Joel's Portfolio

Showcase portfolios
1

Hi All,

Thought it was about time I posted my portfolio. So here it is, I am currently looking to send this out as a Teaser/Highlights package. I’m showing a portion of my total work but I wanted to show a variety of projects I have done so far…

CV link:
http://www.coroflot.com/joellevitt/Curriculum-Vitae

Portfolio Link:
http://issuu.com/joellevitt/docs/teaser

Any comments welcome, especially constructive ones that can help me improve it.

Regards,

Joel.

2

Sorry guys, there was a bit of grammatical error in the text - it’s changed now, but for anyone that noticed - this is all MY work just not all of it… Please comment on what you think of the layout or content…

3

Great work. Nice sketch work and I was happy to see some IxD in there.

The one critique I would give you is there is a lot going on in your layout. It is a bit hard to read. Remember that simpler is better. Try playing with white space and tell your story with less words. You may need to expand on how many pages you use for your projects or simply ask if everything you are showing is need. Also those gradient bars on your title pages look a bit amateurish. I would get rid of them or go with a solid color.

On a side note…Who did you do that M&M’s display for? Did you work with the Mars UK or EU team? I am a US Mars ID guy and have not seen it.

4

Very nice, a bit busy in my eye, but I liked it.

Tell me though, How did you get the landscape layout in issuu? Did you up grade?

5

Cheers for the feedack - was aware of the business but wanted less pages - so will look to reduce it all.
PackageID - the M&M stand was developed while I was at DisplayPlan UK - I left soon after the presentation was done unfortunately but they do a lot of work for Mars. Am trying to get some further info on it as it was a fun project.

Devonshire - portfolio was done in illustator and indesign as a landscape artboard and then just uploaded the whole PDF file.
Will make those changes. Cheers.

6

Hey Everyone,

I’ve taken on board comments from people on and off here and have re-done my Portfolio. It’s cleaner less busy and I’ve put more thought into the layout of sketches/images.

Unfortunately I already applied for the jobs using the old one about 2 weeks ago. Anyone know if I can send an update through or is that bad practice?

Anyway link is here:

Portfolio/CV

7

Hey Joel,

Had a quick look.

  1. Resume: I think you could use some cleanup of information here. It’s way too long for me to read. I want to understand what you did at each position in a short paragraph, not a long list. You don’t need to specify specific products (maybe one or two siginificant ones). The font you chose for that section is also difficult to read. Smaller text = serifs for readability.
  2. The projects all read like a teaser, which could be fine. I’m not getting any of your thinking process though. Right now it’s just some okay-looking “moneyshots” (those could use some work, especially for the children’s kitchen tools and the bench). You lack a sort of story about a. what the project is b. what you did/your process to solve it c. why your design matters/why I should care. You’re okay at a. (some could use some more description of the product and the scenario of how to use it/how it relates to the user, like the torch: how does that exist in a persons’s home, how do they transition into a workout with that, whats the reason for the form factor in relation to the activity that people do, how do you justify projection technology in bright daylight which most likely wont work, etc), you only have photos for b., and you are really lacking in c.
  3. I’d take a look at Rene Lee and Andrew Kim’s portfolios and see how they explain their products. They fit in a story (Rene’s more than Andrew’s… his are more like feature/money shots and the Apple website).

I think your strongest projects are the torch and kitchen stuff (and the presentation for those really need work to have them excel). Those could really be expanded. You can craft the story of your design process/you as a designer around those projects, with the others as peripherals. Show off your design process with torch and kitchen, show you can bring things to production with the cleaning kit, and maybe about your prototyping skills/furniture endeavors in the furniture project (or if you used a really unique method of construction, show that off), and if you feel like you want to go into UI design, the UI project to show your experience in that field. This shows you have depth in ID projects, and breadth in understanding of other areas.

Really think about what kind of designer you want to show yourself off as. Are you a straight up ID guy? Are you interested in strategy? Research? When I showed off my site a few months ago, a lot of Core members reacted to the fact that I had “too many” UI projects and don’t appear as an ID guy. However, I view myself as a product designer, and that products can be digital or physical. The processes I use for both are similar, and that’s how I pitch myself to both fields when I apply for jobs.

Good luck!

(Also, yes, I sent an email to the guy who cribbed my CV (never heard that term used in that context before… but I like it)… I think it’s funny that he ripped it and has a phone number of 0000000000…)

8

Hey Julius, thanks for the quick reply.
The portfolio is definitely a teaser and I was kind of guided down that route from previous advice taken. I definitely see myself as a product designer but like you i’m split over two factions consumer goods and furniture, although at present i’m more biased to Consumer.

Thanks for taking the time anyhow, I’m definitely missing the “story” around my designs and will try and re-structure it.

Good luck yourself.