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you’ve impacted their businesses
with design. Talking the talk can only
get you so far. You need to let your
prospects’ fingers do the walking as
they turn the pages of your brochure,
or click on your PDF portfolio, which
they received only moments earlier.
Portfolios garner a level of respect.
Find a niche and start scratching.
For one demographic, a funky
leave-behind piece may be the best
medium. For another, a memorable
holiday mailer may do the trick.
Be sure to do your homework and
determine what your target audience
will respond to. It could mean the
difference between hitting the mark
and missing the target.
Portfolios build your confidence.
Creating portfolios that truly illustrate
your creative genius can instill
tremendous confidence to individuals
or firms. Even in those moments when
you are lacking the creative genius
that you were sure you had, you can
glance at your portfolio and say, “I did
it once, I can do it again.”
Bottom line: The responsibility of self-
promotion and getting your portfolio
in the hands of the right people rests
with you. If you can’t pay your electric
bill this month, guess whose fault it
is? If your portfolio doesn’t impress
your prospective client, then you
probably won’t get their business.
The good news is that portfolio de-
velopment is easier than it looks—and
not always an expensive proposition. It
can be a viable growth strategy—even
a survival tactic for your business.
Here’s why:
Portfolios get you noticed. Portfolio
development isn’t just for the big
guys, and it doesn’t have to cost
much. In fact, some of the most
memorable portfolios are often the
ones that exude a simplified approach
to showcasing who you are and what
you bring to the proverbial table.
Portfolios add to your credibility.
Nothing says, “I have the experience
to get the job done” better than an
impressive portfolio. It shows work
you’ve done for your clients and how
Experienced designers agree that besides being willing to take creative risks, successful creative professionals share
a common trait: persistence. It’s the name of the game for portfolio design. Persistence is what makes us try again and
again in the face of rejection and setbacks.
The Master of Your Domain
THE IMPORTANC E OF GETTING FOUND
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π
Creating a uniform look throughout all of
your portfolio materials provides a sense
of cohesiveness. Capsule defines its core
capabilities with separate, yet similar, portfolio
components that appeal to clients interested
in different facets of the firm’s products
and services.
capS ule
π
Personalized promotions help define who
you are in the minds of your clients. They can
surprise, excite, and tell a story about your
creative capabilities. From monogrammed
cashmere scarves to handcrafted jewelry
to personalized stationery, promotions are
sacred gifts that clients look forward to
receiving.
The Fusion Hill design team created both
women’s and men’s stationery sets that
included eight different notecard designs,
gift enclosures, and a memo pad. Printed
digitally on uncoated stock using Fusion Hill
brand colors, each piece within the set was
monogrammed with the client’s first initial.
Sets were then packaged and tied with a
bow. One hundred personalized sets were
created and hand delivered.
f u S ion h ill
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Q&A W ITH N EIL TORTORELLA
The Essence of Portfolio Design
Neil Tortorella has more than thirty years of experience as an award-winning graphic designer, writer, and marketing
consultant. He has operated his own design and marketing consulting practice, Tortorella Design, for more than
twenty years.
Q: WHAT IMPORTANCE D OE S A
PORTFOLIO P LAY IN THE BUSI-
NESS OBJ ECTIVES OF BOTH
INDE P ENDENT DESIGNERS AND
FIRM S O F ALL S IZ E S?
A: Ideally, the portfolio should focus
on work that the designer or firm is
good at creating, enjoys creating, and
is the type of work they want to do.
Talent is, or at least should be, a
given. The truth be told, there are
scores of very talented designers out
there, but they should focus on their
strengths in their self-promotions. For
some, logos come easy, but designing
a website is like pulling teeth. For
another, brochures are a piece of
cake, but designing a logo gives them
an anxiety attack. It’s important to play
to one’s strengths and do a bit of soul-
searching to find out what one is really
good at doing. We create our best
work when our heart, soul, and mind
are into it and enjoy working on it.
Talent, execution, and even enjoyment
aren’t quite enough if there isn’t a
market for it. It’s important to research
what clients are buying, what’s profit-
able, and build on what you like to do,
then find ways to tailor your portfolio
to that market and its needs.
Q: WHAT ARE THE C OR E
ELEM E NTS THAT YO U F E E L
ALL PORTFOLIOS SHOULD
INCLUD E?
A: A portfolio should be more than a
simple collection of designs. It should
tell a story. A well-thought-out book
should flow with a logical beginning,
middle, and end. And like all good
stories, the beginning should grab
attention; the middle fills in the details
and builds to the climax.
A portfolio should start with a great,
memorable piece and end with one.
Selecting them can be tough. Some
things to keep in mind are:
• Isitawlesslyexecutedand
produced?
• Arethemessageanddesign
clear and captivating?
• Diditfulllthegoalsofthe
project?
• Doesitreectthetypeofwork
you want?
• Doesitreectyourpersonal
style?
Whether you mount your work or
slide it into acetate sleeves, ensure
that everything is clean, square, and
without bent corners. The substrate
should be neutral and take a backseat
to the work. I’ve seen too many books
with mattes and mounting methods
that outshined the designer’s work.
Make sure the case is clean and
doesn’t look like it was made in 1942,
unless it’s supposed to look like it’s
from 1942. The case is the first thing
a prospect sees, and it sets the stage
for the presentation.
Find a way to make your portfolio
stand out. This is especially important
for drop-off versions. That might
mean a custom case or a clever, yet
functional, way to mount the pieces.
If it’s mounted, be sure all work is
mounted on a standardized board
such as 16 × 20 inches (41 × 51
cm) or 20 × 24 inches (51 × 61 cm).
Different-size boards are distracting
and awkward.
I N T R O D u c T I O N
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Q: What role D o self-
ProM otion iteM s Play in the
Design inD ustry toDay?
a: Self-promotion is extremely
important for all designers—those
seeking employment at a firm or
agency and those drumming up work
as a freelancer or business owner.
A savvy, smart promotional plan and
strategy can separate the “haves”
from the “have-nots.”
There are a lot of very talented
designers out there, so employers
and clients have a lot of choices. It’s
the ones who are remembered that
usually get the jobs. A less-talented
creative with more visibility can
outshine a more talented designer
with less visibility.
The designer’s promotional toolbox
should contain a variety of elements
beyond the portfolio. These can
include mailers such as postcards and
brochures, stationery, websites, blogs,
newsletters, press releases, networking,
speaking engagements, and writing
articles. The trick is finding the ones
that work well for you and that you can
manage over the long haul. Marketing
is about consistency over time. One-
shot deals don’t often make a career.
Q: hoW often shoulD
Designers ProM ote theM-
selves in a C oMPrehensive
Man n e r?
a: Designers should do some form of
marketing, at the very least, weekly.
That can take the form of emailing a
useful link or two to some prospects
and clients, posting to their blog, at-
tending a networking event, or writing
a press release.
Mailings should be monthly to
quarterly. Longer than every three
months or so and your name will fade,
and you’ll find yourself starting over or
at least playing catch-up. Conversely,
mailing too often, aside from getting
expensive, can be construed as
desperate and annoying. Prospects
can become numb to your mailings
pretty quickly.
Postcards are often an inexpensive
way to keep in touch and show off
some new work. But it’s easy to get
lost in the postcard shuffle. I get a lot
of them from photographers and illus-
trators that, at best, get a brief glance
on the way to the garbage can. If you
choose to do a postcard campaign,
give it some quality thought. It needs
to stand out from the crowd and im-
mediately grab a prospect’s attention.
The same holds true of email promos
and enewsletters.
I N T R O D u c T I O N
√
Clean Design’s brochure serves as a
stand-alone self-promotion piece as well
as an introduction to Clean Design’s new
branding. It was created to support the
firm’s belief in the effectiveness of design
and their position as a strategic firm with
extensive branding capabilities. The leave-
behind includes an overview of their design
philosophy and their structure and process,
as well as a sample portfolio.
c lean d e S i G n
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It’s also important to test the waters.
Creatives can get too close to their
work, and emotions can get involved.
Run your promotional items by some
trusted colleagues and, even better,
some clients. Get as much feedback
as you can before you spend a lot of
money on something that might be
off target.
Q: During your Career have
you seen any P ortfolios
or self-P roMotion iteM s
that have truly WoW e D yo u
or the auD ienCe at large?
a: I’ve been in the business for over
thirty years. I’ve seen several great
portfolios and, unfortunately, a lot of
mediocre and even lousy ones.
One designer, in particular, stands
out. His work was utterly brilliant.
The presentation was flawless. It
was a 20 × 24-inch hard case with
the work mounted on black foam
core board. He had cut triangles
out of each board to make it easy
to pick each piece up. The cutouts
also lent a sense of interest and
geometry to his portfolio. The point
is that I remember him and his
portfolio, and that meeting was over
twelve years ago.
Q: hoW Can toDay’s in-
novative Marketing tools,
suCh as blogs, Pay off
for C reative inD iviDuals or
firM s Wh o ar e lo ok i ng to
“get their naM e o ut th e r e”?
a: I do a lot of marketing consulting
for creatives. My blog is naturally
about marketing and self-promotion
for that target audience. Marketing
seemed like a logical fit. When I
started my blog, I didn’t really know
what blogging was all about. Truth
be told, I started it because a client
wanted me to design one for them. I
figured I’d better learn quickly. Within
three months of starting up, my site
traffic tripled.
π
Since websites are updated often and
advertising works disappear quickly in
the digital world, 2Fresh shows video
presentations of their projects. These annual
Showreel DVDs provide quick snippets of
each project completed by the firm within a
designated year.
2 f reS h
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