10 years out...What does your portfolio look like?

Variant, I have to say you just don’t present yourself well here. I think it would be difficult for any of us to recommend you for a project management/development role because I would want to work with someone who is so salty. From what I’m reading here I get the sense that you are really hurting. I wish I could convince you to not lash out here and try to build bridges. There are a number of folks here who could use PMs on project or full time basis. This entire forum is like a giant job interview. I know a lot of folks that have gotten jobs here and I’ve actively recruited a few posters on both full time and contract basis. Please, before you reply, consider turning over a new leaf and try to take advantage of what the forum can do instead of just venting. Think about it.

Can you please re-read this and see the hypocracy of your words? You’ve answered your own problem time after time. I get that you want to be arty and have your own style, but if you present yourself with the same punk-rock I’m the best everyone sucks but me attitude everywhere else like you do on here, then it isn’t the folio or industry that is the problem. You wouldn’t get a job in any industry anywhere with that attitude. Take a step back, stop lashing out and have a think about why you don’t get hits, rather than blaming everything except yourself.

For context:
https://variantone.carbonmade.com/

What complete and utter crap. If you have something of value, I’ll buy it. If you don’t, fuck off. It is really quite that simple.

You are obsolete, get over it and change. Saying murca should want your buggy whip over and over won’t make it so.

Everyone;

Lets try and keep all postings civil, lowering ourselves to a form of articulation that is demeaning and belittling has no value creation. several of these posts in different topic groups are starting to resemble what core was in the late 90’s when it began, which at times was uncivil and belligerent.

also and in the midst of redoing my portfolio which has not been touched in a few years which means its way out of date.

This is a good thread - Ill throw one one out there as well. This is not meant to be negative! Just sharing some of my own struggles through portfolio building over the years…

As a professional, how do you balance showing process?

This is something I’ve struggled with over the years and have always received feedback that they “want to see more process”.
“More” meaning what? Company IP/ sketches of new and unreleased work? Material selection? Techpacks? Pattern revisions…etc?

I understand wanting to see ownership of projects, as design/development has a different role per company, but at what point is it too much?

At a certain point during my last transition (for better or worse) I developed a mindset of “if you don’t see the value/potential initially than this is not where I belong”. I would rather speak to process than show it on a portfolio - Is it foolish to assume that with “XX” years experience it should be obvious that there is a process and that the product and material shown should speak for itself?

Jim, I think what Singletrack just posted in the latest projects thread is a good example. Is this similar to what you are showing and people still want more?

My experience was that folks still wanted more. Perhaps it’s different with softgoods where there is patterning, techpacks, material choices, fit…etc

Not a concern now, but something I’ve been wanting to ask the forum for a while.

I think for XX years out, process should show no matter what. Even if you are now in a higher level role, you probably have done all those patterns, tech packs, mockup, at some point over the XX so have bits and pieces to show.

The biggest difference I think is that compared to a more junior portfolio you don’t have to show the depth PER project, since you have the breadth ACROSS a large variety of projects. That is, you can show final samples for projects ABC, tech packsfor project DEF, sketches for projects GHI, etc. and people get that you can do it all.

Just looking at your website quickly, Jim, I have to concur however I’m not seeing lots of process… Only one page with a few doodles, and many of the projects link out to a final product page with no process showing at all. Not sure if you are presenting something a lot different in interviews but the online picture I’m getting is a bit incomplete.



…I’ve recently done a few updates on my website as well and have tried to communicate the same breadth and depth. Even more tricky, I’m not only doing product, but also graphics, packaging, illustration, etc. sometimes all within one project, sometimes as discrete projects…

R

Thanks R, makes sense - The portfolio is far different than what is show on the website, In fact website is in serious need of maintenance - I dont think I’ve updated it since 2015/2016. Maybe its time…

Below is the 2016 portfolio in question:

This is what I presented during the “need to see more” period. Since this 2016 revision, a lot product has come to market (Some shown on the “teaser” page.

23 years into an ID career here. I was never a pure product designer -I have some real estate ventures and I’ve always been into total gut and remodel craftsmanship with home and some of those properties, so even though I’ve been building a consultancy for the last 11 years (with all the ups and downs you’d expect) it has always just been a job, family and other stuff compete equally alongside it. We specialize in a few types of products and we look for certain kinds of clients. That work has always been available, so I haven’t sold “Scott” in a long time - I’ve sold “Generator” and “Generator’s experience & capabilities”…but when the time comes that someone asks about me, I write a little summary and send them this link; http://bit.ly/2keDmlt

It’s a wide-out resume, a somewhat closer CV and then a much closer document of process. It sits on our website, which is now half new and half old, outdated and not designed as I’d like it to be anymore (Q2 2018 it’ll all be new, I swear, yeah right) but like everyone else, when faced with billable project work vs. admin time, I choose billable. :stuck_out_tongue:

These days, my team and I spend more time on the entire process - conducting, compiling and presenting field research, organizing Far East sourcing trips, providing QC and plant based manufacturing fixes while managing development projects - than we do with the creative aspects of design, so when the phases come to innovate, sketch, present, critique and start pushing ideas into CAD, it reminds me what it was like 23 years ago and it makes me love it even more today.

Hmm, I think you are showing a good amount of process. Some of it is condensed a bit in terms of their being a lot of concepts on a page, or the photo of the patterns being shrunken down a bit. I think you could get a bit more milage out of it by just isolating some of that stuff… but personally I wouldn’t need that. I see it. But everyone is different in what they require I guess.

Hey Scott, FYI when I clicked the sample link I got an error.

Thanks for that - for some reason it didn’t like my link; here’s a bitly version; http://bit.ly/2keDmlt

Still not working.

R

The website and links within are all working for me…strange.

Reviving this thread as it seems relevant!

I am an Industrial Designer with 7 years experience. I have worked at 2 companies during that time, and for the past 5 years I have mainly focused on one product category - ceiling fans. My ultimate goal is to switch product categories (ideally a design firm) to diversify my design portfolio, and join many of you in the San Diego / Orange County CA area. Competition is steep out there, so I’d love your advice and feedback on how I can improve!

When applying to new jobs, how do you show diversity in your portfolio so that companies outside of that particular product category will consider you for job positions? I have received many responses from companies that say “your fan portfolio is extensive/impressive, but do you have experience in xyz…” Well, no because I’ve only worked for 2 companies! With having only designed ceiling fans, how do I convey that I can design anything? // Should I be doing mini projects on the side? // Should I pull old stuff from school (seems like a strong NO, but gotta ask)? // I feel like I am showing my process, and I also feel like the design process is pretty universal, regardless of the product you are creating. Thoughts?

Also, I am getting to the point in my career where I have been executing aesthetic product design strategy and innovation tactics, and have recently started hiring and managing a team of associate designers. How do you show this story in a portfolio? What is it hiring managers want to see - results, tools, pictures of me in meetings pointing at a wall of post-it notes? I know what I’ve done, I’m just having a hard time packaging it into a concise story.

Thank you so much in advance! I greatly appreciate any feedback and/or direction to other forums here! Love reading through these threads.

These are good questions, and ultimately there is no one or right way to do this exactly. The solution will end up being very personalized to you. Here is what worked for me:

  1. Writing articles about building teams and design leadership. Blogs need content. Go ahead and write a few articles about what you have learned and email them to a couple of design blogs. I would bet they would publish them. Happy to help connect you once you have some content to the editors at c77. You can also link or republish these on your own website. I did both of those and it helps raise your profile as a design leader. Some of those articles I’ve integrated into my about page on my website.

  2. Conceptual projects. Unfortunately a lot of people are very linear. They have to see that you can do something and might not be able to make the mental leap. So close that gap for them with some conceptual projects that show how you could exert your thinking. I try to keep these at a high level as the point is to show you could work in other areas without getting bogged down in details that someone experienced in that area can pick apart.

  3. Connect with people. If you goal is to work in SoCal, think about planning a vacation out here and setting up as many coffees and lunches with people that you can.

Thank you Michael. I really appreciate the response!
Love the idea of visiting and networking through coffees and lunches!! I also love your advice on keeping concept projects high level. I always feel like I need to dig into the research and that takes a tremendous amount of time to be truly educated. I was hopeful that other industrial designers would be able to see the process over the project, but I also understand my work it to make it as easy as possible for them to see me as a good fit. head nods I’ll work on the blog/writing idea. I need to find a way to make it my own and consider what I want to achieve from it, but I’m grateful for the advice and the offer to connect with c77 editors.