RE: Portfolio and Plans

Honestly, I am so excited to read responses from the rest of the class because I feel like I could use a lot of help in this arena as well.

I feel like I have always flip-flopped with what I want to do and who I want to be. However, one thing has remained constant ever since I was a child. I love art - whether it's painting, photography, drawing, doodling, typography, or anything else that comes to mind. In my undergrad, I majored in visual arts and photography, which didn't necessarily translate well into a career. It has helped me in a lot of ways that I didn't expect though, and I still remain the staff photographer at my work.

In terms of my design dreams, I have gradually narrowed down my list of likes, each year scratching one or two things off my list. I can design websites, but I don't want to be a web designer. I love photography and I have done freelance, but I know I don't want that to be my primary focus. I love print, but there's no way that I can solely specialize in that.

I do know that ideally, I would like to work in a small to medium communications department for an institution, such as a university or private school. I would like to be in a position where I am doing a little bit of everything, being able to also "talk the talk" to outside contractors if needed. I know that with some things, it is better to leave it to focused professionals, like with web development and user-experience (even though that was hard to admit to myself at first).

I do have an online portfolio that I created on Wordpress. I find it is helpful, but I don't update it nearly enough. To sort of combat that, I try to keep it simple. I add a few projects each semester and try to blog about my experiences in the world of corporate communications, freelance design, and graduate studies. I am curious if I should narrow it down even further, to keep potential employers interested. I guess I have to see what other people say!

For my portfolio pieces, I try to reflect my interests with a lot of photo-oriented works and projects somehow relating to education. Then I add in some strong pieces that stray from my comfort zone. I have sections for Web, Illustration, Photography, Informative Works, and Creative Works, to show my diversity. If an employer or potential-client is interested in one particular type, they can narrow those out without being distracted by other irrelevant works.

I would really like to spend some quality time with my portfolio and my website, creating something that is more "me" and less template. We'll see when I can get around to that.

Here are a few dream portfolios that I have been drooling over:
Braizen
Pollen

I also love to look at portfolios outside of the field. For instance, photography portfolios:
Caitlin Worthington
Jeremy Cowart