Student Portfolios: Sometimes all you need is a little perspective…

• Posted: August 11, 2007
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• Author: Chris Murphy
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• Filed under: Design
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• Tags: No tags set for this entry.

I had the strangest inclination tonight to review some of my old college work. While I have a number of the pieces tucked away in my old portfolio somewhere in the office, there were many pieces that either never made it in or were part of my sketchbooks -- most of which are gone now. That left me only one alternative: seek out some of my old websites from way back in the day.

With so many new projects coming through the agency and half a dozen more slated to start in the next few months, this past week has been hectic to say the least. So much so that I have been reviewing portfolios sent to me over the last few months, hoping to find web designers and freelancers skilled enough to fit into or supplement our design and production teams.

To say that it is not an easy task is an understatement.

While most portfolios exhibit some excellent work, the vast majority of other portfolios show work that is mediocre at best. Before I go on I should probably clarify what I think is an excellent portfolio and what I might consider mediocre.

For me, an excellent portfolio shows a good balance of disciplines. The designer’s work should exhibit a solid understanding of typography, color theory and mechanical process. It certainly helps to see a designer who has a background in illustration; it is nice to see designers who have a traditional arts background as well. I look at these portfolios and think, “wow.” Everything else pales in comparison.

Regardless of the aforementioned qualities, it is the mechanical process that makes me want to take a closer look at the work. With print and web work I can spot where the designer was too lazy to spend the time to ensure his work was well-crafted. The final piece might look beautiful at first glance, but will it hold up to the same scrutiny the next day, or the day after? If I decided to take a look at the same piece a month from now, would I see the same quality work?

Yes, these are things I look for. These are important things. They may not seem so on the surface, but the mere act of putting together a design should require the same amount of attention a carpenter or engineer might employ.

Don’t get me wrong, I see the overall piece and I can appreciate the concept and creative that was put into its creation. If it was well constructed, it certainly shows. But what I am seeing these days makes me cringe inside. Perhaps I am being overly critical of the quality of work that I review, or perhaps I am not critical enough. I am not altogether sure sometimes, and that is why I think I needed to get a little perspective on this.

With that need in mind I decided to hunt down one of my old portfolio sites which was buried so deep in an old free web-hosting service, I’m surprised it was still indexed. What I found there made me cringe inside. The work is almost ten years old now, and the vast majority of what I had posted for the public was college work, illustrations and sketches I had done at the time. Some of it was terrible to say the least. The print work was a mess. Everything I disliked about a portfolio was starring me right in the face.

Granted, I still think there were some great ideas in there or at least the kernel of a good concept, and I still think there are some pieces which illustrated strong technical knowledge. I can still appreciate some of the illustration work and it was nice to see some of the sketches I had long forgotten about. But I still found it difficult to reconcile what I know now, and what I was seeing in my earliest work.

It was then I remembered one critical thing: my portfolio, which consisted of this early body of work, caught the eye of an Art Director at what would be my first job.

This work that I just wanted to print out and burn was good enough to catch someone’s attention.

The Art Director I mentioned, called me in for an interview with his Creative Director the day after my grad show — I got the job on the spot and spent the next year and a half learning my trade.

I am still trying to figure out what it was that earned me that privilege, but I think I have come to understand something about student portfolios: there are times I am going to have to remove the filters of experience and see beyond the surface of what is presented. I need to see the future potential of the designer rather than their current level of accomplishment. While this does not mean I will lower my standards in any way, I think that I need to see the designer’s work with the same perspective as my first Art and Creative Director.

Wherever you are now Roger and Jim, thank you for taking the time to really look at my portfolio.

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