Pdf Portfolio feedback please

daytona

daytona

Member
What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than picking apart a first year student's pdf right?
Please take a look at what I've put together and give me feedback on likes/dislikes anything that looks jarring, out of place etc.

Portfolio: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/28823038/v1000.pdf


Other notes:
I haven't created all the hyperlinks yet, but if you want to check out the moving parts video then it's here: https://vimeo.com/37338082
There's going to be a video flickthrough on the fanzine project which i haven't finished yet
The copy on the project will no doubt need proof reading etc.

Many thanks,
Tom :thumb:
 
I can't edit the post sorry, but I've now changed the captions on the pages to all be in Akzidenz not two typefaces. And no replies? are you guys busy...on a weekend...? What's wrong with you!
 
daytona said:
I can't edit the post sorry, but I've now changed the captions on the pages to all be in Akzidenz not two typefaces. And no replies? are you guys busy...on a weekend...? What's wrong with you!
Click to expand...

I'm really hoping you're joking with that comment? :icon_rolleyes:
 
Not a big fan of your anarchic pieces. Did you know that treason is the only crime still punishable by death?

There is some skill there I like but I wont go any further, kinda put off by the knife in the eye and the arrogance of it all.

- Not a personal dig, we all have our opinions and preferences. good luck with it.
 
I quite like the work, though I'd look at displaying the description for each piece in a more legible fashion. At the minute the overlaid text is hard to read in places.

Also, there's a lot of widows on the final page. I'd remove them before sending the PDF to anyone with an eye for design.

On a side note my current tutor used to teach at LCC :D
 
Thanks for the feedback Paul, did you check the second version I posted? I changed the cover images so the text would be more legible. I'm going to have a play with the type though and try to improve it. Eugh and well spotted on the widows (which it me about 5 minutes of confusion to realise you hadn't written windows) I'll make sure those disappear!

And that's cool, is he/she good? LCC was pretty baws. Too many students/not enough tutor time though which is why i didn't stay.
 
Are you trying to be edgy and ground breaking?.. YOU FAILED!! Your portfolio strikes me as trying to be unnecessarily offensive to the point that it's just plain immature.

A prospective employer will get as far as the fourth page of your portfolio and delete it! The reason being nobody wants to employ someone who's going to bring their company into disrepute and that's exactly what you seem to want to do! There are hints of the fact that you actually seem to know how to design so why not ditch the "trying to piss the teacher off to impress my mates" ethos and produce a portfolio of commercially viable solid work?

If anyone actually gets past the profanity to your bio on the last page they will see you've achieved various accolades and taken part in work for some real blue chip businesses (aka; SEAT and Daily Mirror) buy you haven't revealed any of this work or the ability that got you there. That's the stuff that will impress employers!
 
hmmm... I'm not sure I can really respond to that Dave without writing a huge essay post about the nature of my course and my personal opinions on design. It'll suffice to say that in my second and third year I'll try to produce some commercially viable work with greater levels of sensitivity.
Cheers for taking the time to read through though :icon_hug:
 
I like the work, when i was at uni it was all based around idea/concept generation (not necessarily producing commercially viable work) and i think that is clear with your work
 
clarke creative said:
I like the work, when i was at uni it was all based around idea/concept generation (not necessarily producing commercially viable work) and i think that is clear with your work
Click to expand...

My Uni course was exactly like that. It's all concepts and in the ideas, trying to bring the creative side out of you, not producing massively commercially viable work. However, if you're going to go off and apply for a more "standard" design agency, where logos and corporate ID are the norm, the portfolio definitely needs taming/changing. If you're going to more creative places when job hunting, maybe this would suffice. Not entirely sure.

Some of the work in there is really great, I really like some of it, namely the work on the Queen's Jubilee Cheese Savoury Biscuits. The Moving Parts animation still is making me want to see the actual animation too. Also, particularly love the stamped envelope from Buckingham Palace. Although, I know that's not one of your pieces haha.

What I don't like is that knife in the eye of the Queen, especially in the slide where it sits at the minute. It's right between two other slides that appear that you're celebrating the Queen (if you aren't, maybe you need to think about that), yet it's showing a knife in her eye? I don't really understand that. Now that I look at it all again, I can't get round whether you're trying to attack the Queen, or celebrate her. Did you send the packaging and designs off to Buckingham?

Now, Outdoor. I find that fairly funny. That's my sense of humour and to be honest, I think it shows a nice little bit of creativity. Please tell me you actually carved that in and painted on the road? That would be some slick Banksy esque work.

The Mother of All Plans bit, I really like. However, it feels like one of the pieces where it was kind of like "you have to be there" to get a good feeling for it. Nice idea though.

I think your portfolio shows some nice skill and ideas and capable execution, just the Queen mixed messages are getting me. I don't understand what you're trying to do with it. The layout is nice, maybe a bit more of a description about each project?

The actual end page, about you, is really nice. Like that a lot. Good use of columns and a dark grey that's not too hard on the eye.
 
Cheers Clarke
And Tony thanks for the feedback. The Monarchy project has been reworked slightly so that it should read more easily. Outdoor was indeed for reelz, and I did it with two girls who flapped about while acted shifty with the screwdriver...
It's all just experimental design work, mad ideas, communication etc. which I feel is what a first year portfolio should be. If I was trying to emulate serious design from the outset, then I would decent from serious too boring years before I need to.

Anyway, enough arrogant ramble! Here's the final version (bar one spelling mistake which I've correct on the final final version) https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/Public/pdffinal.pdf?w=7b0fd0d0
 
If it's not for obtaining work or a placement why have you put it together. I also wouldn't tell any prospective employer that Outdoor was for real - I wouldn't employ anyone who had no regard for other peoples property.

The final version goes to a 404 error BTW.
 
I think you have some good work, although some of the work may be in bad taste.
With regard to the outdoor project it felt a little lacking in substance.
I think if you are going to be subversive then go the whole way. e.g Sagmeister's coins & Eine's "Vandalism" wall

I also think if it's worth mentioning that you have worked for people like seat then it is worth showing too.

At the end of the day, you are at uni to learn right?
If you're not allowed to experiment at uni you'll never be able to hone your craft.
 
Katedesign said:
If it's not for obtaining work or a placement why have you put it together.
Click to expand...
So that the work can be assessed at the end of the year :)

In any case, sorry to anyone that the work may have offended; and if you just found it offensively bad then hey, I'm still learning.
Anyway the work's handed in now so the thread can be locked if a mod wishes.
 
Tom - still can't get into the latest PDF you have posted, any chance of sorting so i can have a look at the finished piece?
 
Got to be honest, I found the Queen project pretty funny. Certainly wasn't expecting to see it there put it that way. That being said, I would remove that part from the portfolio if you intend on sending it to agencies for critical feedback or placement/job requests.
 
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