Portfolio and CV feedback

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1

Hey guys,

I am looking for some feedback on the combo of my portfolio and CV. I’m several years out of school and have worked for 3 of them as a designer. I voluntarily left my last job in December of 2014 for what turned out to be a terrible reason, and have had a hell of a time hearing back from job posting and potential employers since then (decided to do some traveling which is why I am now 7 months out and still looking). I have had working designer friends and former colleagues review my portfolio as I was completing it, but am looking for some un-biased opinions from the community.

Note: I am looking for a judgment on how competitive I am as a hire based upon all factors, not just design abilities.

Thanks in advance for any time you can give me.

Dropbox links:
Portfolio: Dropbox - Error
CV: Dropbox - Error

-Brian

2

Hey Brian,

I’ve been there man…hard to get noticed, but hopefully we can help make that happen!

I would say you have a lot of great stuff going on already…some good CAD work, prototyping and design experience already. The experience is half the battle. Below are some suggestions I have if I were to revamp your work…hopefully this can be constructive. :slight_smile:

  1. Resume is far too wordy. Use your graphic skills to clean this up and read quicker, easier.
  2. I would suggest adding a touch of color…except your last name is Black, so the whole Black and White theme could work really nicely and make you even more memorable.
  3. Remove all sketches you don’t want a client (or future employer) see. A lot of your sketches are at the idea/napkin thumbnail stage…replace these with your BEST work. Potential employers will see these sketches and think what you are showing is your best…not a good look.
  4. Graphically tell us a story through each project…this can be improved on (almost there!). Show us the problems you faced and how you solved them…but explain this in a way that I can understand within 30 seconds of looking at the project. <–That’s the challenge.

Hope it helps,
Pb

3

Hey Brian,

At the moment I work primarily in sheet metal so its great to see another designer on here doing the same! Really nice stuff

I agree with the above, especially the last point. The thing I would concentrate most on is your storytelling. You immediately jump into telling the reader what you did on Cricket without telling them what Cricket actually is. I want to get excited about the product first and then learn about your journey with it.

The details are great and it shows you’re not just a styler but also a thinker, but theres maybe to much detail at the moment, sometimes less is more. Reduce everything down so that it tells your story with the least possible information but in the most compelling way!