So now that you have prioritized a goal, or list of goals you would like to accomplish. And...you’ve decided what it is you would like your
portfolio to do for you, in other words, you have a strategy in mind. And…you’ve
selected the format, or formats, you feel you will need to be prepared to
achieve your goals. And…you’ve taken advantage of resources that are available
to provide the best portfolio formats for what you need. And…you have acquired
the portfolios, equipment, software, output papers, etc. And…you have created a
body of work to choose from, which actually was the first hard part. Now comes
the next hard part, which is selecting and arranging the work you wish to present.
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| © 2013 Don Arday. |
Subject Matter
The display of subject matter is an extremely important
consideration when sequencing work. Although color schemes, picture formats,
and style traits will influence the opinion of a reviewer, subject matter,
a.k.a. image content, is the number one center of their attention. A reviewer
will examine all aspects of the illustrations for their content. For realistic
illustrations, they will note the figures or characters shown; how they are
dressed; their posture and expression; the setting they are placed in; the
objects that are situated within the setting; the attitude, mood, and
atmosphere that is being visualized; the narrative the illustration is
communicating; etc. For more stylized, non-figurative, or technical forms of
illustration, reviewers will focus on composition; the representation or
stylization of forms; the choice of elements or objects included; the
juxtaposition of objects; if idea based, the concept the illustration is
communicating; etc.
Depending on what the overall desired purpose of the
portfolio may be, the selection and arrangement of subject matter can vary
greatly. Still, for general showing situations it is best to include a range of
subjects and settings. Alternatively, showing illustrations produced for
different clients or purposes is another way to show a range of imagery. Even
in situations where an illustrator’s work is extremely specialized, it is
possible to present it to its best advantage by separating like images from one
and other in the portfolio sequence. It is particularly important to avoid any
kind of qualitative comparison. For example, let’s say that an illustrator has
two portraits of famous musicians in their portfolio. If the portraits are
shown adjacent to one and other, or one after the other, a reviewer will
invariably pass judgment on them by picking the one they feel to be most
successful, thus diminishing the value of the other one. It is also important to avoid any quantitative figuring. It is also important to avoid any quantitative figuring. In
other words, avoid giving a reviewer the opportunity to note that your
portfolio has five of one type of illustration and only one of another type.
Color Schemes
Color schemes are an important indicator of the visual range
that an illustrator possesses. So an illustrator that uses the same color
palette over and over again will be less attractive than one that shows
versatility when it comes to color usage. Now, as illustrators and artists, we
are predisposed to favor certain color and color treatments, and that is
perfectly alright, but when it comes to the arrangement of works in a
portfolio, there is no need to overemphasize this by, lets say, placing all the
cool colored pieces together, and likewise grouping all the warm colored ones, or any other
specific color schemed works together in the portfolio. By disbursing the order
of works with similar color palettes, a portfolio can appear to present a
greater range of breadth concerning color. If works that use a similar color
palette are shown in an adjacent order, a reviewer will get the impression that
the illustrator has a distinct color bias.
Series Works
A series is comprised of two or more illustrations produced
for one assignment, like a brochure, a storybook, an editorial article; or illustrations
produced for a set of like assignments, such as a book jacket series,
poster series, etc. There are two common misconceptions when it comes to
showing an illustrated series in a portfolio. The first is that the entire
series must be shown, and the second is that the series must be shown together and
in order. Almost invariably, a series, and especially a series that is
comprised of several pieces, is going to have one or more pieces that are not as
successful as others in the series. Although the thought of editing a series is
a hard pill to swallow, it will not only strengthen the appearance of the
series, but also the look of the overall portfolio.
Even harder than editing a series down to its best pieces,
is the notion of splitting up the series when sequencing the works in a portfolio.
A series shown all together has a tendency to interrupt the natural progression
of how a reviewer moves from one illustration to another. Also, a series of
work shown together is apt to become a dominating part of a portfolio, its own
section so to speak. I have seen portfolios that contain 15 pieces total that
included two series of 4 pieces each. Shown in succession it called attention
to the fact that the illustrator was only presenting 9 assignments. In this
instance, the progression of work in the portfolio would have appeared much more even by splitting up one or both of the series.
Style Traits
Many illustrators have a style, and within that style there
is usually a range of variation. This is only natural since as illustrators we
are constantly striving to improve on our craft. These subtle variations that
occur naturally in the work should be recognized and considered when arranging
a portfolio. One example of a stylistic variant could be an evolution of the
color palette that an illustrator uses. Another may involve a deliberate
stylistic adjustment to suit the display space an illustration is produced for,
e.g., simplifying a color palette for an illustration that will be published on
the web, or using a higher keyed color scheme with less detail for an
illustrated logo. It is perfectly acceptable for marketing reasons to include
these types of variants in a single portfolio.
For young illustrators who are still exploring several
manifestations of their style, it is particularly important to present work
that embodies this exploration in a manner that actually emphasizes its
variety. This also applies to service illustrators who work in many styles.
Orientation
There are three choices regarding the page orientation of a
portfolio; 1) landscape; 2) portrait; or 3) a square. The rule of thumb is to
go with the picture orientation that is most predominant in your work. So, if
you do a lot of full-page editorial work, the portrait format is probably best.
If you illustrate scenic landscape settings then the landscape format will work best. The
idea behind choosing an orientation is to allow for each image to be displayed
at a respectable size. That may be all well and good, but which orientation should you choose if your
illustrations are both portrait and landscape in nature? The simplest solution
would be to go with a square shaped portfolio. It may be the simplest, but from
a practical standpoint it isn’t the easiest. A square portfolio would most
likely have to be custom built, and digital displays, like tablets, simply
aren’t made to be square, so for reasons of practicality, most illustrators
choose either portrait or landscape.
Having made the choice one way or another, work that doesn’t
match the orientation of the portfolio is somewhat compromised when seen in the
wrong setting. For instance, a landscape-oriented illustration that is
displayed on a portrait-oriented page will appear much smaller and somewhat
less significant than the portrait illustrations that fit the format so well.
There are two alternatives to correct this situation; 1) make all the portrait
illustrations smaller to match the size of the landscape illustrations; or 2)
position the landscape oriented illustration on its side. This will require the
portfolio to be turned by a reviewer to view the landscape piece. Obviously,
neither is a great solution. I recommend the second alternative, and here’s
why. The illustration is more important than the portfolio, in other words the most
important consideration is to make the illustration look the very best it can.
By turning it sideways, the illustration can be shown at the same scale as the other portrait-oriented works, and it will be larger and more impressive on its individual page.
Nitty-Gritty Considerations
In addition to the overriding arrangement considerations
that have already been discussed, there are a number of other considerations
that are nonetheless as important.
1. The scale areas of the illustrations displayed should approximate
one and other. Since nearly all illustrations have different proportional
dimensions, this may require size adjustments to individual illustrations to
make them appear consistent. Illustrations that appear larger will also be interpreted
as having more importance.
2. Illustrations that are displayed adjacently, or that
follow one after the other, should compliment each other. Strive to achieve some sort of visual or contextual transition.
3. Illustrations should be displayed at a respectable scale.
White space or border should not dominate the “real estate of the page”.
4. Original artwork should never be incorporated into a
portfolio. However, an original or two can accompany a portfolio when there is an
in-person interview.
5. Illustrations should be accompanied by, but not dominated by,
text that provides information about the illustration to support it for
situations when you are not present.
6. The name of the illustrator should be on each page or
file in case a reviewer removes individual illustrations from the portfolio.
7. Logos or identity imagery that appears on a page along with an illustration should be treated in a manner
whereby it does not compete or diminish the illustration it accompanies. A
small graphic or monogram can cause quite a visual distraction.
8. Limit the number of orientation changes, or turning of the
portfolio that may be required on the part of the reviewer. In other words,
group several portrait or landscape oriented illustrations together to minimize
turning. Note: For digital tablets, it may be advisable to lock the page
orientation so the images will remain in one constant position.
9. Know whether the choice of illustrations and their
arrangement in the portfolio will have to be changed frequently, or can remain
constant. Some illustrators create different arrangement schemes to suit
different types of interviews or clients.
10. Be very selective, “less, is more”. If two or more
illustrations are demonstrating a particular subject, then consider choosing
only one of them to represent it. The same goes for demonstrating certain skills, showing specific clients, etc.
11. Smaller illustrations, like spot illustrations, should be grouped together on one page provided they relate to, or compliment one and other.
11. Smaller illustrations, like spot illustrations, should be grouped together on one page provided they relate to, or compliment one and other.
Some Handy Arrangement Tips
1. Lay the illustrations out in a space that will allow them
to be seen all at once to view them gallery style. It will be much easier to arrange and see how individual illustrations coordinate with one and other.
2. For purposes of analysis only, group illustrations by category,
either by subject, color, style, series, or orientation, to recognize the
similarities and differences among the illustrations.
3. After arranging the illustrations in order from beginning
to end, reverse the order, and then review your choices again.
4. Go through the exercise of forcing yourself to eliminate
one piece from your portfolio. By doing this, you can identify a work that may
be unsuitable, or the first one to be replaced when you introduce a new illustration.
5. Consider sectioning for organizational purposes. This
works well for portfolios that contain many pieces. Sections such as magazine,
advertising, book, etc. could be established to help a portfolio appear easier to review and more
organized to a reviewer.
