Building Design Portfolios

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For many design jobs, websites are the first place

an art director will view a designer’s work; the

designer then needs to follow up with a print

portfolio and live presentation. But for website

designers, motion video designers, and product

designers, websites are the best and, sometimes,

only meaningful way to show their work. Online

portfolios, however, aren’t just for tech-heavy

design. They are also a great way to display any

piece that would need to be photographed for

inclusion in a traditional print portfolio—every-

thing from food packaging and outdoor signage

to large three-dimensional objects.

Because websites can be viewed at any time of

the day or night, they can be a particularly effec-

tive way of ensuring that your work gets seen.

Many clients expect successful professional

designers to have a website. It’s a sign that a

designer is established and serious about his or

her work. Websites have also eliminated many

international barriers to business by reducing the

need to send print portfolios between countries.

Many successful design studios redesign their

sites as often as once a year to maintain a good

reputation and stay current. Websites also need

to be updated frequently to show recent work and

give viewers a reason to come back. In general,

firms or individual designers hire a Web designer

or programming specialist to create a site and

work closely with them on the overall concept

and function. It’s important that a website match

the tone and style of the work of the designer or

design firm.

Creating

Interactive

Portfolios and

Websites

/ Building Design Portfolios

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Job no:70268 Title : RP- Building Design Portfolios Client : Pro-Vision

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Dept : DTP D/O : 26.01.06 (Job no:000000 D/O : 00.00.01 Co: CM0)

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75 / CREATING interactive portfolios and websites75

OPPOSITE

A playful, interactive design by Zarse on this Web page

instructs the viewer to choose paint colors that brighten

spirits, ease tension, or enlarge space.

ABOVE

Nathan Zarse, a student from the Herron School of Art

and Design, displays his interest in 1950s design on his

website. He gives it a period look and theme by using a

palette of pale green and cream and setting the text in

letterspaced sans-serif type.

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