Design Students: An Online Portfolio is a Necessity

7 Responses to “Design Students: An Online Portfolio is a Necessity”

1. 

   Samantha Warren
   May 22nd, 2008 at 8:00 pm

   Thanks for writing this post, I think your advice for job seekers to “Get an online portfolio no matter what it takes” hits the nail right on the head. The first few months right after graduation can be really exciting and stressful, but taking the time to start off on the right foot can really make all the difference. Thanks for pointing out Flashden.net, I will add it to the list… as well as your feed to my feed-reader.

2. 

   Richard
   May 23rd, 2008 at 12:25 am

   I’d like to recommend Indexhibit (http://www.indexhibit.org/). I use it for my own portfolio, and am a huge fan. A fantastic way to get a portfolio online, easy to set-up, and if you look through the ‘participants’ on their website, a bit of CSS can go a long way to make it look unique.

3. 

   Phil Thompson
   May 23rd, 2008 at 7:02 am

   A design student without an online portfolio is like a wannabe hairdresser with a bad haircut - whose going to hire them? The analogy fails when you realise you can’t actually cut your own hair (not well anyway) but I think the point works!

   Phil Thompson’s latest post: Caching PHP objects: how to do it in 4 easy steps

4. 

   Patrick
   May 23rd, 2008 at 7:16 am

   I think Richard has it right - indexhibit is probably the best small CMS that fits every graphic and print artists needs.

   WordPress with some sort of theme can also help too, but often times that takes some tweaking to work perfectly - I don’t think I have seen a portfolio theme, although I have had some thoughts on developing something like that in the near future.

   Patrick’s latest post: The genius marketing tactics behind Vaynerisms

5. 

   Zinni
   May 23rd, 2008 at 2:07 pm

   Samantha,

   Thank you for the great article, I have observed a while ago the same situation that your article described. I however would take it one step further to say that all designers should strive to learn web design in school, as it makes them a ton more competitive in the work force once they get out. I made this assumption when I was in school, and it ended up paying off for me. I also have added you to your blog to my favorites :)

6. 

   Dale Cruse
   May 24th, 2008 at 4:03 pm

   Good read, except for the Flash advice. Flash is a great tool for animation - not a crutch when you don’t care to know HTML. We shouldn’t recommend using tools other than what they’re meant for - especially to impressionable students trying to make their way in the online job market.

   Dale Cruse’s latest post: Special Discount For Drinks Are On Me Readers

7. 

   Zinni
   May 25th, 2008 at 6:06 am

   Dale,

   I think you can agree that Flash has its purposes and the medium fits certain projects better than others, however that is not the reason I have suggested a flash solution. I recommended it because the offering meets a number of qualifiers for students who have recently graduated or are in school.

   1. The templates are cheap and even students can afford them on their budgets.
   2. It is a quick way to get their work online (during which they can work on their own design)
   3. It gets their work online…

   Also, this is advice for designers in general and could apply to someone specializing in say packaging design where knowing HTML is probably not a top priority of theirs.