That's one solution. = ) If you do keep it, maybe consider making it the same weight as the vertical one on the left. I got rushed posting and forgot to mention how noticable the difference between them is.
Yeah you definitely do not need the lines. They are just extra crap.
The biggest problem to me is that the pics still appear to be floating, or poised, randomly. Scattered oddly. Their arrangement isn't compelling. Can't come up with better advice than this critique at the moment as i am exhausted. will come back to this later
I haven't gotten around to changing the layout of the pics yet... Give me some time.
I acquired InDesign today, and I've begun playing around with it.... What's the best way to import an AutoCAD drawing such as a floor plan or elevation, while preserving proper lineweights? Do I have to convert it to another file type first?
make a new printer with the plotter manager; set it to plot to file instead of to a port ( i think it is the 3rd or 4th option in the sequence the wizard takes you through), and print as normally with that selected. it will automatically export as eps file to wherever you want to save and in-design can link to that.
If pslevel 1 doesn't come out with the right lineweights, try level 2 or 3. Sometimes different computers work better with the different levels. Level 1 always worked for me, but my bf's computer generated absolute crap at level 1, and worked perfectly at level 2.
also, depending upon the version of InDesign you can just open the CAD file directly...
if you already have a PDF printer set up, you can just print to PDF and open that in InDesign... basically the same as the EPS process...
and since i haven't chimed in yet... lose the background images even if they are much lighter in the printed version... its just extra stuff that you don't need, like the piece on your model that you prof rips off during your crit... white space is a good thing if you do it correctly...
Now that my fall classes are over, I've finally had a chance to made significant progress on my portfolio in response to many of the comments above, so I thought I'd resurrect this thread. Here it is:
This is still a work in progress, so if you see a large blank area, you can assume I have some content in mind for that space... I just have to create it first. There's also an entire project that I need to create some content for.
The biggest changes:
- I've added much more in the way of process sketches, especially for the academic projects. I still need to create a few sketches for the Villanova Monastery and the Grand Avenue Mall (hence, this big blank spaces mentioned above).
- I've eliminated the backgrounds on most, but not all, of the pages. I've retained them on the pages containing mostly text, and on particular projects where the background image is of sufficiently good quality and directly relevant to the project.
- I've also changed the order of the projects around a bit: Putting academic work first, and arranging things so that the portfolio starts and ends with what I consider particularly strong projects.
Check it out and let me know what you think... I'm hoping to have a reasonably complete version ready for when I visit Columbia and Cornell next week.
LIG, your portfolio has gotten BOUNDS BOUNDS BOUNDS better! Wow! This thread should be archived as proof that Archinect is not just a time-mover while people are at work, and it really does help!
<<Can anyone tell me why people use table of contents and numbers in portfolios? I see this all the time but have never done it. Is it necessary? It feels like a technical manual this way, not an expression of work. A graphic designer wouldn't do this for their portfolio, I think its distracting.>>
Oh, yes, she would. Or, does. ;)
Depending upon the length and the situation. I think it can be helpful, in case people want to quickly refer to a certain project. Also, it's good to give a sense, all on one page, if the portfolio is divided into different categories (for example architectural designs/drawings/photography/furniture design... or professional work vs. personal work). Pagination could be a good idea if it is subtle - and it can be - do the page numbers distract you when you read a novel? School presenters mentioned that the portfolios will be handled a lot (the ones that merit repeated glances, anyway), so if a page is ripped it would be good to know where to put it again. The way your table of contents is, LIG, it is not obtrusive so I think it should stay.
On your CV/resume 2nd page it doesn't make sense to me why that scan of the award you received is larger than the press clippings, when there is more content in the pages from the magazine. I'm also not sure that you need images of these things at all, when listing them would probably be enough.
The "personal interests" section can go, too. It can be inferred from the content of your portfolio, especially your volunteer activities just above, that you are interested in architecture, environment, social justice, religious things, etc. and it just feels like, "why is that there?"
Ok, other than that, I see only improvements! I haven't looked too closely, but I do think your new use of overlays and sketching livens up the portfolio immensely. It is simultaneously more lively/active, and more elegant, and easier to read, which is a great accomplishment.
get rid of the red line or move it over to the left alot...it's distracting..... crop and filter the physical model pics to blend it a bit.... make a black background for them...or a grey scheme......
i was also distracted by the various pics of places and not the work..... we all know what a library is/etc.......
i would print it out then go over some areas with a sharpie just to give it some character...it's seems flat to me........ use some color pencils/etc..... give it some life.....
agree with susan about cv. i like the title pages best cuz very clear and simple. find the other pages still a bit busy for me...but that is just a taste thing. nice to see the improvement.
great improvement...
watch the pictures that are in the binding. make sure the binding does not make the images difficult to read. just watch what and where you cut.
I don't mind the idea of the red line, but I don't think it's being used effectively. If it's supposed to be a datum, why is it only on about half the pages? Rhetorical, I know the answer- because it gets in the way. Maybe thing about it this way; [i]it doesn't always have to be in front[i]. If it was always there, but sometimes ducked behind a drawing or photo, what would happen? I think it would result in an even further improved hierarchy and deeper layering.
On typical project pages, the red line appears on the left-hand side of each two-page spread. (Make sure your View setting on Acrobat is set to "Continous - Facing".) Hence, that's why it's only on half the pages.
Thanks for your suggestion of having it duck behind drawings or photos... There's a few spots where that would be a nice effect.
ahhhhh, now that makes more sense! When I viewed it, I was seeing one page at a time. I'll be sure to go back and look at it with 'facing pages' when I get a chance.
Page 13: I would somehow alter the middle image at the bottom (the one with the cars) so that the grass contrasts more with the grass of the background image. You are losing the hard line at the bottom of this one image.
it looks a whole freakin' lot better, LIG. nice job.
the background images work for me...
i don't mind the red line.
the cv is given a bit too much importance imo.
<non-portfolio tangent>
that's cool that you worked on the CORE project at P+W. It's a nice project. I work for one of P+W's healthcare competitors (in the Southeast). During the early schematic development of our current project I gathered a bunch of imagery of contemporary healthcare facilities (in order to aid our discussion regarding architectural language etc) and the CORE ctr. was among them. Well executed (judging from the images)...
</tangent>
-first & last spread are filler - that info on the first spread can easily fit on the cover. no offense intended, the photos are rather... hmm how to be nice? predictable. brooklyn bridge and the brownstones don't show your creativity or intellegence like the other pages (or your contributions to the 'nect).
-loose the thumbnail pics of the 'awards' on you cv. it's okay to have white space.
-that said, vary the ghosting of the bg images, on the pages with lots of text (like the CV), should be lighter. maybe their color (think subtle duotone) can denotate the section. ie academic=blue, professional=yellow, personal=green - the key is finding the right color combos (and let the index reflect that scheme).
-full bleed/cross pages is good to a point. on the 'abbey' project, keep the small images on the right page.
-the bottom photo strip gets real static after 6 pages. have it bounce around the page some more, vary the size of the images or anything to keep it from being predictable. that said the villanove layout rocks- change the others.
-loose the bg image on the cover page (especially if it's not your own image)
- the grand avenue project is the weakest link. think about saving money/time and leave it out - a slightly shorter book will be better.
-re: AIA/FAIA credits- fuggetaboudit. professors don't care and this makes you look like a lackey for washington.
maybe the cv lives at the end of the book, but there really is no need to include it with the portfolio, since the admissions folks are expecting it as a seperate item with the essays et al.
I like the two page per project format (mine was like that). keeps it easy on the view to figure out when you start a new project and keeps them from being confused...
I'll try ditching the backgrounds on the cover, contents, etc and see how it looks. (btw, all the photos were taken by me, including the cover background.)
About the Grand Avenue project: I'll admit it's not my favorite project, either. That said, I like to be able to show some built work other than just the Villanova project, and I'm not sure I want any fewer than nine projects. I'll have to dig around and see if there's something else worth putting in, but nothing pops to mind offhand.
Question: I have some photos of various study models I built while at Perkins + Will... Would those be better for the portfolio than the Grand Avenue project? If this were a portfolio for a job search, employers would be interested in seeing more built work, but for academia I'm wondering if the models would be more appropriate.
I have a few other built projects documented, but sadly, none of them are as good as the glassy pavilion on the Grand Avenue mall.
LiG- don't worry 'bout having only 7 or 8 projects. that's more then most people with no architecture bg have. less is often more in a folio. be ruthless in cutting projects that aren't up to par - like the grand ave project.
As to the study models, try them out and then think about it for a few days. For grad school, you want to show them how you think, not how you can work.
have you seen ClemsonDB's folio. worth checking out.
In that case, I'll probably nix the Grand Avenue project, as well as the blank mystery personal project (I don't really have much to show for it, anyway).
I've incorporated many of the comments above, as well as some comments from my co-workers... The biggest tasks remaining would then be to touch up some of the photos in Photoshop and to create some better renderings for the Abbey Church project (shaded with a nice image outside the windows, rather than just the wireframe model).
- Getting rid of the backgrounds on the cover page, contents, etc and the red baseline throughout the book
- Re-arranging the order of the projects back to the way it was before, so that it starts with Villanova and ends with the Abbey Church, which I feel are the two strongest projects.
- I added an additional spread for the Villanova and Abbey Church projects with additional images.
I'm hoping this is pretty much it for major changes, and that any additional modifications will be minor tweaks.
Pretty good improvements. I think you struck a better balance showing off various skills. My one suggestion is you lose the CV in the beginning; after the contents, go straight to the work, i.e., cover, back cover, contents and then work. Good luck!
You may want to lose the CORE Center project. Also, I know you wrote what you did for the first project, but do you really show it? Considering that it's your first project and takes up four pages, all you show of your work are the two sketches.
I'd still advocate for eliminating the second spreads for both the Villanova and Chaple. There are lots of redundant pictures/diagrams for both that can happily be chopped and swoped with the second page's stuff.
One thought, you may face an uphill battle getting respect for the ecclesiastic focus of your work. Don't dispair, just tough it out. At Penn a few years ago, there was an arch student from boston whose prior career was 'cahvin gothic church pews' (said with the thickest southie accent possible). not sure that he got any respect for his handcrafts or his strong beliefs worn on his sleave. Most arch programs are very, very agnostic and avoid religion as much as possible outside of arch history- but you knew that.
I've incorportated some (but not all) of the comments above. Most of the changes involve the Villanova and Abbey Church projects, particularly the second spread on each. I've retained the second spreads, but I've added some more "process" stuff and eliminated some redundant images.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with how it looks, and I'm ready to put a fork in this until after I get back from my trip. Time to get some rest and enjoy my time off from work.
Regarding the ecclesiastical focus of my work: It's true that I have a strong interest in sacred architecture and my portfolio is heavily slanted in that direction, although somewhat coincientally. It just so happens that the projects I've been able to best develop so far have been religious in nature, but I also have a strong interest in residential, hospitality, and transportation design. Unfortunately, I haven't had as many opportunities to work on those types of projects yet, either in school or professionally.
And although I make no secret of being an Episcopalian and I've been active in church activities at various times, my own personal beliefs lean somewhat towards the agnostic end of the spectrum myself. There's a lot of Christian theology I have a hard time swallowing, and the behavior of some obstensible Christians makes me ashamed to even share the same religion as them. But I figure as long as I don't go around thumping Bible verses or trying to convert people, my personal religious beliefs shouldn't have any bearing on how respected I am in architecture school. The fact that I don't have an obnoxious South Boston accent should help, too. :)
I forgot to add: Thanks to everybody who has contributed on this thread so far, even if you offered suggestions that I chose not to follow. You guys have really pushed me to make this thing the best it can be. If I get accepted into any of my top-choice programs, I'll have you all to thank (and blame!) for it.
I wasn't really planning a specific type of case... Just to have the front and back covers laminated, and to send them in padded envelopes, maybe with a stiff piece of cardboard to keep them from being bent in the mail.
Is it typical to have some sort of case or enclosure?
As indicated at the top of this thread, these are for grad school applications and will be mailed. (I'll probably send them via FedEx, actually, which will send me an e-mail confirmation when they've been delivered.) However, I have a meeting at Cornell on Tuesday and wanted to have one to bring with me. It may or may not be the final version that I send to them, though.
i have been told by many to do just the opposite, no case, no fancy binding, no overly complex booklet or gimmicks...just a clean presentation so that the work speaks clearly.
it all depends on your "style" of work i guess...... i have friends that have a typical black port binding case and layouts... but they all do office type work....... on the other hand, i more of a shop/construction/detail guy that focuses on details...... 85% of my work is made by myself.........i am more towards the ID of things and like dealing with human scaled projects..... furniture/etc.....
it all matters where your strengths are...........
<<One thought, you may face an uphill battle getting respect for the ecclesiastic focus of your work. Don't dispair, just tough it out. At Penn a few years ago, there was an arch student from boston whose prior career was 'cahvin gothic church pews' (said with the thickest southie accent possible). not sure that he got any respect for his handcrafts or his strong beliefs worn on his sleave. Most arch programs are very, very agnostic and avoid religion as much as possible outside of arch history- but you knew that.>>
This is a bit off topic from helping LIG with his portfolio, but is this really true? I am not remotely religious but have a great interest in sacred architecture, as it's provided some of the greatest opportunities for building, plus a lot of other deeper issues regarding spirituality, communal space, etc. I didn't think that Living In Gin's portfolio was even remotely bible-thumpy or that it was at all odd, or anything but respectable, that he's got ecclesiastical projects. It would be really sad if that is a disadvantage.
237amdotcom - do remember that this is a portfolio for application to graduate school. It is not for a job search (well, who am I to say what LIG may use it for in the future, but that isn't why he's posting here for advice).
I agree with jasoncross. Most of the schools I've visited (which were top 10/Ivy) have stated very, very explicitly that they do not want fancy cases. They prefer plain and simple portfolios without gimmicky or ostentatious casings and covers: "Show us work that stands on its own. Don't disappoint us by making a fancy, expensive, complex case that the work and the rest of the design don't live up to. Definitely don't send us anything heavy or with sharp edges in a hard material that will cut a faculty member." If LIG followed your advice it could do him a great disservice.
I'm coming in a bit late here, but I agree with the comments about the background images. They are waaaaaay too distracting and are damaging the quality of your drawings. Also, I have always felt that fading an image behind as a full bleed reads as somewhat amateur. I would also not invest time in a case for presentation unless you are the one operating it.
All in all, the work is good, but the presentation is hurting it a bit.
posting my current portfolio status as well for feedback. Any comments are appreciated, thanks in advance. (double posting so that people hopefully don't overlook the thread they have already looked at and actually take a glimpse, so I can get feedback - thanks peeps.)
My portfolio! Look at it!
I'm probably going to eliminate the keyline altogether, but keep the thin red vertical line on the left.
That's one solution. = ) If you do keep it, maybe consider making it the same weight as the vertical one on the left. I got rushed posting and forgot to mention how noticable the difference between them is.
Yeah you definitely do not need the lines. They are just extra crap.
The biggest problem to me is that the pics still appear to be floating, or poised, randomly. Scattered oddly. Their arrangement isn't compelling. Can't come up with better advice than this critique at the moment as i am exhausted. will come back to this later
I haven't gotten around to changing the layout of the pics yet... Give me some time.
I acquired InDesign today, and I've begun playing around with it.... What's the best way to import an AutoCAD drawing such as a floor plan or elevation, while preserving proper lineweights? Do I have to convert it to another file type first?
make a new printer with the plotter manager; set it to plot to file instead of to a port ( i think it is the 3rd or 4th option in the sequence the wizard takes you through), and print as normally with that selected. it will automatically export as eps file to wherever you want to save and in-design can link to that.
lovely lovely software, in-design.
you need to make sure that the plotter is a postcript plotter (pslevel 1plus works great), otherwise you'll get .plt files
If pslevel 1 doesn't come out with the right lineweights, try level 2 or 3. Sometimes different computers work better with the different levels. Level 1 always worked for me, but my bf's computer generated absolute crap at level 1, and worked perfectly at level 2.
Noted... Thanks
also, depending upon the version of InDesign you can just open the CAD file directly...
if you already have a PDF printer set up, you can just print to PDF and open that in InDesign... basically the same as the EPS process...
and since i haven't chimed in yet... lose the background images even if they are much lighter in the printed version... its just extra stuff that you don't need, like the piece on your model that you prof rips off during your crit... white space is a good thing if you do it correctly...
Funny you should mention that hideous door and light fixture on the Villanova project... There was once a whole thread based on those things.
*bump*
Now that my fall classes are over, I've finally had a chance to made significant progress on my portfolio in response to many of the comments above, so I thought I'd resurrect this thread. Here it is:
Portfolio V2.0 (PDF format, 7.1 MB)
This is still a work in progress, so if you see a large blank area, you can assume I have some content in mind for that space... I just have to create it first. There's also an entire project that I need to create some content for.
The biggest changes:
- I've added much more in the way of process sketches, especially for the academic projects. I still need to create a few sketches for the Villanova Monastery and the Grand Avenue Mall (hence, this big blank spaces mentioned above).
- I've eliminated the backgrounds on most, but not all, of the pages. I've retained them on the pages containing mostly text, and on particular projects where the background image is of sufficiently good quality and directly relevant to the project.
- I've also changed the order of the projects around a bit: Putting academic work first, and arranging things so that the portfolio starts and ends with what I consider particularly strong projects.
Check it out and let me know what you think... I'm hoping to have a reasonably complete version ready for when I visit Columbia and Cornell next week.
Thanks in advance...
I had an opportunity to glance at your portfolio – Wow LIG! Awesome progress…
ooooooooops Dude...
Its 'curriculum', not cirriculum, as you typoed.
Take care of these small things , they can screw ur entire effort up.
Oh, shit... Good catch. Should be fixed now.
Moral of the story: Never underestimate the value of having other people check your work.
LIG, your portfolio has gotten BOUNDS BOUNDS BOUNDS better! Wow! This thread should be archived as proof that Archinect is not just a time-mover while people are at work, and it really does help!
<<Can anyone tell me why people use table of contents and numbers in portfolios? I see this all the time but have never done it. Is it necessary? It feels like a technical manual this way, not an expression of work. A graphic designer wouldn't do this for their portfolio, I think its distracting.>>
Oh, yes, she would. Or, does. ;)
Depending upon the length and the situation. I think it can be helpful, in case people want to quickly refer to a certain project. Also, it's good to give a sense, all on one page, if the portfolio is divided into different categories (for example architectural designs/drawings/photography/furniture design... or professional work vs. personal work). Pagination could be a good idea if it is subtle - and it can be - do the page numbers distract you when you read a novel? School presenters mentioned that the portfolios will be handled a lot (the ones that merit repeated glances, anyway), so if a page is ripped it would be good to know where to put it again. The way your table of contents is, LIG, it is not obtrusive so I think it should stay.
On your CV/resume 2nd page it doesn't make sense to me why that scan of the award you received is larger than the press clippings, when there is more content in the pages from the magazine. I'm also not sure that you need images of these things at all, when listing them would probably be enough.
The "personal interests" section can go, too. It can be inferred from the content of your portfolio, especially your volunteer activities just above, that you are interested in architecture, environment, social justice, religious things, etc. and it just feels like, "why is that there?"
Ok, other than that, I see only improvements! I haven't looked too closely, but I do think your new use of overlays and sketching livens up the portfolio immensely. It is simultaneously more lively/active, and more elegant, and easier to read, which is a great accomplishment.
get rid of the red line or move it over to the left alot...it's distracting..... crop and filter the physical model pics to blend it a bit.... make a black background for them...or a grey scheme......
i was also distracted by the various pics of places and not the work..... we all know what a library is/etc.......
i would print it out then go over some areas with a sharpie just to give it some character...it's seems flat to me........ use some color pencils/etc..... give it some life.....
just my $2.37
2:37am
wow...much improved LIG, man.
agree with susan about cv. i like the title pages best cuz very clear and simple. find the other pages still a bit busy for me...but that is just a taste thing. nice to see the improvement.
great improvement...
watch the pictures that are in the binding. make sure the binding does not make the images difficult to read. just watch what and where you cut.
I don't mind the idea of the red line, but I don't think it's being used effectively. If it's supposed to be a datum, why is it only on about half the pages? Rhetorical, I know the answer- because it gets in the way. Maybe thing about it this way; [i]it doesn't always have to be in front[i]. If it was always there, but sometimes ducked behind a drawing or photo, what would happen? I think it would result in an even further improved hierarchy and deeper layering.
On typical project pages, the red line appears on the left-hand side of each two-page spread. (Make sure your View setting on Acrobat is set to "Continous - Facing".) Hence, that's why it's only on half the pages.
Thanks for your suggestion of having it duck behind drawings or photos... There's a few spots where that would be a nice effect.
ahhhhh, now that makes more sense! When I viewed it, I was seeing one page at a time. I'll be sure to go back and look at it with 'facing pages' when I get a chance.
Quick comment:
Page 13: I would somehow alter the middle image at the bottom (the one with the cars) so that the grass contrasts more with the grass of the background image. You are losing the hard line at the bottom of this one image.
ya, i had the same thought, tyvek.
it looks a whole freakin' lot better, LIG. nice job.
the background images work for me...
i don't mind the red line.
the cv is given a bit too much importance imo.
<non-portfolio tangent>
that's cool that you worked on the CORE project at P+W. It's a nice project. I work for one of P+W's healthcare competitors (in the Southeast). During the early schematic development of our current project I gathered a bunch of imagery of contemporary healthcare facilities (in order to aid our discussion regarding architectural language etc) and the CORE ctr. was among them. Well executed (judging from the images)...
</tangent>
Gin- 10x better then the first round - yeay!
a few quick notes that may be redundant:
-first & last spread are filler - that info on the first spread can easily fit on the cover. no offense intended, the photos are rather... hmm how to be nice? predictable. brooklyn bridge and the brownstones don't show your creativity or intellegence like the other pages (or your contributions to the 'nect).
-loose the thumbnail pics of the 'awards' on you cv. it's okay to have white space.
-that said, vary the ghosting of the bg images, on the pages with lots of text (like the CV), should be lighter. maybe their color (think subtle duotone) can denotate the section. ie academic=blue, professional=yellow, personal=green - the key is finding the right color combos (and let the index reflect that scheme).
-full bleed/cross pages is good to a point. on the 'abbey' project, keep the small images on the right page.
-the bottom photo strip gets real static after 6 pages. have it bounce around the page some more, vary the size of the images or anything to keep it from being predictable. that said the villanove layout rocks- change the others.
-loose the bg image on the cover page (especially if it's not your own image)
- the grand avenue project is the weakest link. think about saving money/time and leave it out - a slightly shorter book will be better.
-re: AIA/FAIA credits- fuggetaboudit. professors don't care and this makes you look like a lackey for washington.
maybe the cv lives at the end of the book, but there really is no need to include it with the portfolio, since the admissions folks are expecting it as a seperate item with the essays et al.
I like the two page per project format (mine was like that). keeps it easy on the view to figure out when you start a new project and keeps them from being confused...
Thanks for the helpful info, as always...
I'll try ditching the backgrounds on the cover, contents, etc and see how it looks. (btw, all the photos were taken by me, including the cover background.)
About the Grand Avenue project: I'll admit it's not my favorite project, either. That said, I like to be able to show some built work other than just the Villanova project, and I'm not sure I want any fewer than nine projects. I'll have to dig around and see if there's something else worth putting in, but nothing pops to mind offhand.
Question: I have some photos of various study models I built while at Perkins + Will... Would those be better for the portfolio than the Grand Avenue project? If this were a portfolio for a job search, employers would be interested in seeing more built work, but for academia I'm wondering if the models would be more appropriate.
I have a few other built projects documented, but sadly, none of them are as good as the glassy pavilion on the Grand Avenue mall.
LiG- don't worry 'bout having only 7 or 8 projects. that's more then most people with no architecture bg have. less is often more in a folio. be ruthless in cutting projects that aren't up to par - like the grand ave project.
As to the study models, try them out and then think about it for a few days. For grad school, you want to show them how you think, not how you can work.
have you seen ClemsonDB's folio. worth checking out.
In that case, I'll probably nix the Grand Avenue project, as well as the blank mystery personal project (I don't really have much to show for it, anyway).
I've incorporated many of the comments above, as well as some comments from my co-workers... The biggest tasks remaining would then be to touch up some of the photos in Photoshop and to create some better renderings for the Abbey Church project (shaded with a nice image outside the windows, rather than just the wireframe model).
And yeah, I saw ClemsonDB's portfolio.... Intimidating as hell, considering he's applying to two of the same schools I am!
Okay, here's the latest revisions:
Portfolio v2.1 (PDF, 7.1 MB)
Changes include:
- Getting rid of the backgrounds on the cover page, contents, etc and the red baseline throughout the book
- Re-arranging the order of the projects back to the way it was before, so that it starts with Villanova and ends with the Abbey Church, which I feel are the two strongest projects.
- I added an additional spread for the Villanova and Abbey Church projects with additional images.
I'm hoping this is pretty much it for major changes, and that any additional modifications will be minor tweaks.
Fire away...
Pretty good improvements. I think you struck a better balance showing off various skills. My one suggestion is you lose the CV in the beginning; after the contents, go straight to the work, i.e., cover, back cover, contents and then work. Good luck!
You may want to lose the CORE Center project. Also, I know you wrote what you did for the first project, but do you really show it? Considering that it's your first project and takes up four pages, all you show of your work are the two sketches.
LiG- you're getting real close, good work!
I'd still advocate for eliminating the second spreads for both the Villanova and Chaple. There are lots of redundant pictures/diagrams for both that can happily be chopped and swoped with the second page's stuff.
One thought, you may face an uphill battle getting respect for the ecclesiastic focus of your work. Don't dispair, just tough it out. At Penn a few years ago, there was an arch student from boston whose prior career was 'cahvin gothic church pews' (said with the thickest southie accent possible). not sure that he got any respect for his handcrafts or his strong beliefs worn on his sleave. Most arch programs are very, very agnostic and avoid religion as much as possible outside of arch history- but you knew that.
oh- choose one of the interior renderings of the abbey church and place it where the sketched plan sits.
Alrighty, here it is: Portfolio v2.2
I've incorportated some (but not all) of the comments above. Most of the changes involve the Villanova and Abbey Church projects, particularly the second spread on each. I've retained the second spreads, but I've added some more "process" stuff and eliminated some redundant images.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with how it looks, and I'm ready to put a fork in this until after I get back from my trip. Time to get some rest and enjoy my time off from work.
Regarding the ecclesiastical focus of my work: It's true that I have a strong interest in sacred architecture and my portfolio is heavily slanted in that direction, although somewhat coincientally. It just so happens that the projects I've been able to best develop so far have been religious in nature, but I also have a strong interest in residential, hospitality, and transportation design. Unfortunately, I haven't had as many opportunities to work on those types of projects yet, either in school or professionally.
And although I make no secret of being an Episcopalian and I've been active in church activities at various times, my own personal beliefs lean somewhat towards the agnostic end of the spectrum myself. There's a lot of Christian theology I have a hard time swallowing, and the behavior of some obstensible Christians makes me ashamed to even share the same religion as them. But I figure as long as I don't go around thumping Bible verses or trying to convert people, my personal religious beliefs shouldn't have any bearing on how respected I am in architecture school. The fact that I don't have an obnoxious South Boston accent should help, too. :)
I forgot to add: Thanks to everybody who has contributed on this thread so far, even if you offered suggestions that I chose not to follow. You guys have really pushed me to make this thing the best it can be. If I get accepted into any of my top-choice programs, I'll have you all to thank (and blame!) for it.
aside from the portfolio... think about the case you might want to put it in.... i made a few over the years and each one had a "theme" to it...
www.237am.com in the products section........
i can give suggestions if needed to be..... materials/opening/etc...
2:37am
I wasn't really planning a specific type of case... Just to have the front and back covers laminated, and to send them in padded envelopes, maybe with a stiff piece of cardboard to keep them from being bent in the mail.
Is it typical to have some sort of case or enclosure?
no, it is not.
i didnt know you were mailing them out..........thought they were for interviews
if you mail, you fail, unless you make a phone call to complete the trail....
call the places you are sending them too before and after......
As indicated at the top of this thread, these are for grad school applications and will be mailed. (I'll probably send them via FedEx, actually, which will send me an e-mail confirmation when they've been delivered.) However, I have a meeting at Cornell on Tuesday and wanted to have one to bring with me. It may or may not be the final version that I send to them, though.
just because they receive them doesnt mean they looked at it.....
still follow up.....
so many people make cases for portfolios when applying to grad school? seems a little excessive.
237- you seem obsessed with cases and boxes. is there something we don't know about you that you want to share with the group?
like this?
yeah it's one of the worst movies ms. fenn made.
i have been told by many to do just the opposite, no case, no fancy binding, no overly complex booklet or gimmicks...just a clean presentation so that the work speaks clearly.
it all depends on your "style" of work i guess...... i have friends that have a typical black port binding case and layouts... but they all do office type work....... on the other hand, i more of a shop/construction/detail guy that focuses on details...... 85% of my work is made by myself.........i am more towards the ID of things and like dealing with human scaled projects..... furniture/etc.....
it all matters where your strengths are...........
to each their own
2:37am
Boxing Helena is one of the most disturbing movies I was forced to watch.
Just a hint, no one watch that movie!
<<One thought, you may face an uphill battle getting respect for the ecclesiastic focus of your work. Don't dispair, just tough it out. At Penn a few years ago, there was an arch student from boston whose prior career was 'cahvin gothic church pews' (said with the thickest southie accent possible). not sure that he got any respect for his handcrafts or his strong beliefs worn on his sleave. Most arch programs are very, very agnostic and avoid religion as much as possible outside of arch history- but you knew that.>>
This is a bit off topic from helping LIG with his portfolio, but is this really true? I am not remotely religious but have a great interest in sacred architecture, as it's provided some of the greatest opportunities for building, plus a lot of other deeper issues regarding spirituality, communal space, etc. I didn't think that Living In Gin's portfolio was even remotely bible-thumpy or that it was at all odd, or anything but respectable, that he's got ecclesiastical projects. It would be really sad if that is a disadvantage.
237amdotcom - do remember that this is a portfolio for application to graduate school. It is not for a job search (well, who am I to say what LIG may use it for in the future, but that isn't why he's posting here for advice).
I agree with jasoncross. Most of the schools I've visited (which were top 10/Ivy) have stated very, very explicitly that they do not want fancy cases. They prefer plain and simple portfolios without gimmicky or ostentatious casings and covers: "Show us work that stands on its own. Don't disappoint us by making a fancy, expensive, complex case that the work and the rest of the design don't live up to. Definitely don't send us anything heavy or with sharp edges in a hard material that will cut a faculty member." If LIG followed your advice it could do him a great disservice.
LIG,
I'm coming in a bit late here, but I agree with the comments about the background images. They are waaaaaay too distracting and are damaging the quality of your drawings. Also, I have always felt that fading an image behind as a full bleed reads as somewhat amateur. I would also not invest time in a case for presentation unless you are the one operating it.
All in all, the work is good, but the presentation is hurting it a bit.
Best of luck,
geland
posting my current portfolio status as well for feedback. Any comments are appreciated, thanks in advance. (double posting so that people hopefully don't overlook the thread they have already looked at and actually take a glimpse, so I can get feedback - thanks peeps.)
http://www.thepeculiarform.com/unm/GradSchool_11262006.pdf
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