What king of online presence should an industrial design student have ?
Portfolio website
Is it a good idea to have all of these ? or as long as you have a portfolio, do the others not matter ?
Any advice appreciated.
If you want to, do all 3. Just make sure you keep at it. Nothing’s worse than having your Twitter, blog, portfolio, Last.fm, Flickr splattered all over, and finding out you haven’t updated any in 6 months.
Portfolio: I don’t think we need to examine why this is good to have.
Twitter: You need to pick who you follow carefully. Don’t just pick your friends; that’s what Facebook is for. Twitter is great for following people you admire, who post good content, blogs, firms, companies… I basically read all my news on Twitter: it’s very condensed and I can browse through very fast. I can also start quick discussions with other people about said news. I’ve also made a few acquaintances that will probably be very helpful in the future, but who are also very inspirational to talk to.
There are two kinds of Tweeters, just like on any other community: the lurkers and the posters. You can just follow people and use it as sort of a news aggregator, or you can actively participate in conversations. I think that you’ll get the most out of participating.
Tumblr: I hate hate hate reblogs. 90% of Tumblr is hipster shit, very much like Xanga was 90% emo shit 7 years ago. If you’re gonna Tumble, make sure you’re posting good work (I document my process a lot), things you like (but you should add some thoughts about it… don’t just reblog a nice photo. Talk about why you reblogged it. Writing helps internalize things and discover new thoughts), and maybe some original thoughts on the world, design, or other things.
I have all 3, but I’m also an Internet freak. I’m very active on Core, as well. I’ve met a good number of people who’ve seen my work online, so having an online presence works.
You at least need to have some sort of online portfolio. As long as you have a place that people can go to and see who you are and what you do, you have met the minimum requirement. Other than that I would say that you should experiment and see what fits you.
The advantage to social networking is that you can show people who you really are, what interests you, what your personality is like, etc. If you are using a specific web tool because “everyone else is using it” it might come across as forced and you end up stopping updating it in 2-3 months anyway. I have a website and a basic portfolio on sites like coroflot and behance, and I use Facebook for my friends and twitter for more professional networking. Just try stuff out and stick with what you end up liking.
I’d also suggest using your actual name (or some witty version of it thereof - looking at you tarngerine) for your social media outlets. It gets people associating your work with your name. Not to mention it forces you to not say stupid stuff on the internet underneath the guise of anonymity.
Unless you’re me and always saying stupid stuff
Good call, Dong (ke ke). SmartWorks, I have no idea who you are, other than you’re a Dieter Rams fan from London. Let’s see your portfolio in that signature!
Really happy you brought this topic up, because I think it is an important one for marketing yourself and skills.
I think no matter how much social media presence you have- make sure you are very conscious of your actions. It only takes one inappropriate/‘bad’ comment etc. to turn people off (potential employer…?)
As well I think participating in online communities like core 77 discussions etc. shows you wanting to contribute to the larger design community (yay!). As well, this type of forum (hopefully for most) sets the tone for contributing thoughtful comments- not just tweeting random articles, videos etc. People will be able to get more of a sense of who you are through a forum like this than through twitter, tumblr and potentially facebook.
The only thing you should have is an online portfolio. Most people just stick to coroflot and behance and call it a day. Just make sure its constantly updated. There is a lot of discussion on this forum about the amount of work people receive from their coroflot portfolio. Don’t forget about it though. Like some people who haven’t updated it in the past 3 years 
The biggest factor for a student, is to stay active , whether its core77, twitter, tumblr, coroflot, idsketching forums. Just constantly keep plugging yourself in and good things will happen. The biggest take away I’ve gotten from my time on the core77 boards is the vast amount of knowledge and insight I’ve gained into the design community and that just comes with following all the discussions on the forums. Whether anyone would recognize me or my work, that’s just an added bonus.
I’m going to buck the trend here and say non of the above, not if it sacrifices time being spent on working on a great portfolio. An ‘online presence’ is worth nothing if it is not supported by great work. Nothing is more annoying than a student who blog’s, tweets (constantly) and has sub par work, just because people know who you are doesn’t mean you will get a job. After all your not going to remembered for what you say (unless you say something completely innapropriate), its your work which you will be remembered for.
As Sain said keep yourself up-to-date with blogs,core77 and make sure you are aware of what is going on in the world, a coroflot account is fine, just to gain some interest.
As a bit of context I am a junior at one of the big UK consultancies and next to non of our designers have an ‘online presence’, I don’t even have a coroflot (nor do most of our designers). Infact most of those who I graduated with are annonymous online (and they have landed top jobs, some even hoped over the pond to the globals.) So the idea that you ‘should’ and ‘need’ an online presenece is silly. As a UK student it’s a good idea to ensure you get selected to exhibit at New Designers. You ‘should’ have great work. Great work first, then a ‘online presence’.
I landed my first job through an internship I got through Twitter. It’s always good to follow people you don’t quite know for that reason.
Personally I started out with wordpress, blogger, issuu, coroflot, twitter and linked in and now have managed to amalgamate that into a Tumblr, which is perfect for what I use it for. It’s nice to have a main site or place people can go that stays active but also tells people a bit about you and can direct to a portfolio.
Also, it’s nice to link up to and get involved in the ‘real-life’ circles of people and events that are going round the cities you want to work in. Ning is a good place to start to look for groups that do real things (conferences-seminars-etc) getting in with real people is a great way to go
Basically, in response to Clam’s post as well, he has a good point. I’m an interaction designer so it was important for me to be quite active on new fangled internet stuff. There are other ways to get jobs.
Very true. First and foremost great work will get you noticed. Most of the time the “check out my project” Gather an initial respsone, but if the work was subpar it gets forgotten almost instantly. Online presence shouldn’t be a project you work on. Its something that just happens by putting yourself out there.
As Sain said keep yourself up-to-date with blogs,core77 and make sure you are aware of what is going on in the world, a coroflot account is fine, just to gain some interest.
As a bit of context I am a junior at one of the big UK consultancies and next to non of our designers have an ‘online presence’, I don’t even have a coroflot (nor do most of our designers). Infact most of those who I graduated with are annonymous online (and they have landed top jobs, some even hoped over the pond to the globals.) So the idea that you ‘should’ and ‘need’ an online presenece is silly. As a UK student it’s a good idea to ensure you get selected to exhibit at New Designers. You ‘should’ have great work. Great work first, then a ‘online presence’.
I know a ton of great designers that have no online presence and had they chosen to publish their work online it would spread the the blogosphere like wildfire. I strongly beleive their work would be in just about everyone’s inspiration folder. But they just do their own thing and fly under the radar. I’m sure this is true with thousands upon thousands of students and professionals.
The big takeaway here, is the online community is tiny. There are a few percentage of people outside of it that know students because of their online work/blog/twitter. So while it is worth while to get yourself exposed as much as possible. Its not the end all. Personal connections made at school and internships probabbly carry a lot more weight than someone you recognizes your blog.
clam, I’m sure we all agree with you (I know I do). Thanks for raising that crucial point that many miss. Yes, you need to have good work before you have a presence. But whether or not you’ve got work up, following blogs, design news, and designers on Twitter will help inspire and lead you. Core also provides a good place to ask questions and post progress on work!
Don’t forget that the sites like core are also a great place to post your in progress projects and get some constructive feedback on your work, but you made a good point that an online presence should be a supplement to a good portfolio.
I agree the portfolio is a must. I’m currently polishing my 1st year projects to put into the portfolio so its not actually up yet.
As for twitter I’m more of a “lurker” following design users and companies. But I want to get to use it more for communication/discussion.
I certainly wouldn’t waste spend time pushing mediocre work out there. That’s why I’m making the portfolio the best I can before I put it up. I want my work to be online and available so anyone can see it whenever they want, this is why I think some level of online presence is important.
Good advice, especially about explaining why you post the things you do on tumblr and how they inspire/affect you.
Ill put links to my “online presence” in my signature when they are up and running, just setting it all up at the moment 
Thanks for the advice everyone
I would gently note that there is a risk in the search for online validation at a time when you should developing and absorbing the education and the people around you.
Surely if kept under control, things like twitter, tumblr and forums add to ones education.
Isn’t participation vital to development ?
This is my opinion. Not trying to lay down any absolutes. I have not even fully formed this train of thought, just a gut feeling.
Design learning is about listening to superiors, professional educators, and working with, and in competition with, your peers. It is about working with materials and ideas and developing your talents. The hours that count are the ones you spend in the studio and in reviews. The face to face interaction with people that give you praise and people that give you criticism.
Going global with assorted web venues during this period seems to me to put the serious risk wrong emphasis on your work. Instead of the freedom to experiment and fail, you become more concerned with pleasing your “audience”. You become safe and slick, or you aim for that. You might compare yourself to the best sketch stylers in the world, instead of realizing that the ideas are what matter most, and developing a repertoire of skills.
The voices that participate in online discussions are much harder to evaluate. Experience, ability, area of concentration are all often vague or a complete mystery. People often give strong opinions about things that they don’t have the experience or depth to back up. Like many areas on the internet, there is a low or indeterminable signal to noise ratio.
I think in this forum, as in many, the positive is accentuated. As responders, we generally want to lift everyone up, we are also aware that we are playing globally, and don’t want to come across as harsh or negative. I remember some hard critiques in university, ones that can be delivered personally, or in a small group, but not in front of a hundred or a thousand people. Here, the choice is usually to remain silent when a harder critique is needed. With all of the positive voices, you run the risk of believing your own bulls__hit. My gut tells me that during the period of development, the more your ego is in check, the more open you are to becoming better. My impression is that the peers around you are the key.
Build a web portfolio and keep it updated as your work gets naturally better, participate in discussions. For your work, try first to get feedback from your local peers and professors. If that is not sufficient, then be sure of the reasons that you feel it necessary to look to a wider audience.
What matters most is your final selected work, that is really the stuff that you want to share with the world and your future employers.
I think in this forum, as in many, the positive is accentuated. As responders, we generally want to lift everyone up, we are also aware that we are playing globally, and don’t want to come across as harsh or negative. I remember some hard critiques in university, ones that can be delivered personally, or in a small group, but not in front of a hundred or a thousand people. Here, the choice is usually to remain silent when a harder critique is needed. With all of the positive voices, you run the risk of believing your own bullshit. My gut tells me that during the period of development, the more your ego is in check, the more open you are to becoming better. My impression is that the peers around you are the key.
Build a web portfolio and keep it updated as your work gets naturally better, participate in discussions. For your work, try first to get feedback from your local peers and professors. If that is not sufficient, then be sure of the reasons that you feel it necessary to look to a wider audience.
Yup completely agree nxkat.
The long and short of it you don’t need an online presence as a student to do well, so don’t feel the pressure to rush out there to the world and announce yourself, it is after all a marathon not a sprint and the risks far outweigh the benefits imo. That is unless you’ve got scott robertson sketching skills and killer ideas in which case slap them up 
.
I totally disagree with clam. There really is not very much risk, and making your work public forces you to improve more rapidly.
And… Not all the comments are positive, certain,y outside of this forum, in the world of blog comments, most of them are negative. We’ve actually worked hard to make this an island of constructive positivity in the online ocean, but not unwarranted. If I’m not commenting on something, I either believe the right thing has already been said, ot it is not good enough yet. Take that for what it is. (though sometimes I do like to go point by point through a portfolio on here, but it takes a lot of time)
The landscape continues to change, exposure to the global online community is a part of that. It is not about launching something fully formed, but rather getting work out there and showing your growth and evolution over time. Several posters here have developed into fantastic professionals Mark Miner( Who used to post as digitalvision) went from a student at Parsons to a designer at Kenneth Cole, to Adidas, to Nike (unfortunately Nikei is keeping him too busy to post now maybe that would have been his career path no matter what, but it didn’t hurt that he was posting work here, getting feedback, and the links to conversations in this forum about him ended up bouncing around the corporate studios and recruitment offices.
In addition, you hone your voice. 10 years of posting about my work on here and looking at the work of others has refined the way I speak about design. It is much more valuable if you are doing that about your work rather than a general discussion. I’ve said silly things, stupid things, I’ve posted bad work, the important thing is that I got out there and did it and improved.
The risk is missing out on that.
That’s one of the main reasons I like this site. Thanks to Yo and the other administrators that keep this site what it is. After my professors, this is the first place I look to for design related advice.