What is a portfolio?

I think this one is much more informative in a creative way, the content of work for me is perhaps not correct however the points of what a portfolio is and what it should be are really positive and beneficial, i think these points could be brought across when considering my portfolio.

How to make a creative portfolio?

I found this little video on youtube, its a bit random and very american, this is very much the approach i don't want to be taking it is so dry. The only good thing about it is that it gives a few pointers of what type of work to include.

Enterprise: 10 things i want as a designer.

My ambition is to work for well established design company around the yorkshire area, working in illustration and print.

I would love the opportunity to design work for wallpaper, clothing and pattern prints. I like creating these for fun and for no specific purpose, they give me the chance to play around with different and new materials discovering new affects.

Currently i feel my skills lay along illustration and print, although i do enjoy working in other medias i hope to expand on these different medias throughout 2nd year and into 3rd year.

When producing work for a client, i would like to have input into the ideas and not just be a producer.

I would like to work around people, i feel i work best in this environment with ideas buzzing around off one another.

Researching dance websites and looking at the graphic side to the companies has made me realise i would quite like to work in this area and promote something that is close to me.

At some point in the near future, before i establish myself in a company i want the opportunity to work in at least one EU country to gain more experience and if i get the opportunity as a bonus it would be amazing to work in any country outside the EU.

I want to firstly start working with smaller businesses so i can continue to learn and understand the industry as it will be like stepping into a large pond, but it would be amazing to have a few of the larger clients.

I feel it would be best if my competitors were both national and international, thus giving me a larger competitive base to keep me on my toes and hopefully put my name out there.

Promoting my work through a website would probably be the most cost effective method this way i can show my work to the world through an online portfolio.

Evaluation - Module 1

I feel i have learn a lot from beginning to end of thins module, to start with i new very little and i fell i have progressed more in the past 5 weeks than i did in the entire of the first year. I have really enjoyed myself on  this module although i have found it extremely challenging. I decided at the beginning of the module i wanted to work on something which wasn't specifically my area in which i normally work and try and develop some new skills through this. I took this opportunity to work in different methods to produce a different variety of outcomes, i typically work hand made and craft my work, so this was a great opportunity to allow myself to work with a mac and different source material. It also gave me a wider variety of research, which is generally a weakness i had in my work last year. I tended to ignore my research and move on in a direction i desired rather than use the research to try and help my work which i feel i finally have in this print module, i think this is because i was continuously learning throughout the module. Because of this i have experimented and investigated into a variety of media and process because i didn't really know anything about it. I have found out about print processes from paper stock to products such as plastic bottles, i feel if any area i have struggled in this module it probably would be to print process as i tend to get them all a bit muddled, i prefer to spend my time creating, which isn't the best idea for when i leave as the more i know, a larger variety of opportunities opens up for me. 

For the first time since beginning the course i do feel i have used an appropriate amount of experimentation and research into my designs, before i used to jump straight into an idea and go with that, but with this module i have started from scratch and let my work take me to my final piece through lots of design development. I am actually glad i did this, as i feel i never would have produced the outcome i have, before this module i hated the idea of going through a development process to get an outcome, no i definitely feel i will be doing it all the time, i think its had a positive effect on my work. I feel i have documented all this clearly, i do however feel my final presentation boards could have been better, and i feel if i am to make them again i have a better understanding of what should go on them and for the 16 page booklet i think it would be more appropriate for me to have looked at paper stock and the layout more to improve on the quality of it. 

I feel in relation to the brief my both of my outcomes are successful, i mentioned above that the stack for the 16 page booklet would be something beneficial for me to look at, i feel this would improve the booklet, i also feel if i had more time there are certain areas on the booklet i would have like to apply a gloss to, but these are all small improvement i will try to amend in the future. I am happy with my 'what is good' outcome however i do not feel the way in which i have submitted my work shows it of to its potential at all, my research is thorough which i am not sure the pdf format shows off, but also the submission on 5 boards, i feel towards the end i gave up because i realised the actual product its self would not be marked, so i did not make an improved final leaflet even though there are a few more amendments to it, and i did not spend time mocking up at least one bottle. I have learnt a great deal through this module and i think i will enter the next one, slightly wiser in how to approach my working methods towards the end.

5 things i would do differently next time:

Definitely spend more time producing my boards and showing my work of to its fullest potential.

Use more secondary research in both briefs but especially the 16 page booklet.

Mock up the actual bottles.

Print the whole 16 page booklet and look into stock for this.

Use tutors more and to have a larger variety of views on my work for greater improvement.

PPD Prep

1. Professional/industrial experience

- A range of experience in a variety of places/areas.

- Working freelance.

- Visiting studios, print houses and manufactures.

- Managing the print and production of your work.

- Live briefs: international and national competitions.

e.g. YCN have student and Professional awards scheme

'The YCN Student Awards shine a light on new creative talent, and centre on a collection of live creative briefs'

2. Why is it important to PPD?

- Communication

We can only be taught limited things as a student, we can not be taught some of the most beneficial skills, such as those for communicating with a clint or employer.

- Learn what it would be like to 'be' in that job or 'work' for those kind of people.

The experience of working in a live studio environment is completely different to working in a studio at college, we may be learning new skills from our lectures and seminars but we don't get the awareness and understanding of working in design studio. Through this we may also discover the type of job we want as a designer, do we want the freedom of a freelancer or the studio with different designers around me?

- To expand our skills.

Although in college we are constantly be tough different skills, some things we cant understand, develop or even learn until we get actual experience in a live studio. The course we are on is only just the beginning of our understanding and skills for Graphic Design, when we get out in the real work the experiences we come across will allow us to be learning all the time.

- Work on our portfolio.

Working with professional designers in a professional design studio will allow us the have professional experience in projects which we would not get as graduates at college. We would have the change for our work to possibly appear in campaigns and high profile design, giving employers the chance to recognize our work and get our name out there.

- Get some contacts.

Work placements are one of the best opportunities to make contacts with other Graphic Designers or Graphic houses. Placements allow us to access high profile companies and design teams that we would be unable to to work with or be recognised at student level. Work placements give us the opportunity to prove we can work to live briefs and in a fast moving environment. They also give us the opportunity to work with other designers skilled in different areas, while we are there we also have the chance to learn from them in their specialist area.

3. How do you gain experience?

- Freelance design jobs.

By taking on small freelance jobs on the side of studying you are gaining experience in communicating and working with a client. You also have the opportunity to work with professional printers, materials and images as well as fining out how you should change the client for the hours you have worked and the items you have designed.

- Current contacts.

Some people already have friends or family in the industry who can help them out with gaining experience or getting a placement.

- Live briefs.

These competitions such as YCN or D&AD allow us to gain experience in competition with other designers, working to a specific deadline, brief and for our work to be publicly viewed.

- Work placement.

This allows us to spend time in Design Studios giving us an insight into the industry.

- Self Promotion.

This is a way of letting people know you exist, and could give you potential contact with clients, employers and colleagues.

4. What should you aim to gain?

- An insight into the professional design world.

- An idea weather this is the right path for you, or which design area you want to work in.

- New experiences and skills on how to communicate with professional designers..

- Future contacts.