19.40: Tomorrow Never Dies
NIDA: Right. Never put off 'til tomorrow what you don't really have time to blog about at the end of the month...so where were we? How (not) to impress a potential employer who shows up to a senior portfolio show mildly irritated because she (a) is in York and (b) had gone further into York than planned or desired because a crucial right turn was missed as the rubber seal around her windshield threatened to fly up and away down Route 30?
Ahh, the eau de desperation underlying the patchouli. The dismal fluorescent lighting. The brown of the iced tea in the punch bowl accentuating the orange of the cheese cubes. I do enjoy the sights and scents of a good portfolio show. I was not particularly impressed by the last one I went to, as you may have gathered from my earlier post. Then again, I don't necessarily expect to be impressed when I go to these things, at least not by the actual portfolios. Student work is what it is: a learning process and a development of skills in a setting free of client expectations / input. So a few rough edges and underdeveloped ideas are par for the course. What I am looking for is passion and creativity, i.e. some sort of purpose or vision underlying everything you do, be it a humble newsletter or an elaborate package design. How you do something doesn't mean squat if you don't know why you're doing it. So lesson number 1: Always ask "why" before you ask "how".
Now, on to my other practical advice for the young graphic designer about to show their portfolio to someone who is a) not related to them, b) not dating them, and c) holds THE FATE OF THEIR FUTURE IN THE DESIGN SLASH ADVERTISING SLASH BRANDING INDUSTRY IN THEIR HANDS.
It's okay if your hands shake. Everyone's hands shake. You should see mine at a 7am meeting (usually I've chugged a couple cups of coffee as I'm running out the door, and the caffeine hasn't made its way to my brain because it's taken a long sightseeing tour of my fine motor skills.
It's better to show me you're creative than tell me. It is also better not to jump someone right as she comes up the stairs and has yet to get her bearings. Unbeknownst to you, she may be a wiseacre who has no qualms about dropping a loaded question in your lap and then stating the obvious when you answer with the obvious. To the poor young man who was unfortunate enough to catch me in an unkind moment, sorry, buddy! Also, beware of anyone who asks you some variation of why you should be chosen over/are better than everyone else lined up in the hallway. There's really no good answer to the question and they probably just want to see you squirm.
Take pride and care in every aspect of your project. If your package design is poorly constructed and looks like crap, I am going to assume it is crap. If you didn't care enough to make your design look good from conception through execution to final product (including any images you use as a portfolio sample), why should I? And why should I assume that you will magically start caring when it's my client and my company's reputation? I may be wearing raggedy jeans and cursing softly under my breath about the road conditions of a certain unnamed county, but I can spot the difference between something you made yourself and something you made yourself that looks like you paid a professional to do.
Keep your sketches on hand. Personally, I like to see them. I don't want to see every single one, and I don't want to sit through a dissertation on every stray pencil stroke. I do want to get some idea of your brainstorming and thought processes and I do want to see if you were able to choose the sketch that had the most potential or was the best answer to the question you were asking.
Ask questions. If you've ever read anything about interviewing, I'm sure you've seen this little nugget of advice before. You have our full attention for a good chunk of time during a portfolio / book review, so use it well. There hasn't been a question yet that we haven't answered. I don't know if there's been a question yet that has surprised me. Maybe there has. My memory is a bit spotty sometimes.
There is a lot more I could probably expound on the topic. I do like to expound occasionally. But that is enough expounding for now. Oh, except for one last thing: if you have a portfolio review here at the GO, LLC, Lancaster's premier international design unit, please refrain from the kissing of the ass. If you're passionate about what you do and you appreciate our passion for what we do, that's cool. But don't play up to us just because you have this blog and website memorized. First, I am always shocked that anyone reads this thing other than my parents (Hi Dad!) and our business svengali (Hi Sven!), so if you bring up the weblog it throws me off. And second, in the wise words of Russell Simmons, just do you.
