Hey guys, working on my portfolio. Would really like some feedback on it. Planning to have it finished within the week but would appreciate some criticism before going any farther.
I would say reduce the number of cross page drawings. Those could get tricky unless you know for sure the split between pages will be very clean and not get in the way of any information.
I like the white background with more white space... most portfolios are too heavy handed these days. Nice simple layout. Some suggestions:
-Rethink the font... it appears very heavy and stiff to me. Look for something a little thinner and more 'elegant,' if you will.
-I would completely redo your personal statement. Right now, it is very generic. One would assume that if you're creating a design portfolio, of course you're 'intrigued in the design process;' we all are right? Try to create a statement that shows your ability to think critically about design, not a statement that just indicates your interest in design.
-Not sure I'm sold on the front cover. Architecture programs (if that's what you're planning on using this for) tend to be VERY critical of photography, justified or not. It would probably be better to put a semi-obscure image of your studio work on the front instead. They really want to see work that shows your personality (just like the statement).
I think the font fits perfectly with your portfolio. Why do you repeat your experience under contents? Page 6 -7 seem too crowded. Your personal statement should have its own page really. Page 26-27, the "super cool container" seems to over-powereds your project. Also, why do you have a man bending down in your section? That man is kinda distracting in a way. Plus, shouldn't have a man standing up instead so people would have a sense of scale?
On some page, you blurred the entourages, some you didn't? Why? You should keep a consistency.
Agree about rewriting the personal statement - right now it sounds unsure and indecisive. I would get rid of the experience bars below your skills - architecture is too competitive for you to indicate that your abilities are less than perfect without being prompted. The work itself looks dull - too many dreary grey images taking up too much space, combined with blocks of text. There's not enough hierarchy.
Your writing is too wordy throughout the portfolio - get someone else to help you. One helpful exercise is to try cutting the length your large paragraphs in half. Maybe also try using more captions, short sentences and pop-out descriptions connected by lines and arrows. You clearly have potential and technical skill, but overall the portfolio looks kind of bland/dull and nothing pops out and grabs my attention. The renderings towards the back which show people actually using your buildings are stronger, and adding more people/other examples of use or function to the earlier projects might help them - right now they look sterile.
thanks a lot for the advice guys, i'm really appreciating all the comments thus far.
heyimnew the experience was repeated cuz it was just a block of text i had copied. i'm leaving the contents page for last. just need to find a proper direction first.
snail, thanks a lot for the advice, i had the same thoughts about the large bodies of text too, and yes the whole issue of hierarchy was bothering me, i been tweeking it to get the right amount of pop while still maintaining the minimal look i'm trying to achieve.
Dewayne, i will say that your folio is not bad, however in addition to the comments above, i still think that you still have more work to be done. And generally you should add more depth in the designs. For example, show the thinking process, like from the concept generation to the initial sketches etc. I also think the plans need more work. Anyway it all depends on what you want to do with the folio.
Just a small comment on the your personal statement - I think you should put your interest in Architectural design to the front as it would be an architecture job you are applying for, then followed by your other design interests.
Jun 21, 13 8:19 am ·
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Portfolio Draft
http://issuu.com/dewaynewebb/docs/dewayne_webb_portfolio_update?workerAddress=ec2-184-73-3-32.compute-1.amazonaws.com
Hey guys, working on my portfolio. Would really like some feedback on it. Planning to have it finished within the week but would appreciate some criticism before going any farther.
I would say reduce the number of cross page drawings. Those could get tricky unless you know for sure the split between pages will be very clean and not get in the way of any information.
I like the white background with more white space... most portfolios are too heavy handed these days. Nice simple layout. Some suggestions:
-Rethink the font... it appears very heavy and stiff to me. Look for something a little thinner and more 'elegant,' if you will.
-I would completely redo your personal statement. Right now, it is very generic. One would assume that if you're creating a design portfolio, of course you're 'intrigued in the design process;' we all are right? Try to create a statement that shows your ability to think critically about design, not a statement that just indicates your interest in design.
-Not sure I'm sold on the front cover. Architecture programs (if that's what you're planning on using this for) tend to be VERY critical of photography, justified or not. It would probably be better to put a semi-obscure image of your studio work on the front instead. They really want to see work that shows your personality (just like the statement).
Thanks a lot for the comments guys
I think the font fits perfectly with your portfolio. Why do you repeat your experience under contents? Page 6 -7 seem too crowded. Your personal statement should have its own page really. Page 26-27, the "super cool container" seems to over-powereds your project. Also, why do you have a man bending down in your section? That man is kinda distracting in a way. Plus, shouldn't have a man standing up instead so people would have a sense of scale?
On some page, you blurred the entourages, some you didn't? Why? You should keep a consistency.
Agree about rewriting the personal statement - right now it sounds unsure and indecisive. I would get rid of the experience bars below your skills - architecture is too competitive for you to indicate that your abilities are less than perfect without being prompted. The work itself looks dull - too many dreary grey images taking up too much space, combined with blocks of text. There's not enough hierarchy.
Your writing is too wordy throughout the portfolio - get someone else to help you. One helpful exercise is to try cutting the length your large paragraphs in half. Maybe also try using more captions, short sentences and pop-out descriptions connected by lines and arrows. You clearly have potential and technical skill, but overall the portfolio looks kind of bland/dull and nothing pops out and grabs my attention. The renderings towards the back which show people actually using your buildings are stronger, and adding more people/other examples of use or function to the earlier projects might help them - right now they look sterile.
thanks a lot for the advice guys, i'm really appreciating all the comments thus far.
heyimnew the experience was repeated cuz it was just a block of text i had copied. i'm leaving the contents page for last. just need to find a proper direction first.
snail, thanks a lot for the advice, i had the same thoughts about the large bodies of text too, and yes the whole issue of hierarchy was bothering me, i been tweeking it to get the right amount of pop while still maintaining the minimal look i'm trying to achieve.
Dewayne, i will say that your folio is not bad, however in addition to the comments above, i still think that you still have more work to be done. And generally you should add more depth in the designs. For example, show the thinking process, like from the concept generation to the initial sketches etc. I also think the plans need more work. Anyway it all depends on what you want to do with the folio.
macchilo, any tips on how i could go about enhancing the plans?
Just a small comment on the your personal statement - I think you should put your interest in Architectural design to the front as it would be an architecture job you are applying for, then followed by your other design interests.
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