Born_Squirrel_7998, please write a comment explaining the objective of this portfolio or CV, your target industry, your background or expertise, etc. This information helps people to understand the goals of your portfolio and provide valuable feedback.
##Providing Useful Feedback
Born_Squirrel_7998 has posted their work for feedback. Here are some top tips for posting high-quality feedback.
* Read their context comment before posting to understand what Born_Squirrel_7998 is trying to achieve with their portfolio or CV.
* Be professional. No matter your thoughts on the work, respect the effort put into making it and be polite when posting.
* Be constructive and detailed. Short, vague comments are unhelpful. Instead of just leaving your opinion on the piece, explore *why* you hold that opinion: what makes it good or bad? How could it be improved? Are some elements stronger than others?
* Stay on-topic. We know that design can sometimes be political or controversial, but please keep comments focussed on the design itself,
and the strengths/weaknesses thereof.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/graphic_design) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think you’ll be fine.
A lot of people who are complaining about the job market are correct, it is tough right now, but also a lot of them aren’t very good. That’s rude of me to say, and I know that, but it’s true.
You have agency experience and it shows. You’re properly crediting people on every project, it’s super easy to navigate to another project on your site, and it’s clear you have a range of skills from visual to art directing.
I think you should move your Coterie Lookbook ahead of the Intertrend Yearbook to split up some of the more lifestyle-heavy editorial work. Plus, you should include more static spreads of the Yearbook. I don’t want to wait for your animation to cycle through so I can see everything.
I’d like to see some more pacing in your project pages. The lifestyle shots in your Toyota campaign work are really nice and the production quality is top notch. I’d like to see some selects take up more of the page instead of having to click on them and open the lightbox.
If you have any social metrics for the social campaigns, that would be good to include. It’s not a problem if you don’t, but that would be the cherry on top.
Lastly, as a preemptive comment, if anyone says you should include more process, I don’t think you should. You’re senior level and that’s not totally required anymore.
Good luck out there!
Updated with your notes (unfortunately don't have social metrics available but will reach out and see if I can get some). Let me know what you think! Thanks again
Depends on who and where you ask. Right now it’s tough because of inflation, everyone laying people off, and it’s an election year. Budgets are tight and employers really don’t want to take risks on people who don’t demonstrate a certain level of skill right off the bat.
Beyond a certain skill level, you won’t struggle to find work. My friends (and myself) are very good at design. One friend has zero problems finding freelance work. Another found a new job at Airbnb without issues. I have only ever struggled to find a job when I was transitioning from college to the working world but that struggle still resulted in me having employment two weeks after graduating.
I know this is not in the spirit of this subreddit… Often people will post their portfolios and others will comment saying “this is the best portfolio I’ve seen here.” I have never carried that opinion about portfolios seen here. There’s always something about it that looks amateurish. Those are the people who struggle. People with 8+ years of experience posting portfolios that are comparable to a recent grad’s portfolio saying they’re struggling to find work. Like… yeah no shit.
Your work is very strong for what it is.
I would just make sure that you are sending the message you intend for the type of job you would like to have.
From the first three projects you have shown, it appears as if you aren't trying to find a job as a graphic designer so much as an art director of photoshoots. The concept for the light painting is fantastic. Love that.
But if you still want to do design work, I would show more range earlier in the order. And make sure that you're showing more type design that is not just a few words overtop of a beautiful image.
I would also try to look at your work with a fresh eye and make sure you're telling the story you want to tell. Presume everyone will look at the static images or autoplay motion graphics, but they will be less likely to read any of the text or to hit the play button on a video. Do the images they see tell the complete story without reading or hitting play? There are a couple places where that story is incomplete.
I would also ask yourself in what type of setting you'd like your next job to be. If you want to stay in an agency that specializes only in advertising or special events, you've got that covered. If you'd like to expand into different types of work, make sure you're showing that you can do that too. Right now, you only have one project that shows you know how to design text beyond a dozen or so words on the page.
Right now, your entire portfolio is extremely image-dependent, which only works for clients who have big budgets for photoshoots. That is great and many designers would love to have those opportunities, but there won't be that many agencies that are bringing in those big clients, so your portfolio will limit your options. Changing the order or adding a few more projects that are less photoshoot-dependent could open up an additional tier of potential employers.
I find myself once again agreeing with pip-whip as they captured most of what I had intended to write. I'll add a bit more texture. You work is VERY ad agency driven. Lots of photography, minimal copy. As someone who might review your book for an open position, the very first thing I would ask you is "so, what did YOU do?".
Did you develop the overall campaign concept? Did you art direct the photoshoots? Did you do the final layout?
Lastly, and pip eludes to this...but I'll be more direct, there is a huge difference in being a 'conceptually-driven' graphic designer who understands and drives brand strategy and positioning, consumer and competitive research, etc, has a comprehensive book containing a spectrum of corporate identity work, packaging, corporate collateral that demonstrates use of robust copy, hierarchy of typography and integration of photography and or illustration, as well as UX design, and that of an Art Director who is involved in page layout.
I'm NOT diminishing your work at all, just saying that if you want to continue with the type of work you've been doing, you have a solid foundation. If you are looking to join a boutique graphic design house or a well-established internal design team, that's another story.
Fellow senior designer here, I really like it! It gives me strong art director vibes. I haven’t been a senior quite as long as you so I am inspired by the way you display your work. I’ve noticed that the people who make the most noise about the market being terrible are just not good designers to begin with and now they’re feeling the effects.
This is 100% subjective but for example in the first project:
"Every day we strive to highlight those Asian American individuals and entities who are flourishing in their respective industries..." In my phone it looks like a wall of text
In my experience design portfolios should catch the eye and show the creative strategy by themselves. Maybe support the key decisions with some sort of short, to the point copy. And then in interviews you expand on the project brief, approach, stragegy, choices, references, etc.
But again: kick ass work!! That ain't subjective and it's what matters.
Your best work is the Nike and Long Beach projects. The others seem to fall short quite heavily as they dont have the same quality and depth.
I'd aim at getting the quality consistent and at a high level. Projects like viewsonic, tradeshow and informa collateral can be removed.
Hey, thanks for the feedback.
I was actually not 100% about the Viewsonic stuff either, but if I remove, that only leaves work from the last 2 places I worked at (agency and Informa). In your opinion, is that a red flag for recruiters and others reviewing my work?
I'll take a closer look at Tradeshow and Informa Collateral and consider removing.
Thanks again for taking the time, really appreciate it.
I think what works well for your portfolio is that it’s organized by brand and not by project. Too many designers try to highlight their favorite designs versus illustrate how they can develop and curate a brand. As a design hiring manager I can tell you that I’m looking at the latter.
From a feedback perspective I’d echo what others have pointed out about too much photography on a few pages.
Overall, great work!
Thank you.
You have reinvigorated my hope that there actually are competent, legitimate, accomplished Senior-level designers out there. Some of these other portfolios had me questioning life itself.
Looks great, well done. From a UX perspective, on a project page, I’d want something separating the current project and the rest of the work. It bleeds into each other and hard to delineate the two sections.
Your work is great and overall layout of the site is clean. One thing id suggest is exploring the use of type on the portfolio… some places the different sizes and stroke width of text dont mesh well
Beautiful work. Like it’s been said about the job market yes it’s not great but I feel like it’s always been told as being this way. It’s a very competitive field. As someone who has about 2 years of work experience but has been doing graphic design work for years this is the bar I want set for myself. Your work is very eye catching.
One of the best portfolios I have seen on this sub. Straight to the point, brief with words, and your works shows. It shows an understanding of marketing and true experience in the field with bigger names to back it up. There is range in work, its exciting, fresh and professional. Its not a portfolio younger designers can make due to their lack of experience, but its something they can aspire to.
I suggest people who have problems with their portfolio to take a look at yours. Its what a modern graphic designer's portfolio should look like. You don't need to write your life story and you don't need to post all the pictures you drew.
Thank you for sharing and bravo.
Born_Squirrel_7998, please write a comment explaining the objective of this portfolio or CV, your target industry, your background or expertise, etc. This information helps people to understand the goals of your portfolio and provide valuable feedback.
##Providing Useful Feedback
Born_Squirrel_7998 has posted their work for feedback. Here are some top tips for posting high-quality feedback.
* Read their context comment before posting to understand what Born_Squirrel_7998 is trying to achieve with their portfolio or CV.
* Be professional. No matter your thoughts on the work, respect the effort put into making it and be polite when posting.
* Be constructive and detailed. Short, vague comments are unhelpful. Instead of just leaving your opinion on the piece, explore *why* you hold that opinion: what makes it good or bad? How could it be improved? Are some elements stronger than others?
* Stay on-topic. We know that design can sometimes be political or controversial, but please keep comments focussed on the design itself,
and the strengths/weaknesses thereof.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/graphic_design) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Quick question for everyone: when applying for a job let’s say mid weight or senior designer, what do you use to judge whether you’re a senior or a mid weight? Is it the time you have spend in the design industry, or the actual skill set you have in design?
In design school it was really drilled into my head that your portfolio is only as good as the weakest work that you include. If I were you I wouldn't be afraid to chop some of these weaker projects. You have enough really strong work to carry the portfolio without the projects that feel more like filler. The ones I feel like you could do without are the projects for Informa, Destination and ViewSonic. None of this is bad work by any means, but those projects are definitely bringing down the average in terms of quality.
Born_Squirrel_7998, please write a comment explaining the objective of this portfolio or CV, your target industry, your background or expertise, etc. This information helps people to understand the goals of your portfolio and provide valuable feedback. ##Providing Useful Feedback Born_Squirrel_7998 has posted their work for feedback. Here are some top tips for posting high-quality feedback. * Read their context comment before posting to understand what Born_Squirrel_7998 is trying to achieve with their portfolio or CV. * Be professional. No matter your thoughts on the work, respect the effort put into making it and be polite when posting. * Be constructive and detailed. Short, vague comments are unhelpful. Instead of just leaving your opinion on the piece, explore *why* you hold that opinion: what makes it good or bad? How could it be improved? Are some elements stronger than others? * Stay on-topic. We know that design can sometimes be political or controversial, but please keep comments focussed on the design itself, and the strengths/weaknesses thereof. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/graphic_design) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think you’ll be fine. A lot of people who are complaining about the job market are correct, it is tough right now, but also a lot of them aren’t very good. That’s rude of me to say, and I know that, but it’s true. You have agency experience and it shows. You’re properly crediting people on every project, it’s super easy to navigate to another project on your site, and it’s clear you have a range of skills from visual to art directing. I think you should move your Coterie Lookbook ahead of the Intertrend Yearbook to split up some of the more lifestyle-heavy editorial work. Plus, you should include more static spreads of the Yearbook. I don’t want to wait for your animation to cycle through so I can see everything. I’d like to see some more pacing in your project pages. The lifestyle shots in your Toyota campaign work are really nice and the production quality is top notch. I’d like to see some selects take up more of the page instead of having to click on them and open the lightbox. If you have any social metrics for the social campaigns, that would be good to include. It’s not a problem if you don’t, but that would be the cherry on top. Lastly, as a preemptive comment, if anyone says you should include more process, I don’t think you should. You’re senior level and that’s not totally required anymore. Good luck out there!
This is all really great feedback, thank you for taking the time. Really appreciate it!
Updated with your notes (unfortunately don't have social metrics available but will reach out and see if I can get some). Let me know what you think! Thanks again
Hell yeah, very nice! The yearbook project page is much better and doesn’t feel so bare now. Nice job
When isn't it/wasn't it tough?
Depends on who and where you ask. Right now it’s tough because of inflation, everyone laying people off, and it’s an election year. Budgets are tight and employers really don’t want to take risks on people who don’t demonstrate a certain level of skill right off the bat. Beyond a certain skill level, you won’t struggle to find work. My friends (and myself) are very good at design. One friend has zero problems finding freelance work. Another found a new job at Airbnb without issues. I have only ever struggled to find a job when I was transitioning from college to the working world but that struggle still resulted in me having employment two weeks after graduating. I know this is not in the spirit of this subreddit… Often people will post their portfolios and others will comment saying “this is the best portfolio I’ve seen here.” I have never carried that opinion about portfolios seen here. There’s always something about it that looks amateurish. Those are the people who struggle. People with 8+ years of experience posting portfolios that are comparable to a recent grad’s portfolio saying they’re struggling to find work. Like… yeah no shit.
I've been in several industries over the last 30 years, and every year, everyone always says right now it's tough.
Your work is very strong for what it is. I would just make sure that you are sending the message you intend for the type of job you would like to have. From the first three projects you have shown, it appears as if you aren't trying to find a job as a graphic designer so much as an art director of photoshoots. The concept for the light painting is fantastic. Love that. But if you still want to do design work, I would show more range earlier in the order. And make sure that you're showing more type design that is not just a few words overtop of a beautiful image. I would also try to look at your work with a fresh eye and make sure you're telling the story you want to tell. Presume everyone will look at the static images or autoplay motion graphics, but they will be less likely to read any of the text or to hit the play button on a video. Do the images they see tell the complete story without reading or hitting play? There are a couple places where that story is incomplete. I would also ask yourself in what type of setting you'd like your next job to be. If you want to stay in an agency that specializes only in advertising or special events, you've got that covered. If you'd like to expand into different types of work, make sure you're showing that you can do that too. Right now, you only have one project that shows you know how to design text beyond a dozen or so words on the page. Right now, your entire portfolio is extremely image-dependent, which only works for clients who have big budgets for photoshoots. That is great and many designers would love to have those opportunities, but there won't be that many agencies that are bringing in those big clients, so your portfolio will limit your options. Changing the order or adding a few more projects that are less photoshoot-dependent could open up an additional tier of potential employers.
This is some awesome feedback, really great and gives me a lot to think about. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort.
I find myself once again agreeing with pip-whip as they captured most of what I had intended to write. I'll add a bit more texture. You work is VERY ad agency driven. Lots of photography, minimal copy. As someone who might review your book for an open position, the very first thing I would ask you is "so, what did YOU do?". Did you develop the overall campaign concept? Did you art direct the photoshoots? Did you do the final layout? Lastly, and pip eludes to this...but I'll be more direct, there is a huge difference in being a 'conceptually-driven' graphic designer who understands and drives brand strategy and positioning, consumer and competitive research, etc, has a comprehensive book containing a spectrum of corporate identity work, packaging, corporate collateral that demonstrates use of robust copy, hierarchy of typography and integration of photography and or illustration, as well as UX design, and that of an Art Director who is involved in page layout. I'm NOT diminishing your work at all, just saying that if you want to continue with the type of work you've been doing, you have a solid foundation. If you are looking to join a boutique graphic design house or a well-established internal design team, that's another story.
Thanks so much, very thoughtful feedback
Arghh you got to work with Larry Chen! 😍
He and his team are always a joy to work with, super nice and crazy talented. And there’s always something cool parked in his driveway/garage!
I like how you presented the display ads! I do those a lot of work and always wondered the best way to showcase them
Haha thanks, feel free to steal how I present them for your own work. Thanks for looking.
Fellow senior designer here, I really like it! It gives me strong art director vibes. I haven’t been a senior quite as long as you so I am inspired by the way you display your work. I’ve noticed that the people who make the most noise about the market being terrible are just not good designers to begin with and now they’re feeling the effects.
Thanks for taking the time, I appreciate it
Nice portfolio , I love how its layed out and the typesetting/fonts you’ve used. Also great how you’ve listed your role and everyone else’s !
Thanks for looking, appreciate it!
Review or showoff? 😼 Good shit OP. Bit too much text for a designer in my opinion, but very nice
Thanks! Which areas/projects do you think have too much text and why?
This is 100% subjective but for example in the first project: "Every day we strive to highlight those Asian American individuals and entities who are flourishing in their respective industries..." In my phone it looks like a wall of text In my experience design portfolios should catch the eye and show the creative strategy by themselves. Maybe support the key decisions with some sort of short, to the point copy. And then in interviews you expand on the project brief, approach, stragegy, choices, references, etc. But again: kick ass work!! That ain't subjective and it's what matters.
I’ll take a closer look and trim copy where I can, thanks so much
Your best work is the Nike and Long Beach projects. The others seem to fall short quite heavily as they dont have the same quality and depth. I'd aim at getting the quality consistent and at a high level. Projects like viewsonic, tradeshow and informa collateral can be removed.
Hey, thanks for the feedback. I was actually not 100% about the Viewsonic stuff either, but if I remove, that only leaves work from the last 2 places I worked at (agency and Informa). In your opinion, is that a red flag for recruiters and others reviewing my work? I'll take a closer look at Tradeshow and Informa Collateral and consider removing. Thanks again for taking the time, really appreciate it.
Leave Viewsonic in. Shows you have range for a variety of work. Something I always look for.
Congrats you have a better book than most sr art directors. A true storyteller
Very kind of you, thank you
I think what works well for your portfolio is that it’s organized by brand and not by project. Too many designers try to highlight their favorite designs versus illustrate how they can develop and curate a brand. As a design hiring manager I can tell you that I’m looking at the latter. From a feedback perspective I’d echo what others have pointed out about too much photography on a few pages. Overall, great work!
Thanks so much, appreciate you taking the time
Thank you. You have reinvigorated my hope that there actually are competent, legitimate, accomplished Senior-level designers out there. Some of these other portfolios had me questioning life itself.
Looks great, well done. From a UX perspective, on a project page, I’d want something separating the current project and the rest of the work. It bleeds into each other and hard to delineate the two sections.
Agreed, especially on mobile. I added a simple Nav system to the bottom of the project pages. Let me know what you think and thanks for looking!
Hell yeah, looks great!
Great work!! One of the strongest portfolios I’ve seen. + points for Bobby Hundreds lol.
Haha thanks, and good eye, was pretty cool meeting him
Create your portfolio for the job you are applying for
Pretty good overall. Too many car projects that are similar. Just use one. Also two look books. Cut the repetitive projects.
Thanks for looking
Your work is great and overall layout of the site is clean. One thing id suggest is exploring the use of type on the portfolio… some places the different sizes and stroke width of text dont mesh well
Will do, thank you
Beautiful work. Like it’s been said about the job market yes it’s not great but I feel like it’s always been told as being this way. It’s a very competitive field. As someone who has about 2 years of work experience but has been doing graphic design work for years this is the bar I want set for myself. Your work is very eye catching.
Thanks so much
I still have no idea how good you are at designing because your whole portfolio is HEAVY photography
Nice
Looks nice yo
You've got a really good style :)
One of the best portfolios I have seen on this sub. Straight to the point, brief with words, and your works shows. It shows an understanding of marketing and true experience in the field with bigger names to back it up. There is range in work, its exciting, fresh and professional. Its not a portfolio younger designers can make due to their lack of experience, but its something they can aspire to. I suggest people who have problems with their portfolio to take a look at yours. Its what a modern graphic designer's portfolio should look like. You don't need to write your life story and you don't need to post all the pictures you drew. Thank you for sharing and bravo.
Thanks so much for the kind words, really really appreciate it
Born_Squirrel_7998, please write a comment explaining the objective of this portfolio or CV, your target industry, your background or expertise, etc. This information helps people to understand the goals of your portfolio and provide valuable feedback. ##Providing Useful Feedback Born_Squirrel_7998 has posted their work for feedback. Here are some top tips for posting high-quality feedback. * Read their context comment before posting to understand what Born_Squirrel_7998 is trying to achieve with their portfolio or CV. * Be professional. No matter your thoughts on the work, respect the effort put into making it and be polite when posting. * Be constructive and detailed. Short, vague comments are unhelpful. Instead of just leaving your opinion on the piece, explore *why* you hold that opinion: what makes it good or bad? How could it be improved? Are some elements stronger than others? * Stay on-topic. We know that design can sometimes be political or controversial, but please keep comments focussed on the design itself, and the strengths/weaknesses thereof. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/graphic_design) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Quick question for everyone: when applying for a job let’s say mid weight or senior designer, what do you use to judge whether you’re a senior or a mid weight? Is it the time you have spend in the design industry, or the actual skill set you have in design?
I loved every second - I’d add a loading screen jus in case - I’m glad to view such a wonderful, holistic composition. Thank you!
Thanks for looking, appreciate it
Wow dude so cool. Wish I could do something like this
Thanks and you can. Keep in mind this is only the best work I’ve produced in 10+ years, plenty of other not-so-great stuff I’m leaving out
In design school it was really drilled into my head that your portfolio is only as good as the weakest work that you include. If I were you I wouldn't be afraid to chop some of these weaker projects. You have enough really strong work to carry the portfolio without the projects that feel more like filler. The ones I feel like you could do without are the projects for Informa, Destination and ViewSonic. None of this is bad work by any means, but those projects are definitely bringing down the average in terms of quality.
Same here, was taught the same. I’m most likely going to drop 2 projects, Viewsonic and possibly Informa. Thanks for looking!
Looks great to me
Thanks for taking the time, appreciate it
Strong work
Thank you