Polishing Your Portfolio
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IS MY BOOK WELL-ROUNDED? Do I have copy? Long copy? Visual solutions? Headlines? Outdoor? Ambient media? Digital? Mobile? Is all of my stuff funny? Is any of it funny? Do I have emotional pieces? Do I have anything not targeted toward people like myself? How many different voices are on display? How many different design styles? Do I have a variety of product categories? Technology? Food? Cars? Destinations? Events? Packaged goods? Services? WRITERS: Do I show that I can write? Long copy? Headlines? Different voices? ART DIRECTORS: Do I show that I can design? Type? Simple visuals? Different styles? Do I have more than 30 pieces? If so, what can I lose? Do I have studenty products? Condoms? Hot sauce? Sex shops? Bug spray? Powerbar? Do I have a One Show Student competition campaign in my book? If so, did it at least merit? Do I have unnecessary descriptions/strategies/explanations? On the pieces that do require explanation, is the story clear and concise? Do I have anything that’s just a media idea? [MEDIA ≠ IDEA] If so, how can I make it a great concept too? Do I have any one shots? If so, are they the best things in my book? If not, how can I build them into a campaign (or lose them)? Is the overall design clean? Does it keep the focus on the work? ON ORDER: Do I start and end strong? Are there campaigns with similar voices next to each other? How’s the pacing? Do I split up copy-heavy campaigns with visual campaigns? If I removed any particular campaign, would my book’s batting average go up or down? If so, what justifies its inclusion? Does it show a different style/skill/voice? What is my strongest campaign? Why? What is my weakest campaign? Again, could I drop it? What is my favorite campaign? Which campaign best represents the kind of work I’m capable of doing? What is the weakness of every single piece in my book? Can I eliminate any of those weaknesses? Am I including any non-ad work? Photography, design, books, side projects? (Writers, no short stories or poetry, por favor.) If so, what about it will a creative director find relevant? What does it show that my ad work doesn’t? If someone asks me to talk about a piece, do I have something intelligent to say? Can I sum it up in a sentence or two? Can I articulate the strategy? The target? If someone doesn’t want me to talk while they look through my book, does the book stand on its own? Do I have my portfolio online? Is it easy to navigate? Is it easy to read the copy? Is it easy to share? If I link to my blog/twitter/facebook page, do I have material that portrays me in a good light? Would I hire someone with my book? Why? Would I want to work at an agency doing the kind of work that’s in my book? Does my book feel like me? For more thoughts, visit makinads.com. POLISHING YOUR PORTFOLIO Questions To Ask About Your Book
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So you have your book together. You have some killer ideas. What next? This list of questions walks you through some of the things that agencies are looking for in your portfolio. It might give you some ideas on how you can make it even stronger.
Transcript of Polishing Your Portfolio
IS MY BOOK WELL-ROUNDED? Do I have copy? Long copy? Visual solutions? Headlines? Outdoor? Ambient media? Digital? Mobile? Is all of my stuff funny? Is any of it funny? Do I have emotional pieces? Do I have anything not targeted toward people like myself? How many different voices are on display? How many different design styles? Do I have a variety of product categories? Technology? Food? Cars? Destinations? Events? Packaged goods? Services?
WRITERS: Do I show that I can write? Long copy? Headlines? Different voices?ART DIRECTORS: Do I show that I can design? Type? Simple visuals? Different styles?
Do I have more than 30 pieces? If so, what can I lose?
Do I have studenty products? Condoms? Hot sauce? Sex shops? Bug spray? Powerbar? Do I have a One Show Student competition campaign in my book? If so, did it at least merit?
Do I have unnecessary descriptions/strategies/explanations? On the pieces that do require explanation, is the story clear and concise?
Do I have anything that’s just a media idea? [MEDIA ≠ IDEA] If so, how can I make it a great concept too?
Do I have any one shots? If so, are they the best things in my book? If not, how can I build them into a campaign (or lose them)?
Is the overall design clean? Does it keep the focus on the work?
ON ORDER: Do I start and end strong? Are there campaigns with similar voices next to each other? How’s the pacing? Do I split up copy-heavy campaigns with visual campaigns?
If I removed any particular campaign, would my book’s batting average go up or down? If so, what justifies its inclusion? Does it show a different style/skill/voice?
What is my strongest campaign? Why? What is my weakest campaign? Again, could I drop it? What is my favorite campaign? Which campaign best represents the kind of work I’m capable of doing?
What is the weakness of every single piece in my book? Can I eliminate any of those weaknesses?
Am I including any non-ad work? Photography, design, books, side projects? (Writers, no short stories or poetry, por favor.) If so, what about it will a creative director find relevant? What does it show that my ad work doesn’t?
If someone asks me to talk about a piece, do I have something intelligent to say? Can I sum it up in a sentence or two? Can I articulate the strategy? The target?
If someone doesn’t want me to talk while they look through my book, does the book stand on its own?
Do I have my portfolio online? Is it easy to navigate? Is it easy to read the copy? Is it easy to share? If I link to my blog/twitter/facebook page, do I have material that portrays me in a good light?
Would I hire someone with my book? Why? Would I want to work at an agency doing the kind of work that’s in my book? Does my book feel like me?
For more thoughts, visit makinads.com.
POLISHING YOUR PORTFOLIOQuestions To Ask About Your Book
