IDD- 480 The Portfolio

Designing a Digital Portfolio--
So many options to choose from when created a portfolio. So many different variables have to be taken in to account when deciding which medium to use, and whether or not to use two or more mediums when presenting a portfolio.

Chapter 4 of Designing a Digital Portfolio deals with the different kinds of portfolios. It discuses the pros and cons of each one as well as when they would be useful for. Some people are more comfortable to one areas while others have a wide array of different medium used to display the portfolio.

Size is one thing that needs to be taken in to consideration. File size of an image will be much larger if the item has a high resolution. Therefore, a CD would be better than a website, however using your own personal computer would be the best bet for such large files, but who wants to carry around their laptop which also may falter at the most unfortunate times.

Also as Cynthia Rabun points out, if someone e-mails her their portfolio, she can tell that person researched the company and would really like that job. Some companies and people prefer e-mails with attachments to CDs, DVDs or hardcopy versions of portfolios. It is all a matter of personal taste.

Just as important as choosing what to put in the portfolio is choosing which ways to promote yourself in the portfolios. Some forms would flow together while some having two different mediums of portfolios do not work well together. It can all be based on trial and error to see which ones work well together.

Careers by Design—
Just as there are different areas to view the portfolio, there are just as many ways to advertise products and designs. Advertising is used as for promotional purposes, can be used to identify a company such as a logo, and also can base their entire enterprise off advertising. Such a company is the Walt Disney Imagineering group. The term "Imagineering" combines "imagination" and "engineering." That group plans everything and everything that has to do with the Walt Disney theme parks such as graphics, the environments, as well as products.

Industrial design became popularized the 1920s with such products as Lucky Strike cigarettes, the Exxon logo, and the Studebaker. All were different aspects of industrial design. Lucky strike represented packaging, the Exxon logo was for corporate identity and the Studebaker was an car. “Industrial Design was instrumental in developing the concept of graphic design as a profession (79).” Just as there are many areas to advertising, there are many areas to industrial design such as product design, environmental design and signage. They all help to promote a product or good.