Hi creatives! Portfolio question: do you use physical, online, or both?
I'm pretty much all online right now, and would love a general consensus on what other creatives and artists find best. Any advice you could spare would be majorly appreciated, thank you!
Replies12
- No harm in having both! It's especially good to have a physical portfolio when you're meeting potential employers face to face
- Online, it’s just easier and it’s great for the employer to see your work / your capability before making a decision about interviews etc etc. X
- I use an online portfolio and for like crits when meeting up with a mentor I would make a book of my work which they can look at and write and draw to offer feedback on as your portfolio is always a work in progress
- @Luke Freeman I love the idea of a poster zone ❤️
- Find both helps, depends on the work featured in your portfolio. As if your work is print based (branding) client/those hiring you want to see something tangible, that you can bring projects into reality.Use pdf for pitching new clients or working new agencies etc, interview take some print work examples. Find it easier to update digital portfolio.Sometimes do a posterzine of my work/short CV that folds into A4 to leave incase.
- @Selorm Amuzu thank you for the feedback Selorm!
- Hello Jasmine,I would say the same thing than I stand for in case of every advertising piece:- if it's printed you can shows for thousands- if it's online you can show for millionsNaturally it's not the same impact. But online is absolutely a must. If you have some pieces that just feels better in the hands because of a special finishing etc. having a physical copy can give the full experience.Sometimes I see people printing out digital design pieces in their portfolio. I would say that's an absolutely no go just against of common sense. After all the medium is the message right.
- Hi Jasmine,Agree with all the great advice below. Having a physical portfolio makes sense depending on the nature of your work: it textures, material experiementation, etc. are relevant definitely have one but I strongly advice showing it only if it comes organically during the conversation/interview, almost like an added value. If you start going through it and do not see genuine interest, I would not push it.Companies also appreciate you making a specific selection of your work for them, but this works more for commercial projects rather than artistic ones.Hope this helps!
- Hey Jasmine,Either way you have to havd to have a digital one of some sort. It means you can send it off quickly without any hassle, update it quickly and easily and it means that the people who are looking at it can keep it and show it to whoever they might need to.I think if you have a few pieces that are that extra bit impressive because they are a physical thing, like a printed illustrated book for example then deffo bring that along, but still make sure it is well documented online.:)
- I used to swear by keeping up my physical portfolio... I had a black photographers box with work work beautifully layed out, printed then put into crystal sleeves... It had lots of benefits... Maybe most so wea being able to sequence projects in a physical folio gely much more of an art to get the cadence right... projects that had phsical parts to them interspersed between presentation pages... on the down side though it was a logistical nightmare... I didnt mind lugging it around so much but the cost of printing new projects was silly (early on I chose A3Plus as the size to go with... bad call) and the impact was n’t just financial of course, thats a lot of paper and single use plastics to put pages into.So now I am pretty much fully digtal, I keep a folder of individual project case studies so that I can make a bespoke presentation for whoever I am showing work to (I think this counts)... and I’ll bring along any physical things tomeetinsg that might be of special interest (rather than bringing everything because its in the portfolio).So overall my advice is to take the best bits of what a phsyical portfolio offers and craft that into a digital-first approach, make it bespoke to whoever you are showing it to it will keep you on your toes and be more relevant to who you are showing it to.I see quite a few creatives, the ones who stand out often still have some sort of box of tricks... not just a pdf but a collection of things to look at and experience directly (though problematic right now).Make sure to invest in a screen cleaner... And personally I would avoid presenting on an ipad... the interactions of swiping and finger smudges just detract from the work. For what its worth people presenting their website in a meeting is a real pet hate of mine... such a missed opportunity and shows a bit of lack of care in my opinion. Hope this helps!
- Hello Jasmine,I have a digital portfolio in PDF form which I send on demand to prospective clients or show in meetings on the computer. I always bring physical works too. I think whenever you have physical work it's great to show a few in a meeting. I also have a few postcards of my artworks that I give occasionally to clients at meetings.I would say it depends on the size of your artworks. I would also avoid carrying things that are too big around as it might be uncomfortable for you.I also made a physical book of my works and show it as an alternative somethimes to the digital portfolio.I hope this helps.Sarah
- both..... but online is the priority
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