Q. A portfolio can be an artistic statement
in itself. What defines a good portfolio in your mind?
Nomi: An effective portfolio accurately
represents the designer's abilities and skills in
the best possible light. This means that it is clean
and well put-together, and while it's nice to try
to be a little different, a portfolio should not look
gimmicky. The viewer should be more aware of the work
than the portfolio itself. An effective portfolio
illustrates the designer's self-presentation and communication
abilities as well as showcasing the work.
Q. When you're starting to learn design, it's
tempting to stuff your portfolio with everything and
the kitchen sink. What defines a "portfolio piece?"
Nomi: For a design student, the
more in-depth the project, the more chance it has
of becoming a good portfolio piece. A piece that clearly
shows the ability to research a project and also exhibits
skill with typography, color, composition, and technical
issues will say a lot about the designer in a small
space. A prospective employer will be going rapidly
going through your work, and so you have limited spaces
to fill in a portfolio.
Q. Sounds like you need a clear picture of
your work's strengths and weaknesses. How it important
is it to get a second opinion about your body of work
as a whole?
Nomi: Getting a second opinion is
super-helpful. It's very difficult to self-edit, especially
when you're putting together your first portfolio.
You may be really attached to a certain piece of work
that just doesn't fit in with the rest of your book,
and it really should be taken out. Without a second
opinion, it's difficult to see that.
Q. Nomi, you coordinate the portfolio review
panel at Sessions.edu. What goes on in a portfolio review
at a traditional art school?
Nomi: At Parsons, where I studied,
students all bring their portfolios to the review,
and one by one they lay them out on the table and
have them torn to shreds! It's really a hard-core
critique.
And the work that's getting critiqued in a portfolio
review may have been critiqued more gently at an earlier
point in the year, when you had just done it. But
at the end of the program, when it's all gathered
into your portfolio, it's looked at with a harsher
perspective, more like the fast appraisal it will
be met with in the job market.
Q. Sounds intimidating. Don't people get upset
when their work gets shredded? I know I would. . .
Nomi: Absolutely! People would burst
into tears, run out of the room crying. You'd be high-strung
and extra-vulnerable too, because you stay up all
night for weeks trying to make your portfolio what
you hope the teacher will want, working your butt
off on pieces that get cut with a wave of the teacher's
hand. And you're afraid some of your favorite pieces
may be axed—which they often are.
In a portfolio review nothing is sacred, no matter
how much love or effort you put in to a piece: if
it works it stays; if it doesn't, it goes.
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Nomi critiquing
student work at Sessions.edu.
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Q. What's different about a portfolio review
at an online school?
Nomi: Well, for one thing, you are
receiving your comments privately in writing, as opposed
to verbally in front of an entire class—and by
the way, the atmosphere can be very cut-throat competitive
among students at a traditional art school, especially
when they are all that stressed out! At an online school,
the emphasis is more clearly on each individual, as
opposed to a class where there is a competitive vibe
between students.
Students in our online review will definitely find
their work being reviewed by a more critical voice
than they've heard in their Sessions.edu classes up
until that point. Classes can be challenging, but
they're supportive environments. In the portfolio
review, we're looking for unflinching, industry-honed
impressions of the work from a professional portfolio
standpoint.
Q. 90% of the time, designers don't have a
review panel, except perhaps those nagging critical
voices in our heads. How can designers develop the ability
to become more objective about their own work?
Nomi: Objectivity often comes from
letting go. Remember—removing a piece in your
portfolio is not equivalent to burning it! You don't
invalidate a work by editing it from the book you
take on job interviewss.
Another way to become more objective is to spend
time looking at other people's work with a critical
eye, thinking about what could have been done differently
to improve the work. When you train your eye on the
work of others you can do so without having your judgement
clouded by the fact that it's yours.
Q. What are some portfolio-building opportunities
that students often overlook?
Nomi: Every time you have an assignment
that is set up from a client's perspective, where
you are doing an industry-specific project, you have
an opportunity to create a portfolio piece—it
is not just an exercise to help you learn a certain
software or technique. If you are asked to make revisions,
you have the chance to perfect that piece for your
portfolio, so it is best to really put the time in,
not rush on to the next project.
Q. Quality of work matters most, of course.
But how much does a portfolio presentation affect the
client's perception of the work itself?
Nomi: If the portfolio is clean
and well-presented, that speaks to the designer's
communication skills. Also very important is the designer's
ability to speak about and explain the concept behind
each project. The portfolio tells the prospective
employer that the designer understands the relationship
between art and commerce.
Q. How essential is a Web portfolio, in this
day and age?
Nomi: Very important! A Web presence
is de rigeur these days, even if your focus is primarily
print design. It's the quickest, least expensive way
of getting a range of clients to view your work. Don't
leave home without one!
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