One of the better design portfolios I've seen here on archinect to be honest...
You've got a good graphic sense and a clean layout that lets the work speak for itself.
However, I find you have such a consistency from project to project in terms of aesthetic style, that it's not entirely clear where one project begins and another ends. But really, that's somewhat of a good "problem" to have... Just that no single project really stands out to me and screams.

I hope that you fill the holder pages with nice physical models and some killer mixed-media work, as that's all that's really lacking. Your diagrams and schematics are nice, your cadwork / linedrawings are amongst the best I've seen on this site, and the renderings are certainly up to scratch. Just get a few models, collages, and drawings in there.

Nice work and best of luck!

it's too long.

Thanks IamGray!

Just to clarify, this isn't a portfolio for grad application, just an academic portfolio of my previous work. I am currently a 2nd year M.Arch student at UCLA.

very nice.
this is what an M.Arch portfolio should look like.
I like the hipsters that were rendered for the williamsburg project.

Agreed. A worthly portfolio documenting your academic work. Although from an employer’s point of view, you don’t really bring anything to the table.

Thanks, fade to blackoe. It's not easy to put your work up for public scrutiny and I'm glad the portfolio seem to be received well so far.

tuna, interesting that you pointed that out. Might I ask you to elaborate? I do admit one of my main concerns is that I lack actual "street" experience. Came straight to grad school after undergrad at the age of 20. Worked briefly at an art/architecture/installation firm in LA last summer but that was as close to a proper "internship" as I got.

And while we've done "technical" drawings in school, (case studies, details for our designs, etc) they didn't strike me as portfolio worthy.

I'll be applying for internships next summer, DS+R, OMA HK, etc, hopefully. Any thoughts on what to "bring to the table" except a condensed "work sample" version of this portfolio?

Tuna: Any less than any other portfolio of academic work though?

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it Adrian. You'll at least get an interview at OMA HK. Of that, I'm pretty confident. I know others might disagree, but I don't think the absence of some generic built projects hurts your portfolio in any way.
You're young and still haven't even completed your professional degree yet. Any potential employer will obviously judge you as such. And I'd say your work is better than most in the same position.

Check spelling on your 'about' page...I think you want 'prospective' not 'propestive'

I believe all schools are required to document student’s academic work so that they can maintain their accreditation, if they have a B.Arch and/or M.Arch program. Typically, it’s faster to create a portfolio that is worthy to submit to the school and still use to seek employment. Kill two birds with one stone, right? especially if one is short on time and can easily offset that time towards studio projects and whatnot. Some, not all, do take the time, especially if there’s an incentive like a scholarship or an award that comes out of it, and properly documents the development stages of the project. Why throw away months of research down the drain? Design and the creative process should be included in the academic package, don’t you think?

But an employer doesn’t care too much about your design process. The employer is a business. They need to know what you have to offer right. After viewing thousands of portfolio, they know what they’re looking for. If all you have are pretty renderings than that’s a talent on its own. If you can diagram process, than that’s another talent as well as generating proper drawings that clearly describes the project without be descriptive. If you can create drawings that speaks for itself, no matter what form, then kudos. I know I don’t expect people to generate a roof gutter in their projects but if the portfolio displays a level of technicality in their design, then they’re ahead of the game. It beats having to slap a couple of detail sheets and sections from existing projects they’ve work on from past employers and don’t really do anything expect that they've had work expedience.

IamGray, I hope you're right! Because I'm at such an early point in my "career" (compared to my classmates, even.) I really don't know what to expect. But thanks again for your positive feedback.

PencilPushed, oops that's embarrassing. There's probably a ton of typos to be fixed throughout the thing. Will do that on the next update.

tuna, you make a valid point and I appreciate your input. I agree that there needs to be a level of technicality to the work samples that perhaps the portfolio is lacking right now.

Nice. Good luck

I really like it. I'm sure it would kick ass as a real book. Not sure about the splash-page-double-entrance-pages... it elongates it and could maybe be reassembled into one or two.

After the hipster comment, the type and center align made me think of Cedertag publishing, the books that american apparel sells in-store.



The type also gives off a Veckatimest vibe... even before I saw their photo parked in the w-burg project.

Adrian, I apologize, I meant Yellow House. Haha.

the work/graphic layout looks great. i do think you have too many 'filler' pages though...the williamsburg project, for example, could be knocked down to 2 or 3 spreads. also, i think having a whole spread for the project intro, another for the assignment/brief and yet another whole spread for your concept is overkill...i'd consolidate into one text spread per project.

another thing is that you are describing each project in terms of your working process, but it would be more effective to give an overview first, so that the projects are understood immediately by the viewer. for wburg project, i'd put the site plan page first, then a couple of pages of renderings/diagrams, and that's it.

it is too long. (1st project is almost 30 pgs!) sorry to say but most people will get annoyed by this, since they are flipping through lots of portfolios. you risk losing their attention. nobody reads the text so keep it short, sweet, and graphic.

i wouldn't worry about those employers looking for technical expertise from students right out of school...you probably don't want to work for them anyway. although there seem to be a lot of them out there...

good luck.

alex08366, thank you!

architectum, funny you mentioned those references! Glad the vibe I was going for came across. Looks like I need to rethink the splash page intros.

elinor, thanks for your input. I agree the amount of "filler" pages might be a little excessive and is lengthening the book. But at the same time the reason I use splash page photographs/renderings is to set the mood for the project up front. I'll definitely rethink and work on consolidating the text/intro as well as regrouping the drawings so it gets a more effective overview right off the bat.