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"Your portfolio is like a stage. The moment before it is reviewed is like the moment before the curtain opens. Your audience doesn't know what to expect. If the work you showcase is the play itself, then your portfolio is the stage and sets. Having a traditional, non-digital portfolio is a bit like having your stage located in a small town only as big as you're able to walk across. Having a digital portfolio is more like having it in Times Square." – Ian Clazie
 The Creative Group just launched a new guide, Creating and Presenting a Powerful Portfolio, which offers tips on everything from choosing the right number of samples, to presenting your book effectively to potential employers and clients. To dig deeper into this subject, we connected with Ian Clazie, author of Creating Your Digital Portfolio. The book offers valuable big-picture pointers as well as extensive technical tips to help all creatives – whether print designers or 3D animators – build an impactful digital portfolio.
So, what's the secret to putting together a strong online portfolio? Read our interview with Ian to find out: The Creative Group (TCG): First off, why did you feel compelled to write a book on this topic, and how did you identify the key components of an impactful digital portfolio? Ian Clazie (IC): "A few years back, the small digital marketing agency I worked at, Amnesia (now Amnesia Razorfish), came up with the idea of hosting an open studio event at my previous employer in Sydney, Australia. The event was geared toward students and young designers looking to start their creative careers. I gave a seminar on creating digital portfolios. Later, U.K.-based publisher RotoVision noticed a blog post I wrote on the subject and approached me with the idea for a book, and the conversation began. When we started talking about the project, I realized my background was very well-suited to the topic." TCG: What are the unique advantages of developing a personal website versus utilizing portfolio hosting websites and social networking sites (like Carbonmade or Behance.net) to promote your work – and vice versa? IC: "I always recommend people first utilize a free professional portfolio site service. There are a number of them out there, and I review a few of them in the book. It's a great way to quickly get your work online, go through the process of organizing your work, and get familiar with the standard features of a professional online portfolio. "The primary benefit of taking it further and creating your own from scratch is that you can demonstrate the broadest possible range of creativity and capabilities because you've invented, designed and built the entire package. This isn't the right approach for everyone and has risks associated with it, but done right, it can achieve great results. The book highlights a number of incredibly inspiring examples." TCG: What was your biggest challenge when building your first online portfolio? IC: “I built my first online portfolio at clazie.com in 1995. There were several technical challenges at the time, but that was the fun of it. The World Wide Web was still young and there weren't a lot of easily digestible resources for learning HTML. I hand coded the website I designed, which was a good learning experience. The design was done in Photoshop 3.0. I learned Photoshop on version 2.5, which was before they introduced layers, so everything you did was on one layer with one undo. Needless to say, the technology and my skills evolved quite a bit since then." TCG: What challenges do you come across now in terms of maintaining your online portfolio – and how often do you update it? How often should people revisit their online portfolios to ensure they're up-to-date? IC: "These days, I keep a blog rather than a portfolio as I spend more time managing the creative process as opposed to doing hands-on work. To land the role I'm currently in, I did use a portfolio for pre-interview reviews and a slide presentation format during interviews. “This approach leaned heavily on case studies to communicate my involvement in each project and its effectiveness. I recommend people revisit their portfolio every time they need to heavily rely on it to get work or make a career change. If you're a freelancer, you'll need to update it often. If you're in a long-term role, don't worry about it until you need to make a change." TCG: Advertising and marketing executives recently surveyed by TCG said the most common mistake creative professionals make when assembling their portfolio is including items that don't show value provided to the company. What do you think is the most common mistake creatives make when it comes to their online portfolios?" IC: "It depends on the roles you're going for and your overall objectives, but I'd have to agree that a very common failing is a lack of demonstration of commercial relevance. That said, there are plenty of cases where this isn't as big a deal. Consider an illustrator looking to get hired by art directors. Art directors will be reviewing illustration portfolios looking for the right type of output regardless of the commercial relevance of prior work. “The common mistake that bugs me most when reviewing portfolios is simply the creation of confusion. Confusing navigation systems, illegible text, lack of clarity about what you're looking at … there's an infinite number of ways to raise question marks in the minds of your reviewers, and the net result does not increase your chances for employment." TCG: We love your suggestion of including a video/motion reel as part of your online portfolio. Can you share an example of someone who does this really well? Do you think video will eventually become a staple in every digital portfolio? IC: “There are so many good examples that it's very challenging to point to just one. The best looking examples often belong to the production houses that focus on high-quality video execution. A personal favorite is Hunter Gatherer, whose work can be watched at huntergatherer.net. “Demonstrating interactive work is a little more challenging but can be done to good effect using skilled hands and a motion graphics package such as Adobe's After Effects. Showcasing print and other physical objects is the most challenging to wrap into video, but it can be done. A motion reel doesn't suit all portfolios. Decide who you're targeting and what you're trying to achieve to evaluate whether or not it's worth the effort." TCG: Do you think it will become more important for creatives to design for tablets and mobile devices given their growing popularity to view content? What special considerations, if any, should designers take into account when building online portfolios for these tech tools? IC: "Since writing the book, I've watched tablets explode onto the market. In conversation, I now recommend people have an off-the-shelf portfolio site for remote viewing and bring a tablet to the actual interview. It's the ultimate form factor for smooth and casual presenting. It just works. Show your pieces in full-screen view and remember that you're driving the show." TCG: "Your book features a slew of great examples of online portfolios. Are there any that really impress you? What is it about them that makes them unique or impactful?" IC: "My personal favorites are mainly in the three gallery sections in the book so they can be displayed as large as possible. They're all beautiful and effective in their own creative ways. I hate to point to just one favorite, but I do keep coming back to Adhemas Batista at adhemas.com – it's vivid and brilliant at every turn. It's clear, well-designed and well-built, and carries tremendous impact. Of course, so much of the effect is the work itself." TCG: Why is it important to proactively seek feedback on your online portfolio? Where do you recommend people get feedback, particularly those who are early into their careers? IC: "If you're using your portfolio to get work (as most people intend to do), getting feedback from your target audience is a no-brainer. Creative leaders are generally very opinionated, so the feedback will come freely. Take it with a grain of salt, but listen for ways to improve and refine. The more you fine-tune your portfolio, the harder it will work for you. Attend portfolio reviews for the advice as well as the networking. Definitely seek out a mentor in whatever role you're in. They're essential and indispensable long term. Usually they're hard to spot, so keep an open mind." TCG: What new innovations or trends do you think we'll see when it comes to online portfolios in the next several years? IC: “The dominant trend at the moment and in the near future is simply the raising of the bar on the general quality of portfolio sites out there. The spread of good quality, free services available and the popularity of platforms such as Cargo have a lot to do with this. These days bad portfolio packaging really stands out. There's just no excuse for it. “A realm I'd personally love to see get transformed is the art of storytelling as applied to the role of the portfolio. I've highlighted a number of examples in the book of creatives doing this well, but the vast majority of sites don't unfold the work for us in a way that tells a story. It's an elusive and challenging space to play in, but I believe good storytelling could become a trend in portfolio creation." TCG: Finally, what additional tools and information can people find at clazie.com/digitalportfolios? IC: "Visit clazie.com/digitalportfolios to find an extensive list of carefully selected online resources. You'll also find design and technical tips and tricks, help in navigating the legalities of displaying your work online, free online portfolio services, and people to follow for advice on Twitter … there's a lot there. Plus there's a link to find the book on Amazon and a form for contacting me if you have any questions or comments!" Group creative director at MRM San Francisco, Ian Clazie has worked as a digital creative in San Francisco and Sydney for the past 16 years. He has provided creative and user experience direction for clients such as Intel, Wells Fargo, Xbox, Pepsi, P&O Cruises, Microsoft, Diageo, Unilever, Tourism New Zealand, Yellow Tail Wine, and more. To learn more about Ian or to contact him, visit clazie.com or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/iclazie.
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