I am a Statistics and Demography major, I am currently on a L.O.A. At first I started out freelancing and got my client in my first 3-6 months in graphic design where I designed a Brand Logo, FB banner, and added a free social media post design. After that I took this more seriously, not to just freelance but to become a graphic designer. In my 10th month I got a job offer from linked as a Junior UI Website Designer locally. I was asked to share a portfolio at the time, I didn't have a portfolio so, I had to share a business website I was working on for a business my chemist and I co-owns. I just celebrated my 1 yr anniversary as a graphic designer and having an IG business page. I am taking some graphics designing courses now, watching youtube and designing everyday. How do I stand out and compete with persons who have formal knowledge in graphic design? I've narrowed my skills down to brand strategy/brand identity | UI/UX Designs | Packaging & Label Design. Lastly, do I expand my interest?
Amazing video, I learned a lot as a beginner. - first impression - put context- very important - your work don't speak for itself - always ask who, where, what, why, how, what's the relation to this and that - build trust - put the overview, challenge, goal & make it clear - what value it will bring to your client - consistency- 3-5 solid examples/projects or put "experiments" for unfinished projects - double check spelling and grammar - use/put captions - have empathy, don't assume that they already know - share unique POV - be clear in your specialization Thank you so much!
Hi, I'm a graphic designer from Colombia and I don't have words to say how much appreciate this content. Its invaluable. Sometimes we as a designers don't have this kind of feedback of what we have to do in order to improve our portfolios. Thanks so much for this.
Honestly at first, I thought Petrula was just nitpicking on the portfolio but as I follow through up to the end of the video I was like "DAMN!" she just called out mostly the mistakes I usually make. Props to her and her in-depth constructive criticisms. I really admire how she really explains it thoroughly. With that being said, I will fix my portfolio from scratch!
"The problem to solve is instill trust", Really a sentence to live by for a freelancer from country like india. Thanks, Matthew and Petrula for critiquing my work, I will surely update my profile with more context about the projects and I will invest more time in informing viewers about my thinking process. Matthew, NURO coffee will be at your door as soon as it hits the market.
Thank you to Petrula and Matthew for reviewing my portfolio. I realise I have some work to do to improve my site and the number one takeaway - provide better context for the viewer! thanks guys
Petrula in the whole video had so much empathy, kindness and not-judging mentality I haven´t experienced in my last few months as a designer... She sees the glass half full, not half empty. Need more of her. :)
I do really appreciate the different lenses (perspectives) coming out from Petrula and Matt on how to create an effective portfolio, get the sweet "Yes" of the client, and get through the layers of hiring process. This content is TRULY a gem for aspiring creative people!
it should!!! When finding a product on an aslie competing with 5 or 6 different brands next to it, your JOB as a designer is to communicate just with visuals. Not always you will find a sales person explaining and displaying the product for you to taste. I totally disagree with her there.
@@watchyourst3p yeah I agree with you when working with clients or if it is a project. But, they are evaluating portfolio, and her statement was on a perspective of a person who had to hire someone
Petrula was my instructor at Art Center 30 years ago. And she still is teaching me things here. Just a wealth of knowledge and such an amazing grasp of design and the business aspects of it.
This is so valuable! Especially for self-taught artists as it's a pure source of helpful tips and courage that we cannot get from almost anybody else, because we didn't go to design school. It would be so nice if you could make the next one with newbies only - meaning self-taught designers with no experience and no work with clients yet. We are thirsty for more! Thanks again and keep it going
I went to a design school but I don't learn any thing about how to present my designs, portfolio, how to pitch a design... Anything of that really. It's sad
Me as a junior in graphic design field, this video gives precious advices about how to nail a portfolio and I would like to say Thank you to Ms. Petrula and Matthew for this insightful episode
Thanks to Petrula for confirming (just after the 47 minute mark) an idea I had as not being totally ridiculous: Creating a section of my portfolio site specifically for ideas that aren't quite "case study" worthy, but demonstrate what I'm tentatively calling 'snippets of process' - analyzing and redesigning a portion of an established app, for example, or expounding on a sassy screen I've mocked up for a Dribbble shot.
Tips I liked: - adding a niche and your design specialty and expanding on the about page - idea about adding an "experiments" section - I have lots of those but not enough projects. This has been holding me back from creating my portfolio and applying for jobs - sequence tip - I have been looking for inspiration from other designers' portfolios and now many (that I have seen) follow a sequence Thank you! I loved this video! It helped me work on my portfolio case study write ups.
I'm halfway through the video and I couldn't be happier to learn exactly the secrets to presenting my work. I'm really thankful to Petrula because of her deep insight into becoming a better candidate. I felt like she was scrutinizing my own portfolio!
LOVE THIS VIDEO - It's so interesting that this whole segment has been almost exclusively about the presentation of the work rather than the subjective quality of the designs…This really makes me think about how so very important presentation and function is to the process.
This is interesting that the hiring process is all about trust. As someone looking to get hired, I honestly have little trust for employers having the ability to give pay raises when I am not only deserving of it, but also to keep up with inflation. I have been burned this way in the past and I have quite a salty attitude about trusting employers giving proper wages. To add insult to injury, when I hear phrases like "You are being paid what you can be replaced for", it really hurts.
Thank you so much for this critique. As a graphic design student graduating in a year, taking care of my portfolio is currently driving me nuts. But I’m also excited to go out there and be the person someone trusts to get their message across visually. ❤️
Did Futur hire a new videographer? The quality of this video is so good!!!! The angles and the way the focus changed as each person was talking was wonderful to watch.
Agree, great framing, focusing and editing! The only thing I would suggest is trying to soften some shadows on the faces. White desk would work or some gentle light(s) from the bottom :)
These are the feedback I have always wanted from the companies I have applied to. Thank you so much for this video. 1. First Impression 2. Clarity and Context 3. Consistency 4. Sequence 5. Empathy 6. Unique PoV 7. Well-written Resume
The 1 hour video on portfolio review I actually enjoyed watching. This is incredibly enlightening and amazing insight on both sides. Petrula is so articulate I want her to be my professor.
Only 20 minutes in and I've already learned so much more than I have at university (I am in my second year of uni). We are expected to find placements in a month's time without any guidance or help from the tutors.
I though she sucked personally. Was really full of herself and talked out her ass a lot, seemed like she just said stuff to say it sometimes. Matt's opinions seemed much more useful.
@@ribertorbet5304 are you being serious? Those are pretty harsh words. Hard to take your comment seriously when she's obviously well spoken and knows what's she's talking about. What specifically did you think she was making stuff up about?
@@ribertorbet5304 Though I respect her contributions in design, I have to agree with you. If personality is quiet and soft and doesn't sound enthusiastic, my attention will be lost. I also think her way of thinking is a bit dated now.
Ya know...y'all never talk about the quality of voice or whether a personality is quiet with the men on these videos. Notice your bias and just listen to the advice, not how it's delivered. Gawds the crap women have to put up with...
25:03 I loved how both of you were candid and how this "Walk the viewer through your work. Tell a story." statement was an eye opener for me. I'll print it as a big reminder of all golden nuggets you shared in this video. I don't have enough words to thank both of you. Greetings from Brazil 🇧🇷. You made this May, 15th, the best day during my Covid-19 isolation.
I always like getting inside Matthew's head. Petrula Vrontikis seems critically experienced, genuinely honest and authentically encouraging. I can tell I'm gonna be a fan of hers.
A key insight was the mental state of a reviewer. They don't want to make a mistake by hiring the wrong person. So, one must assauge that fear and increase their trust. As a designer, that will guide how you make decisions in all touchpoints of your portfolio. A question designers can ask is "Does this help the reviewer trust my abilities more?" And proceed from there.
Looking to create a portfolio of my own and this was eye opening. Even though this is only an hour long, it gives so much valuable insight on how I can impove from others. Thx for this!! :)
I enjoyed watching this as someone who will be working on my portfolio. I've written down the key things to put into my portfolio and what not to do. This has been truly helpful. Thank you to those who put their work out there for constructive criticism.
Watching this again as a refresher. Just finished my portfolio class this semester and want to see if there's anything I can improve upon or refine. Always room to grow.
As someone who has just started in this industry I have learned a lot! I love the aspect of strategy and communicating it! I think this is also the reason why I don‘t just want to design. I want to help to build a brand! I want to combine the aspect of designing and brand strategy!
Petrula is a genius. Connects almost empathically in terms of addressing problems and providing great knowledgeable answers. What an awesome video, they're both so helpful.
This was one of my most liked videos in recent memory. Petrula and Matt gave out a mega dose of helpful critique. New designers and veterans alike, will find degrees of direction to sharpen their blades on, and broaden their leads! ⚔🎨
This is an amazing and highly valuable video! I've learned and understood a lot in just under 60 minutes! I like how Petrula and Matthew explain things very clearly and in a calm and concise manner. More of this please!
Currently revamping my portfolio to follow suit and I was glad to go back and explain my processes throughout - to then see it in this video as to how important it was!
37:18 i've seen many amateurs in design works simply attached to "what it looks" rather than "how should it looks". As someone who has studied a bit of psychology, i got an insight that design as a matter of problem solving have much more influence for the designer. Thanks for sharing it to us.
Invaluable advice for any portfolio building. I am starting a portfolio for a specialty that’s new to me- this video has made clear how to do that thoughtfully and professionally. Thank you for this gorgeously made video!
As a graphic design student, this was extremely helpful. I loved the tips and will be incorporating them once I begin to find a job in the industry. Thank you for reiterating that you need direction and focus when creating your portfolio, not only with content but context. Thanks for the insight.
The concept of instilling trust with your portfolio and having context with sequence I found to be a valuable lesson. Additionally, having empathy for the audience is critical in communication between the client and the designer.
This was extremely helpful. I just graduated with a Studio Arts degree and minor in graphic design with the intention of going into design and they did NOT teach us how to present our work in this way. I was completely unaware about how important context was, and how less is more if the quality isn't all there. I'm going to be working on my portfolio for a few weeks and referring back to this video!
I am really glad that i watched this episode as a 22 years old designer whose design skills and thoughs are still in the developing process, I love this episode and it really gave so many great advices for us. Thank you ♥️
Love the balance of your perspectives and your gentle approach to the critique with explaining your critiques. I think even with having gone to design school, a lot of the context of someone's critique - like their experiences and people they've worked with - gets cut out for time's sake. So these videos are always helpful. I'd like to see critique of some more designer / illustrator portfolios and how you critique illustration in context of graphic design!
Thanks so much for this - I've been putting together my portfolio for a couple of months and was a little stuck. The encouragement to increase the detail regarding context and information behind the design was perfect for me. The idea of clarifying what solution was provided, and how that was achieved really helped to get me to a point of completion. Very helpful and specific!
I love the incredibly specific feedback each of you provided. Thank you for putting this information on RU-vid! I needed to hear that my POV is valuable and that the viewers of my portfolio are interested in the process and context. Coming from 6 years designing in-house without a creative director, internal clients (and I) often forget how much thought goes into the work, and busy business managers can easily brush past the thinking stage. My takeaway is that I need to own this process and get better at communicating its importance. Thank you!
53:45 "leave a time stamp comment below" how ingenious. its easy to do, not much of thinking, it engages comments by more users, it is hard to resist by others as they want to know what has been said there and it even increases total watch time since anyone acting on it will rewatch some of the video. This was the most genious single thing i have ever heard any youtuber say to get that youtube algorithm to work for them. It was so genious infact, here you go i did it.
O my gosh!!! They should be showing this video in design school. Petrula gives such excellent portfolio advice here. When I graduated i was lost...not much direction from school as they told us to make a portfolio...without much direction or advise and no critique. We should have been told to start working on portfolios from day one. Thank you Petrula. Your free advise here was exactly what I needed in school...
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Please do more these kind of videos! I really love the advice given by Matthew and Petrula. Multi-perspective and helpful. Thanks a lot for these good videos!
I'm currently working on revamping my portfolio & this was very helpful, I've picked up many places that need reworking as a result. Would love more content like this! Thanks!
This video was so immeasurably helpful. It made me realize so much about how my own perspective of my work negatively effects my presentation of my services. I’m about to switch web hosts and create a new website, so this couldn’t have come at a better time! Thank you so much!!
Left my laptop for about an hour while it was still playing an architecture site analysis video, and when I came back this video was on the screen. I ended up watching the entire video and subscribed. Amazing content, I learned so much
10:17 - Share how you think and work through problems. ( Didn't know this is crucial) 10:36 - Instill trust through the context. ( Didn't know this is crucial) 14:44 - Gammer & spelling. (Thank you! Wheww! I know I am not doing the extra work for nothing. Coming from a background where English isn't my first language, I always ask my friend to proofread for me even it's just an Insta post because I want to show professionalism) 15:40 - I just recently learned from Michael Janda that I should use "we" even though I am a freelancer. Doing so will change the dynamite and the client will change their perception of my business. I guess I need to state my role in a project. Got it. 37:00 - Your work does not speak for itself. Explain your work. (I always think that pictures tell thousands of words. I guess not in all cases. lol) Thank you for such an insightful "class"!!!
I like what was said about the "about me" section. I would usually fill it as an after thought, but now I know that that it enables me to instill trust, show expertise and experience, highlight my special abilities and share my goals. This is powerful stuff, thank you Futur!
This was extremely helpful! I'm a multimedia designer trying to break into UX design. Could you please provide model portfolio examples for a UX designer? Or direct me to someone who is an expert (that you trust) in the field? Thank you!
52:38 I loved that Petrula actually opened up to the world of in-house designers, talking about the necessary assets they need just to get into the list of possible candidates. As Petrula was mentioning, the more structured companies are, the longer will be the ladder to climb for a prospect, ending with having to face at least 2/3 interviews with different people depending on the company hierarchy. It is a world worth exploring and I believe It would be great if this side of the Futur, could provide more insights to people about the in-house designer environment and how to get jobs there.
This video is priceless. I have an A.S. degree in Graphic Design for Print, but I have no portfolio. I suppose we were to learn that later. Unfortunately like many other people I cannot afford to continue on, which has left me a little lost. I have been very confused about how to put my portfolio together. This video has made it clear on what I need to do. Thank you for posting this.
Beautiful. I went to a 2-year tech school where we mostly just learned how to use the tools. We didn't go over how to think like a creative or business person (at least not as in-depth as you guys go), so at the end of our two-ish years I mostly walked away disappointed and feeling like I was only ready for Production Art. I've had to have to work my way up a slippery slope for a couple years grabbing at content from all over the place, so all the amazing content you guys deliver reinvigorates my thirst for knowledge and desire to be a better creative. Thanks so much!
This is AMAZING. I missed portfolio reviews! Watched now, but still saved it to one of my playlists so I can watch it again before every single project I upload in the future. Super valuable.
Great timing. Having caught up with my freelance projects, it was time to get back into sprucing up my portfolio, specifically in Behance. As I started to get things updated, I did start to realize that the site is set up in such a way that you can add blocks of text and images in an ongoing vertical scroll which should hint at creating a narrative about how a project is conceived and carried forward to birth as a completed product as opposed to just a place to drop your pictures and leave it at that. Every great design has a story.
Guys this is AMAZING and so much needed! You both have similar but different perspectives which produce great insights. Very empathetic work! I knew most of the things you talked about because I’m also supporting others with my service “job design”. Also, as I am looking for a job, this is really helpful for me to polish and work on final details. I’m so thankful for this content and now I even feel more confident!
4 years after, this still a gold mine of valuable informations. I especially would like to highlight that having 2 specialists is just crushing it! I've seen so many videos where ther is 1 person saying this saying that... but most of it feels like kind of a joke at the very end because: 01. 1 person only get the trust you give him 02. I'm talking about very famous chanels here. Those people doesn't even follow "the rules" they are giving. Sometimes because it's made for people that are procrastinating, so well... not gonna to be very valuable content, but damnly basic stuff like 1+1=2. And sometimes they are just trying to look like they are top highest damn good designers... but when you look at their website, they don't do what the tell to do, and the exemple they tooks (and criticized) where in fact just way better than their own work... So thank you so much to the intervenant and all what they gave to us, and thank you for this video 🙏
This is probably one of the most valuable resources for beginners out there for FREE! Excellent, in-depth insights into the minds of people who are looking to hire. I can't thank you enough!
I am so glad I found your video. I'm a graphic designer that is starting over and making my New Portfolio. I worked for a company here in Quebec City that closed the whole marketing department. So, I really need to put myself better out there. And I confess that I am looking forward to have more freelance work coming in. So, again, Thank you. This was refreshing and clear!
This was very helpful and I think this should be a bi-weekly or monthly segment on the channel. As someone graduating in June 2020 from a design school, content like this is a godsend. Petrula is so clear and concise I love it, and I love Matthews opinions on things.
Love seeing more of Matt talking strategy on the channel. Killing it recently mate! Very useful content in this one, would love to see a few examples of top quality portfolios as a logical ending but Kevin's was pretty solid.
Really good episode guys! This is much needed, even at design school here we are not given the proper context to display our portfolios. This goes a long way!
I appreciated the different perspectives that both Petrula and Matthew bring in their critiquing. It's helpful to understand the reasoning behind each of their perspectives and highlights the importance of taking into consideration who your audience is and how the design of your portfolio should be impacted by that.
A Very Useful tips for every Designer including me, As a Graphic Designer i've also done lots of work & mistakes. And this video session has really useful tips for future projects for me. Great tips.
