posted
i'm finally getting ready to make a nice portfolio for myself, and i'd like to get some ideas from you all.
at the various Letterhead events i've been to, most of the sign folk seem to just have cheap photo albums with snapshots in them. some of the work is great, but those photo albums make it look cheap. (i saw one that was filled with hand carved and gilded signs... and the photo album still had the $4.95 sticker on the back cover.)
is this what most of you use, or is that just what you bring to sign events?
if you use something else, i'd really like to see a picture of it (just a page or just the cover).
-------------------- :: Scooter Marriner :: :: Coyote Signs :: :: Oakland, CA :: :: still a beginner :: :: Posts: 1356 | From: Oakland (and San Francisco) | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
I don't have a photo to post, but I will try to describe what I did for mine.
I got a fake leather zippered 3 ring binder from someplace like KMart or Target. On the front I applied a "Portfolio" design in vinyl.
Inside for the pages, I took off on the scrapbooking thing. I cropped the photos and all, put them on black pages and used a white pen to label what things were (for example - size, materials, etc.). Every here and there I stuck an appropriate sticker. Then I slid the pages into page protectors.
I have gotten alot of positive comments on how it turned out. And the nice thing about being a 3 ring binder, you can rearrange pages when needed.
-------------------- Dana Ferry St Cloud, MN Posts: 1556 | From: St Cloud, MN | Registered: May 1999
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posted
I'm guilty of the photo album thing. I work in alot of other peoples shops, and alot of greasy fingers flip through it. I would rather use what I have for my application then something nicer, I feel it wouldn't last very long:)
One thing I have started doing since I got my digital camera is put a bunch of pics of a job on one page in Adobe illustrator, with my logo and info at the top, and the customers name at the bottom. I print that out and put it in one of those clear sleeves for 3 ring binders. Keeps them clean and with the covering you can't tell it's not on photo paper sometimes.
I guess it's depends on the use you intend it for. Are you going to bring it to jobs with you? Or, have it on your counter in the shop for customers to browse through?
MC
-------------------- Mike Clayton M C Grafix Custom Lettering New Jersey (again) Posts: 508 | From: New Jersey | Registered: Apr 1999
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posted
Scooter, One thing to remember, people will love to look through your "portfolio". Unfortunatly they don't always treat it with the care you would like them to, imagine what could happen to a nice handcrafted "portfolio" after a year of abuse! I think that's why most folks just use a photo album.
-------------------- David Thompson Pro-Line Graphics Martinsville, NJ
I'm not this dumb, it's just the paint fumes talkin' Posts: 397 | From: Martinsville, NJ | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
a palm m505 pda and photo suite by mgi software
-------------------- paul taylor pictougraph images new glasgow, nova scotia paultaylor42@hotmail.com Posts: 80 | From: nova scotia | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
Stephen -- could you post a scan of a typical portfolio page (or even the cover/outside) so we can see what it looks like?
i agree that the portfolio can be an important selling tool. i think it is one of the things that can help you inspire customers ("gee, you can do that too?") AND can get them into your price range ("well, i guess if all these other people paid him then i should too.")
-------------------- :: Scooter Marriner :: :: Coyote Signs :: :: Oakland, CA :: :: still a beginner :: :: Posts: 1356 | From: Oakland (and San Francisco) | Registered: Mar 2001
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Mine is just a photo album. One thing I did was pick a photo album where only a few photos could be viewed at once, so they could appreciate looking at only one or two projects at a time ... without getting their attention lost in a sea of stuff.
Also, I've often given them a couple views of one thing. Either at differing angles, or closenesses. A shot of the whole thing as it plays out in it's environment is good too.
My biggest emphasis on portfolios are that the pictures are of good quality so they don't detract from the work you are showing, and that you include only your finest stuff.
Not only is a portfolio a good selling tool for me, but coupled with my website, they serve as my sales team!
Saves me from doing much alot of unnecessary talking.
Janette
-------------------- "When Love and Skill Work Together ... Expect a Masterpiece"
posted
janette's site is really awesome for sure I do agree with you felix
-------------------- paul taylor pictougraph images new glasgow, nova scotia paultaylor42@hotmail.com Posts: 80 | From: nova scotia | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
If you use a photo album, don't leave it out in the hot sun very long, haha, I left mine out in the sun for a few hours once and every page in it was wrinkled. The whole book was twice as thick as it was before. Thank God the pics were still ok, most of them couldnt be replaced.
I have a leather one now (12x14 I think), 3 ring binder with a zipper to protect all the pages that are in those plastic sleeves, wish i could find really clear sleeves though. It also has a pocket inside it for business cards and a place for tucking 8x10 papers. It works great for me.
posted
I have a large, better-quality photo album with the self-sticking pages. The cover is a simulated leather, and on it I gilded my logo (actually one of three logos!) Inside I have copies of trade-magazine articles and design awards, then several large (8"x10") photos of our best work, followed by several pages of other work, truck lettering, etc. One of my favorite sections is three pages devoted to "before and after" photos, which can be quite effective.
It does get handled a lot, and every two years I buy a new one and replace it. Not really a lot of work, and it inspires me to get rid of dated or stale photos and showcase photos of new signs.
I've seen a lot of portfolios at meets, some good, some not-so-good (I'm talking about the portfolio itself, not the quality of the work!) One thing that puzzles me is that so many portfolios don't identify the shop or the artist, and you can page through some oustanding work without knowing who did it!
I think a lot of people underestimate the value of a portfolio in impressing potential clients. Its not just the photos, but their presentation, that counts. If we don't present our OWN image in a professional display, why would a client trust us with THEIR image?
A portfolio is not the place to be shy about your skills. It also should not, in my opinion, overwhelm the client with a vast number of photos, but impress them with a few high-quality shots of your best work. Think quality, not quantity.
Personally, the best thing I've ever done for sales is to create a showroom, which includes a nice portfolio. We are in the business of visual images, therefore, our own image and presentation should be outstanding.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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