Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
#175 P DTP:216 Page:20
(RAY)
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
#175 P DTP:216 Page:21
001-093_15877.indd 21 11/30/09 3:16:36 PM
D E S I G N M AT T E R S / / P O R T F O L I O S 0 1
21
Text
P L A N N I N G c r eat i n G i m p l e m e nt i n G
We’ve all seen them: portfolios and self-promotions that seem to have a life
of their own. Teeming with well-designed, innovative graphics, these portfolios
are not the cookie-cutter renditions of yesteryear. Rather, they are streamlined
masterpieces that stand out in the minds of a targeted audience.
Remember when you were a kid and your mother used to say, “If you can’t say
anything nice, don’t say anything at all”? These days, many people espouse an
updated version of that philosophy: “If you can’t build a portfolio right, don’t build
it at all.” Portfolios are core marketing tools, and the statement they make by
their appearance and functionality is critical to the business they represent.
Planning your portfolio, namely what form it will take, the contents within, and to
whom it will be distributed, is the first step in portfolio development. This stage
of the process will allow you to step back and see the big picture in terms of
how you want your portfolio to impact you and your company. Do you want your
portfolio to be a permanent symbol of who you are and what your company
does, or do you want it to be customizable to each recipient? Should your port-
folio content include visual as well as verbal components, such as case studies,
that will clearly define your creative vision? Or perhaps the visual components of
your portfolio should simple speak for themselves. As with all things design, take
your time to get it right and remember the adage, “Planning makes perfect.”
The Big Picture
A CREATIVE APPROACH
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
#175 P DTP:216 Page:20
(RAY)
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
#175 P DTP:216 Page:21
001-093_15877.indd 21 11/30/09 3:53:25 PM
(RAY)
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
12-C54244 (204) #175 P DTP:216 Page:22
001-093_15877.indd 22 12/16/09 2:49:41 PM
22
D E S I G N M AT T E R S / / P O R T F O L I O S 0 1
Text
†®
Choosing a sleek portfolio with simple,
well-defined imagery and minimal copy
draws the viewer in. A silver cover with
coordinating bright orange vellum inserts
is a defining characteristic that is carried
throughout b-on creative’s engaging portfolio.
B-on c reative (South k orea)
P L A N N I N G c r eat i n G i m p l e m e nt i n G
Sleek and Chic
A LITTLE B LING G OES A LONG WAY
(RAY)
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
#175 P DTP:216 Page:22
001-093_15877.indd 22 11/30/09 3:53:25 PM
(RAY)
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
12-C54244 (204) #175 P DTP:216 Page:23
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
12-C54244 (204) #175 P DTP:216 Page:22
001-093_15877.indd 23 12/16/09 2:49:46 PM
D E S I G N M AT T E R S / / P O R T F O L I O S 0 1
23
Text
P L A N N I N G c r eat i n G i m p l e m e nt i n G
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
#175 P DTP:216 Page:22
(RAY)
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
#175 P DTP:216 Page:23
001-093_15877.indd 23 11/30/09 3:53:25 PM
(RAY)
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
#175 P DTP:216 Page:24
001-093_15877.indd 24 11/30/09 3:17:4 PM
24
D E S I G N M AT T E R S / / P O R T F O L I O S 0 1
Text
existing product or service and let a
particular group know you’re there to
serve it—albeit in a fun and unique way.
Conversations with experts produced
a list of old-standby practices that,
with a couple of unique twists, make
for a lucrative portfolio campaign.
Among those practices are evaluating
how your portfolio fits in the market
and crafting an appropriate message
ensuring that you leave a lasting
impression.
In fact, one of the most difficult
problems facing many businesses
is establishing a promotional strat-
egy that is profitable, logical, and
competitive.
While creatives play a huge role in the
global economy, these individuals and
firms find themselves reinventing their
marketing techniques to compete in a
saturated market.
So how do the best creative firms
create portfolios and self-promotion
campaigns that make targeted clients
comfortable enough to loosen their
purse strings? Portfolio design and
self-promotion can be a relatively
simple matter: Take examples of your
Taking the Bull by the Horns
MAKING YOUR PORTFOLIO WORK FOR YOU
In the past, designers and creative firms commonly approached marketing and self-promotion in an uncoordinated fashion,
with portfolio development relegated to the lowly status of being addressed only after the garbage was taken out—if then.
P L A N N I N G c r eat i n G i m p l e m e nt i n G
(RAY)
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
#175 P DTP:216 Page:24
001-093_15877.indd 24 11/30/09 3:53:25 PM
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
#175 P DTP:216 Page:24
(RAY)
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
12-C54244 (204) #175 P DTP:216 Page:25
001-093_15877.indd 25 12/16/09 2:50:6 PM
D E S I G N M AT T E R S / / P O R T F O L I O S 0 1
25
Text
Determine your marketing objectives,
which will result in different promo-
tional strategies. For example, your
promotional objective might be one
(or all) of the following:
• Increasesales
• Increaseyourcustomerbase
• Maximizelong-termprots
• Staycompetitive
• Establishastrongermarket
position
You need to understand your
competition by keeping abreast of
what the guys down the street are
doing in terms of portfolios and self-
promotions. Find out what is working
for them and what is not. Then create
your own strategy.
But remember: Simply deploying a
series of promotions or designing a
stand-alone portfolio isn’t enough.
Although strategic use of promotions
has proven to be a good system for
some designers, it is important that it
is not the quick fix. Instead, it should
be a coordinated effort between your
marketing and sales functions.
√π
The portfolio of Lockstoff Design is
cleverly bound together with a single metal
rivet, which makes it attractive and functional.
When fanned open, recipients can see a
snapshot of several projects the firm has
worked on. The opposite side of each fan
leaf offers detailed information about the
project on the front. The single fan leaves are
interchangeable, offering a flexible way to
update the portfolio when necessary.
lockStoff de S i G n
P L A N N I N G c r eat i n G i m p l e m e nt i n G
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
#175 P DTP:216 Page:24
(RAY)
Job:11-15877/15287 Title:RP-Design Matters Portfolios
#175 P DTP:216 Page:25
001-093_15877.indd 25 11/30/09 3:53:26 PM
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.