I recently finished up teaching a series of web classes with our sound design students. We discussed the use of websites as a means of project management/collaboration/information sharing, and as a portfolio of work. I think the traditional design firm portfolio site is really not the direction most people should head towards. Especially for a one-person or small group its just too static. It requires diligent attention to keeping it updated and fresh, which most designers don’t have time to do. Start looking at design firm sites and you’ll find most feel pretty ‘dusty.’
My recommendation to them is to look to something closer to a blog. And keep the focus on issues/items/resources that are of ongoing interest to colleagues as well as current and future customers. There should still be pages for a standard resume and recent work examples. But I think the real benefit comes from a regular stream of content that gives the reader insight into how you/the firm approaches design challenges and the field as a whole.
That said, this articles from the excellent online magazine, Digital Web, has some good tips. While more focused on the traditional portfolio, these are all important ideas for the blog/portfolio site as well.
Digital Web Magazine – Creating The Perfect Portfolio
If you’re a designer looking for a job—whether of the freelance or permanent variety—then an online portfolio is pretty much mandatory. In many instances, your portfolio will be looked at without you present, without any other information about you, and probably by a person who has never spoken to or seen you in person.
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Design Portfolio websites | How to make a website on Mar 13 08 at 10:05 pm[...] bigcitylib wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt We discussed the use of websites as a means of project management/collaboration/information sharing, and as a portfolio of work. I think the traditional design firm portfolio site is really not the direction most people … [...]
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Randall Rode's online home for thoughts, notes, and experiments with a wide range of technology topics. Visit the about page for info on my recent projects and professional background. I welcome your comments!
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