Hello all.
I have been searching for a Design job for about a year now. Perhaps I should have started here first. I am hoping to get some feedback from everyone on my portfolio. Honest feedback would be great as I really want to know what I need to work on. Since I haven’t heard back from anyone, I do not know why they aren’t selecting me. Normally I send a PDF of my portfolio, but the content is the same on the site.
Thanks!
Hey, I am by no means an expert and am currently building my own site. But I have some basic feedback…
Just have few small things I think would improve it, keep it simple. But still a nicely put together site. Well done!
Thanks,
Definitely agree. I’ve simplified it a bit. Also, I’ve tried to trim the project section down a bit. Instead of showing every page of documentation, I’m trying to highlight the important parts.
I think the standard of your work is high and it looks excellent. I think a number of your product designs are not totally unique (I have seen the sauce pan concept and the belt before in various guises).
I think your portfolio needs to be geared to the sort of work you want. If you’re looking for a product design job then the fact your portfolio has quite a large proportion of graphics work in it is not necessarily going to help you. Also, if the CV you present to potential employers is the REK one shown in your graphics section, I think you’ll have problems for two reasons;
Your CV should be you and only you – not REK Design. Someone recruiting for a full time position will not be interested in employing a ‘brand’. If it looks like you’ve started your own business and then decided not to continue, questions will obviously arise. If you make more of the work you’ve undertaken as being ‘freelance’, with a view to finding a permanent position, it will be more appealing.
Your REK logo is a bit too obvious, intrusive, unmemorable and unnecessary. Most people will remember it’s a lot of dots, but that’s about it. I’d remove it from your CV and also simplify your CV to make it yours, not REK’s. It should be as simple as possible; less is more!
I think you also need to state what you can offer to an employer because there doesn’t seem to be any mention of that on your site. At the end of the day, how will you make money for the business you work for?
I also noticed that you said you never hear back from companies. Find out why! I don’t know if you chase them, but if they don’t respond call them and at the very least find out what they think you could have done differently or what they didn’t like – it’s may take 5 minutes of their time but will be invaluable to you.
I hope this helps.
Thank you, that is very helpful. That makes sense about separating REK from my personal CV.
I am finding it very difficult to gear my portfolio in a specific direction as I am interested in all facets of design…
Unfortunatley, I have replied to various companies as to why I have not heard from them, to no avail. I guess when the posting says “no phone calls” I take that to heart. Sometimes I have zero contacts on the inside and have to rely on email through HR… which goes nowhere. Two of the interviews I have had went well, but ultimately the companies decided that they weren’t ready to hire.
I guess I need to do a better job of networking…
I think you need to show:
More consistency
More memorable imagery
Edit some areas, add in others
Your Verve belt project is really great, I love the concept. Would that guy in a suit really wear that style of belt? Why not show it on an overweight gamer kid? The entire concept is about making loosing weight a game! Show how it looks as he get slimmer. I shoulnt have to read about it in the text, you need to show me. I’d use color to make the effect greater as well.
I like the pop handle in the cookware section, but I didn’t see that until I gotmway down on the page. When I first clicked that project I thought “great, another set of cookware”. Show me the innovative feature right away. Glow up some of the images, don’t make me squint to see the work.
Your Arthon project is nice, but it starts with one of the most unsexy and un informative product renders I’ve seen. I had to read the fine print to get it. Show me.
In the sketches, remove the sketch of the jigsaw. I would not hire you based on that sketch alone. A single image like that can blow an entire portfolio. The other sketches have a nice texture and quality to them, that jigsaw sketch looks like it was done by another person.
Show more process, less info graphics. Your info graphics are nice, bursts taking up more visual weight than your design process at the moment.