Designing a Digital Portfolio
Author: Cynthia L. Baron
Publisher: New Riders Press
ISBN: 0735713944

No matter what kind of artist you are, it seems that getting a job today without an online portfolio is an impossibility. Designing A Digital Portfolio is the perfect book for entry level and student artists who are designing their first portfolios to submit their work when job hunting. It is filled with important information, however most of it is very basic and will only be a review for experienced professionals. This last fact aside, it is one of the most comprehensive books on its topic that I have ever seen. From the title, I expected to find pointers on preparing images for the screen, or how to put them on a CD/DVD, etc. Those things are there, but the book begins in a logical place that I wouldn’t have considered.

This book offers solid points on portfolio content, whatever format you choose (web, cd/dvd, or print). It covers what should go in, what should not go in, how much should go in, as well as how to deal with sketches and storyboarding. It also covers how to develop a thematic tie to make a disparate portfolio more cohesive, and excellent advice on the kinds of written copy you want to include, such as design briefs, problem statements, and tag lines. It’s also has some great insight on how to market yourself.

It has some web site design examples for inspiration, and even some great image workflow tips for preserving the best image quality with the least needed resolution. This information is easy to understand for the average person as well as insightful for someone with a lot of digital imaging experience.

From a three-page self assessment check list about portfolio content, to questions that help you evaluate your professional strengths and weaknesses, goals and personality, to helping you identify who your audience really is and focus on them, this book has just about every angle covered. It talks about the different digital formats, how to organize your work, how to get images of oversized work and non-standard media into your portfolio. It even discusses choosing a camera and how to photograph your artwork.

The entire book is also filled with quotes from working professionals who tell you what agencies are looking for in a portfolio, how others have found success at this, what things you can do to streamline the process, and more. Job searching todays isn’t what it was a few years ago, the one most important fact to retain from this book is that your first impression is critical and good preparation will pay off.