display clean.

· First, it is very important to include a professional photo of yourself.

· The best way to grab the employer or viewers’ attention is to keep your work display as clean as possible. Let the neat layout do the talking for your work!

· Clearly photograph any work you want to display focusing on and major aspects of the work you want to focus on.

2. Include the work you want more of.

· Even if you do a good project, it may be worth considering leaving out if its they type of work you want to move away from.

· People are not mind readers; you must tailor your brand visually, just as you would a brand you’re working for.

· Make sure your profile represents who you are and what type of work you are interested in whether it would be graphics or software etc.

3. Showcase your Personality

· Do not go over the top with this: it is the kind of thing that can backfire if done casually or thoughtlessly.

· It’s worth considering if there’s any way you can show a little of who you are through your portfolio, whether that’s through the work you create, your personal branding, the way you present it or any other way.

· Showcase your individuality and show how your work is contemporary and stands out from others.

4. Focus on the Process, not just the Work

· A mistake designer often make with their portfolios is only showing the finished work. That’s frustrating for many potential clients and employers, who typically want to know things like who else was working on the project, what your contribution was, what the brief was, what the challenges were in fulfilling it, and how you went about overcoming them.

· Show initial ideas and sketches and how you evolved from them and ended up solving the problem

· Model-making, prototyping, user testing etc.

Finally I just want to thank Muireann for running a very helpful module and commend her for delivering the work quite effectively giving the situation we are in. Thanks!