Overall I like the portfolio especially the colors. I'm just not sure if the reversed writing on the second page is necessary and the 2 pages with the color border after that, maybe you can reduce those 2 pages to 1? Also on 8th and 9th pages one of the sketches are cut in half so they don't look very nice to the eye but you already know that you need to re-arrange the sketches so it is fine. Your photography work is very nice.

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I think your download lnik is broken. I can't download it.

ok here are my first reactions. i like the overall graphic approach. i think you should rearrange your project order though. the dogwood and the yew bed are your most architectural projects, and they're most exciting to look at. dogwood is exploring space and light, and the bed shows craft and interesting tectonics. i also think its great that you threw in some ortho drawings. check the font on the dogwood title page, its sticking out, very different vibe than the rest of your cover pages. (though perhaps this is intentional?)

that being said, im not really excited about your sketches, which is why i dont think they should be the leading projects in your portfolio. im not sure where you are applying, but generally it seems that schools are not as interested in drawings of other designers work then they are in drawings of your own work, or other expressions of your own ideas. i think you should maybe include less of these sketches, and stick them somewhere in the middle. they'd maybe have relevance if you placed them with your photography selections, if you have matching sketches and photos. i think your photos are great and show your interest/ideas in structure, and so you could maybe express this interest in structure through the sketches too rather than throwing in random drawings of buildings just because its architecture. a lot of the time sketches can be more valuable than photos because you can deliberately make the choice to omit certain information, so remember this if you try to compare sketches with photos in your port. but make sure you are trying to say something about your ideas/interests above all when you decide to include anything.

i love your paintings, they just show a good creative ability and good sensitivity to color.

the adobe illustrator hotel is not very exciting to me, but if you do want to keep it try using different lineweights. the detail's lineweights look too thick and its all merging together. id say use 0.5 or less, and even try using grey scale tones.

link doesn't work for me

i took the link down...need to make some changes...will repost it with changes tonight.

thank you very much dm66048 and Parad0xx86

Paradoxx86. I am going to condense the first page and either eliminate the pixilated piece or incorporate it further.

dm66048. Do you think i should start with the largest projects? I was wanting to end on a high note and show a progression up to them.

i know what you mean with the drawings. there are too many of them in the first few pages. and there is not enough there to draw you in. I have been working on this section for a few days, incorporating new pieces and taking ones out; however, i never really get anywhere. I am going to approach it more like the scotty's castle page. I have tonnes of photos that i am able to support the drawings and give the pages some life.

i do understand the comment about the hotel and i feel the same way. i am going to make some changes and maybe add the pixilated illustrator piece that is on the second page to the page somehow.

thank you very much for your imput. very useful

Can you post it where we can see it without having to download from a site like that?

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Starting from the cover you immediately establish a very specific style and framework for your portfolio - pop/Helvetica/American Apparel/Designers Republic, etc. This is both a blessing and a curse in my opinion. The good news is that there is no shortage of precedence work using Helvetica and this style (i.e. color, layout, bold) design. The bad news is that it is so ubiquitous and arguably almost a graphic design staple if you don't get it exactly right it people notice really quick. Which is the first thing I noticed when I looked at the cover.

Normally I wouldn't focus so much on something as small as a cover but because it's so familiar of a design style and I feel like you could almost design the whole portfolio around it, I think it's really important you get it perfect. It looks like your using Helvetica Medium here? I think you need to bump it up heavy, maybe black. Took a look at this example:

You will notice how the type is set in a heavier weight than you are currently using. You will also notice the line spacing and character spacing are much tighter than you are using, which is also making your cover fall apart. Super easy fixes and you can see how much more of an impact it will make with the type set perfectly. It also may help to avoid the all-caps, however it might work once the spacing and weight problems are fixed.

Moving on to the color palette_ again it's part of the way there, but not quite. Something about the hues of these colors is not resonating well. In keeping with the general shades you have selected, I found this:

I think you will see how much sharper they look. I think that is important. Helvetica is a very information design type, so you need colors that also have a clear, sharp quality. An easy option would just be to use C M Y and K and some 50% version of them, which easily fits into the style. Otherwise look at some of the above mentioned precedence, especially fashion brands like Gap, Benetton that are built on this style reference.

With that established, translate it through the entire portfolio. For example, you give each item in your contents a color. Then I go to that section and that color is gone. Think about how you can reinforce titles, dividers, etc by using the same visual cues throughout (this would include type setting and weight as well as color, and perhaps page placement... I noticed a really inconsistency in title style throughout- some are all lower, some are upper/lower, some are bold...)

Look at how your contents page uses big, bold titles and then I get inside the portfolio and the text is all small and inconsequential. Again, Google Helvetica and look for design precedence that balances bold title with small type. Also pay attention to things like spacing, page orientation, borders, etc. I know this all sounds really pointless and redundant, but I can't reinforce how familiar this style is and how off-putting it will be if it is not executed properly.

In regards to content order, I think paintings really should lead off the portfolio. 'Ferry to Prince Rupert' could very easily establish your color palate (and maybe it did already?) and I think the 4 projects here alone demonstrate understanding of scale, space and construction much better than most of the sketches. I think you could really trim down the sketches section to just some of the more "architectural" things and leave out 'sketchbook selections' and maybe the pastels as well.

I'd like to know more about the 'digital work' section. Were these just copy/paste operations or is there some scripting going on here? Right now they lack the necessary written information to evaluate their merit.

Like the sketching, I think the photography section could also be trimmed. Almost everyone includes photography in their application portfolios, so you are not really showing them anything they haven't, and will not see again. Things like material and structures, although nice pictures, will likely be in everyone's portfolio and only demonstrate you are capable of taking site analysis photos. Of this section, I think 'resemblances' is probably the most compelling because you start to show that you are making larger connections between the photo and content and actually use the composition of the photo to establish an argument/statement about nature and architecture.

Finally, I would suggest scrapping both the documentation and cover idea all together. Stick with a simple, standard portfolio binding (I prefer the metal comb bind myself instead of the plastic spiral).

Admissions offices get hundreds of application portfolios and the last thing they want to do is figure out some elaborate biding and cover system and considering it will be shipped, opened and closed, passed around, crated, stacked on someones desk... usually self-made systems tend to fall apart and then pages are lost, admissions people annoyed... you get the drift. Also note that many schools strictly require a plain black-binder so all this work may be for waste anyway. If you are set on doing this, do it for you personal portfolio that you take to interviews, etc.

Alright, well apologies for the novel. It seems like a lot but if you spend the time getting it right on one page, the others will be super easy to fix. Good luck.

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One last comment. If you have the time, interest, etc. you could still use Helvetica but doing something a little different with it.

This is just one example out of a few I found Googling Helvetica that show the type being used in a more creative way. Flickr is also a good source for finding collections of graphic design work that might give you inspiration.

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wow. thank you for the great responses.

i took the portfolio down because i want to make some changes to it with the feedback i have received.

i do not have any design or architectural background and all of your great advice really makes sense. It is not until you point it out that i am able to see the subtle/major flaws. i graduated with a double major in anthropology and biology and getting through that really consumed my entire life for about 6 years. thank you for all your help

i do understand about the choice of helvetica. i find that most of my work is pretty bold and uses a lot of colour. I thought that helvetica could compliment my work very well because it itself is very bold and can easily support a lot of colour. i began with helvetica neue and a few of the other fonts that were in the font thread of the forum, but none of them fit. i am currently working on making the helvetica more coherent between the contents, title page, and projects.

thank you for all the information/insight about helvetica. and i think the paining section should start off the portfolio to intrigue the reader and may help clarify the use of colour and boldness on the previous pages.

i am going to use a wire binding for the portfolio and the wood cover is paper thin. it should hold up. I have devised a way to keep it thin and easy to open and close. Although it is a make it or break it type thing, i am going to go for it. i love wood. the portfolio cover will only be for one school. my number one choice.

a will add a few words on each page of the photography section to indicate why they have been included.

thanks again. i will post again when i have made improvements.

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Portfolios take a lot of time for just about anyone, design background or not, so don't feel too bad. I think I spent months on my grad. school app. years ago.

I'm not sure if I have really seen this done, so this might be something to think about, time permitting, but it could be interesting if there was someway to incorporate some of the work from your anthropology/biology major. Maybe just a spread or two. I'm just thinking that, done well, it could be that one thing that makes your portfolio stand out in the pile. Anyway, maybe something to consider.
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.._. .._ _._. _._ i really appreciate your time and feedback. is it ok if i send you an email with a link to the portfolio in the next day or two.

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sure. should be there when you click on my profile name.

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both of the links are down any chance you might be able to re-upload it

tx