So I would love to hear some thoughts from the community.
Years ago I set up my website. No frills, just as clean as possible, designed to communicate quickly and be easy to navigate.
Since then I have just updated it.
I originally set it up for clients as I run my own studio for identity/graphic work as well as product design.
In other words, I did not want to show the dirty process work that goes into a portfolio to the clients as they might conceive me as unprofessional and messy.
In other words, didn’t want to show how the sausage is made.
Now things have changed a little and I am looking for a design consultancy gig and my website is not just for clients anymore.
I do have a PDF portfolio with process which I send out but I wonder if I should re-do my website as well or if it in its current form works as a ‘teaser’ of sorts to employers.
I am also considering to set up a second website…
Oh and btw, you are of course very much invited to comment on the work as well if you like.
I also love how clean your site is. It highlights the work nicely. On the Olympic Torch, you show a little bit of process with some foam mock ups and what looks like a working prototype test. Would you be opposed to integrating more process artifacts like that into your work?
Might be just my browser, but wanted to make sure you were aware that some of your pages load with thumbnails under the main image, and some load with Prev/Next buttons.
thanks for your feedback!
Actually yes, the different ways of flipping through the images was deliberate. It has to do with the Indexhibit plug-in for which my format only supports a certain number of pics to be displayed as thumbnails.
However, I can see how this might be confusing and a bit irritating if you have to change the way of navigation. I changed it to a consistent prev/next navigation.
To answer your question of what I am looking for:
As I mentioned in another thread, it took me a good amount of time to really hone in on what to do with my various backgrounds passions and experiences.
While realizing that I have always worked trans-disciplinary with the only common thread being user-centered experience design, it became clear that the perfect workplace would be trans-disciplinary design companies which are not looking for specialists in Industrial Design, but rather conceptual insights from a large pool of designers with vastly varied backgrounds.
While interviewing with large design consultancies, there was a concern that my work is too “high design”. One interviewer at a big player stated: “You are high design, i.e Wallpaper and we are Target. There is a disconnect”. I was a taken aback a bit by that statement as I have never thought in terms of high or low but rather good or bad or to use another word which I like: appropriate design.
I believe that designing an experience is about finding the right context and medium for the user. May it be packaging at a Fastfood place and or tableware at a Fine Dining Restaurant.
While it is true that I have worked mostly with “boutique design” in the past, I have also realized that I much rather would like to work with a large client and make a difference than design a furniture piece for Milan… Not saying that there is anything wrong with it. Actually, I love it but it is very fleeting and I am searching for a place where one can make an impact.
Sounds cliche, I know but doesn’t make it less true.
However, it is my job to tailor my portfolio to the job I am applying for and I’ll include more of the nuts and bolts ID material such as process and sketching. It’s all there, I just never realized its importance just as I didn’t realize the path I wanted to go.