Related Posts
Virtually experience exhibit booths featuring hands-on interactive STEM content, get an all-access pass to exclusive performances on the STEM Stage, hunt for clues in the Scavenger Hunt, earn points to be eligible for prizes, get creative with selfies in the photo booth, view student projects on display, and so much more! A #FREE event brought to you by @USAScienceFest! Oct 18 to Oct 24. Lerarn more: https://scifest.vfairs.com
Additional Posts in Designers
Best online classes for newbies?
How do you handle revisions at a company?
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Bit of a long story but stick with it because it's surreal, but happened. Skip down to the bottom for useful advice.
An agency I worked for hired a star designer to join a team I was managing remotely abroad. He was so good they hired him on the spot without consulting with us at headquarters. On my next on site visit I was doing my rounds of all the designers and, when I get to him with high hopes, it was clear he was a chancer. He was working on an important part of our user journey and seemed to have made 0 progress since starting a few days before. Through a giant language barrier, he showed me what he was working on and it was blatant that all the elements on that "page" were completely out of proportion, place and logic. In complete confusion I picked out an icon he was using and that seemed too big and asked him how what dimensions it had. I had to take over his mouse because he tried measuring it with a physical ruler, and when I did, that icon was 400 METRES across! He had zoomed out as far as the software would allow before starting to "work". I immediately went to talk to the PM to tell her we needed to get rid of him. As I was doing it, one of the designers stood up and shouted "Everybody stop! Don't do anything? Someone just deleted the whole repository!". Wanna guess who it was? Our star designer, with an enviable portfolio of projects for Nike and other global lifestyle brands, had decided to clear his desktop and somehow dragged the repository into his bin and deleted it. We managed to recover the files but the folder structure was gone, and it took one of our senior designers two days to rebuild it.
Our team was located at the client office, and the PM told me we could get rid of him because we were charging the client for X amount of bums on seats, so I kept him there doing nothing, with a random design piece open on his screen at all times to pretend to work on. Then a week later he deleted the repository again while trying to clean his desktop...
*The actual Advice*
Anyway, the moral of the story is that there are many ways where seeing the process van be useful, least of all to have some indication that you actually worked on the piece and didn't just download the images on your portfolio from someone else's. Its also beneficial to know that you are capable of handling the task critically and weren't just an art worker. You don't have to show images but it does help if you tell a story. You can do it with text and use some images to illustrate it, but keep it brief and don't bury the final piece in scamps.
Something I've started doing recently was create full case studies in PDF or presentation format that I can email or link to from the project page on my website in case anyone wants to know more. They also come handy during interviews (pull it up, share the screen) and putting them together is a good exercise in recalling your process and prepare for said interviews.
Unreal!
Agree with the advice. On my site, the recruiter is led right to the work itself. Each one of my pieces shows the work, and many the "how" behind it. Next to each visual is a text/blurb of the problem and solution. And you are spot on: short and to the point.
I always include my process because I think it's essential. It shows how you think, not just what you produce.
Mentor
Process is important, but I think the amount of detail you need to show is going to vary based on the level you’re applying for.
I expect students and juniors to show me step by step their design process and how they get from point A to point B, generally with a lot of visual to help me see their thinking.
For seniors, I expect them to know what they’re doing and am looking for higher level process steps and where they made impact at each stage, preferably with actual metrics.
I’d expect more rough work and sketches from junior folks, and less from seniors. It’s still good for more experienced folks to present concepts they brought from low to high fidelity, but I don’t think it needs to be extensive.
make simple animated gifs that show the process first, then pause on the final product.
I wish I could include my "process" but when you are laid off and lose access to all your work you are limited on what you can submit.
Always keep your portfolio up to date. I didn’t think I’d need mine after over 20 years with my employer. Then just like that… we don’t need you. Sigh!
I think it is important enought in the Ai era, just show before after or just the asset of the image of your best digital imaging process
Mine mostly shows the final product. I have a couple pieces that are meant to show my process. But I find my clients aren’t so interested in that part.