Reading Assignment #1

READING ASSIGNMENT #1

BUILDING DESIGN PORTFOLIOS

Insights that caught my attention:
- "Send me your URL" is fast becoming a more common request than "bring in your portfolio." But according to many design leaders, a website is generally considered an introduction -- a preview to the print portfolio that will follow.
- "Ultimately, a portfolio is not about the carrying case but, rather, about the work you show "the gathering of loose sheets collected in a portable case."
- "No matter where you hope to work or for whom you hope to work, remember that reliability, hard work, initiative, and competence can be just as important as talent."
- "Thumbnails are a good way to gain insight into a a designer's methodology; the images allow a designer to explain the problem that was presented, restrictions that were imposed, or any specifications from the teacher or client."


SO YOU WANT TO BECOME A GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Insights that caught my attention:
- "It is not enough to mimic fashions and trends as if they were schematics for success. To practice well means to master the tools and marshal the talent that eschews cliche."
- "Graphic Design is a business but equally as important, it is a tool of visual expression, a process whereby ideas and products are given concrete forms through the often conceptual manipulation of type and imagery."
 - "The "commercial"  arena is where the graphic designer performs a difficult balancing act -- to sell, entertain, and inform in a manner that also adds aesthetic value to the receiver's experience."
- "As the boundaries between professional and amateur break down, it is more important than ever for graphic designers to maintain standards that distinguish the two. Becoming a graphic designer means accepting, promoting, and perhaps, eventually helping to change the existing standards."