Comments on: Industrial Design Portfolio Advice: Back to Basics

By: fanny valbuena

fanny valbuena — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:40:36 +0000

Your article is absolutely awsome !!!!!!!!!!

By: Tiago

Tiago — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:14:37 +0000

Hi there. Thanks for the tips. I’m creating mine now and it’s been a war. rofl.

By: Raph Goldsworthy

Raph Goldsworthy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:40:46 +0000

@ Mark – Not a problem.

@LH – This is certainly a problem for many designers, my thoughts on it are:

Talk to the client about potentially allowing some of the work to be shown and in what situation it might occur. If they say yes, get it in writing. If they say no then I personally wouldn’t show it at all.

I would also be careful about even showing it in face to face meetings as you will not always be aware of the commercial interests of the person you are showing it to – they may not be as trustworthy as you think and may talk to other people about it (maybe not even maliciously and just in passing) who might be a commercial threat to your client.

I think overall it is best to be extremely careful when dealing with client work that is still confidential. It is better to be safe than sorry. You may just have to bite the bullet and not show it unless you can get the consent of your client.

@Liam @Bjorn – Hopefully the article is useful next time you update your folio.

@Nancy – I am sure there are others that feel the same

@Rita – Not a problem. Thanks for sharing your advice.

@Girlie – Thanks for the praise. I think your advice on a designers portfolio being “good enough to sell” are right on the money, thank you for sharing. I hope you enjoy all future Design Droplets posts.

@Michael – Thanks for the praise for the article and for sharing the links. I think in many areas of design (beyond the portfolio) designers need to consider applying the Plan, Plan, Plan Rule. Also, I really enjoy your site. Note to everyone that reads this: You should visit Michael’s site, it has lots of great tips and advice for designers.

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:33:12 +0000

Nice article, Raph. I’m a big proponent of the Plan, plan, plan rule. Presenting to Win has a good framework for asking and answering the key questions. http://www.amazon.com/Presenting-Win-Telling-Your-Story/dp/0130464139
Most of us usually do the layout stuff first, and since we kind of know what work is going into our portfolio, fill the pages with content before thinking about what we’re trying to communicate. Somewhat related, I wrote these rules about graphic design for industrial designers: http://www.michaelroller.com/?p=324

By: links for 2009-10-29 « Design in Africa

links for 2009-10-29 « Design in Africa — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:05:27 +0000

[...] Industrial Design Portfolio Advice: Back to Basics (tags: iwwd_03nov09) Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)links for 2009-09-28links for 2009-10-22Three questions I use to help me think about design [...]

By: industrial design portfolio advice | defound - industrial design blog / inspirational and interesting design finds

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:45:37 +0000

[...] has a useful article on the basics of portfolio creation, from planning over creation to actual face to face presentation. add a [...]

By: Girlie | Digital Room

Girlie | Digital Room — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:33:10 +0000

Great tips! Designers should really pay enough attention and pour out their efforts in making their portfolio. Their portfolio should look professional and good enough to sell. It’s like their silent sales-person.

Really enjoyed reading your article. Looking forward to more good posts!

By: Rita | Creative Graphic Design

Rita | Creative Graphic Design — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:58:07 +0000

Thanks for the tips. It’s important for job-seeking designers to keep their portfolios simple but contains the best works that they have.

By: Nancy Grossbart

Nancy Grossbart — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:07:12 +0000

If only all the designers I’ve interviewed throughout the years showed me a portfolio like this, my job would have been easier.

By: Björn Syse

Björn Syse — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:58:48 +0000

Thanks for this article Raph, very helpful. It’s funny, I just remade my portfolio two days ago as well, but for next time…

By: Liam

Liam — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:25:17 +0000

Great article, I just finished updating my portfolio, but I’ll definitely refer to this next time it comes around.

By: LH

LH — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:11:54 +0000

Hi there,

How do you deal with showing client work that hasn’t yet been released in the market? I’ve always thought that it was OK to show it in a face to face meeting. While posting these projects, sending images by email or leaving behind projects is a huge no-no.

How do you deal with a portfolio of projects that you can’t easily show potential employers?

thanks,
L

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:45:37 +0000

Wow!! Thanks for the amazing tips.