Clients, Self-Promotion, and Portfolio Formats

Clients and Self-Promotion:
Clients and Designers should have an equal partnership and work together even though it can be difficult at times. This relationship produces a better outcome. Don't tell what the client to think or what to respond when you show them what you have. let them come up with their opinions on their own before saying anything. Also, let the client think about it. What I found most important and interesting in the Client portion of "How to Be A Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul" was the part about presenting to your clients.

Presenting tests the Designer's skills in communication. The author recommends to be yourself and be passionate. You can sell your ideas better if you do. You should make sure that you're organized. Tell your audience exactly what you're going to show and then show it. When presenting start with a Brief which tells what you're planning on showing, then "itemize your thinking," "show your conclusions," and then end with a summary that covers all of the things you talked about. Make sure you talk clearly and effectively. Listening to questions that are asked is also a key to presenting.

When it comes to Self-Promotion, you need to get noticed. The best thing according to the author? Great Work. This work should be "effectively full of emotion" and full of intellect. Good reputations start between designers and then spans out to the client world. Starting a good reputation can be done by helping new designers, or writing about the area of design, and giving talks and taking part in conferences. When it comes to your portfolio, clients aren't as interested in self-initiated projects but would rather see something that was produced from a real brief.

Portfolio Formats:
In the book "Designing a Digital Portfolio," the author talks about different formats for your portfolio. She mentions that portfolios should be well organized and allows you to go between multiple presentations. There are two formats: Portable or Online.

When it comes to portable media there are many different choices. One choice that the author is against using is a zip disk. They're unreliable and can easily be erased. However, CDs are much more common and are probably the better choice as long as you create them with organization and readable file formats. You should also include PDFs and your contact email. A CD can be viewed at anytime and doesn't require an Internet connection. You can also put high resolution files on there which you can't do on the web.

The book mentions mini-CDs and how it's the right size for files and easy to carry around. It's also sleek and convenient to have. On the other hand, they don't really work in computers that have a slot-loaded CD player.

DVDs are the best choice when it comes to demo reels and moving image work. This way, you can put high quality files on there without worrying about space.
Another format for showing your portfolio is your laptop. It's easy to transport and you don't have to worry about technical glitches or opening files cross-platform. The author also mentions, that bringing in a laptop may set high expectations. You would also need to rehearse your presentation until it's memorized because you can't pay attention to the interviewer and your presentation on the screen at the same time.

Online formats have pros and cons just like the portable media does. When it comes to email, it is the most effective way of sending a "free sample" of your work. Unfortunately, however, if the company you're sending it to doesn't have enough space on their server, then they might not receive your large email file. It can also be filed under spam if it was unannounced.

Websites are the most popular portfolio medium partially because they're always available and can be viewed anywhere there's an Internet connection. It allows you to have more samples of pieces than an email could and it also can express your personality. The book mentions www.jameystillings.com which is a portfolio site that is divided into two different sites. One is his own personal site, the other is on Sharpe Online along with many other photographers. With websites, it's all about the content. Within "How to Be A Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul," there is a portfolio site that I found interesting. www.coreyholms.com the site is very plain compared to the sites that he's created, but it's so organized and easy to use that it really focuses mostly on his work and the content rather than the website's look itself.