I was very happy with this book!
I was very happy with this book! I took a Portfolio class in college and it did little to help me build a
digital portfolio. This book covered a number of questions that I had about the various computer
design programs. It also offered ways to create navigations once the digital port is created and some
of the things that can go wrong.
The book is well structured. It is logical and clear. There were tons of examples. In addition to the
chapters on creating a digital, there are some great chapters on how to create a traditional portfolio as
well. I also learned the best ways to create resumes, how to take interviews and what to do when
asked difficult or illegal questions.
This book has plenty of useful information interspersed with just enough technical info to keep you
feeling informed but not overwhelmed. If you are trying to create any kind of portfolio, buy this book!
It hurts to read.
This book is incredibly irritating to read. It made my brain hurt. Another review described her style as "ebullient." I would describe it as "unfocused and unedited."
As I randomly flip open the book, I find typos and simple grammatical mistakes that should have been caught by a decent editor.
Page 14: "Write down answers to the following questions. Don't be modest, but be realistic. Put yourself inside the head of the potential employer as you consider how you will come across during an interview?"
Empty phrases:
Page 23: "A good rule of thumb for establishing the length of the resume is to balance economy with appropriate depth and detail."
How exactly is that a rule of thumb?
Page 49: "Any discussion of electronic design begins with the question, which format should I use to create my portfolio? Should I create a Web site? Or produce a CD-ROM? The answer is, it depends. In fact, there is not much difference between the two formats."
Gah! Really, the answer depends?
There's not much difference between CD-ROM design and web design? That's news to me.
Irritating parenthetical trivia:
Page 49: "For all intents and purposes, a CD-ROM (remember, this acronym stands for compact disc read-only memory) can be considered, simply, a storage device for your designs and resume."
In a word, the book takes a rambling shotgun approach, it's littered with irritating mistakes, and there's not much insight into the subject matter.
Extremely Mediocre
I must say I had high hopes for this book, but it didn not deliver. Everything in it was obvious and I didn't feel like I learned anything at all. For instance, Myers goes on for a while about file formats and the different softwares and what they do. If you were a graphic design student and you were reading this book, wouldn't you already know all this stuff about what software like Adobe Illustrator does?
Her design samples are boring, they lack creativity, and they just plain drag the book down. I do not reccommend this book, though unfortunately, there aren't many if any good portfolio books out there... Maybe next time, Debbie.
Perfectly Designed for Designers
During my stint as a librarian in a university art school several years ago, I encountered many young graphic design students who were creative and talented; however, they seemed at times a tad clueless about the real world that crouched in the darkness ahead, waiting to pounce. Back then, there was no shortage of materials on the theory and technique of graphic design, but there was not exactly a glut of practical information on how one successfully breaks into the graphic design field after graduation. To accomplish this goal in today's competitive job market, the graphic designer needs an effective portfolio as well as the skills to market it to perspective employers and clients. Debbie Rose Myers gives aspiring graphic designers the vital information necessary to succeed at this daunting yet crucial endeavor.
With an ebullient style, Myers describes the process of planning and implementing all facets of the portfolio. Different portfolio types are explored, from the traditional to the digital. The text examines every facet of the process, including professional resumes, job interview skills, the fundamentals of elegant Web site design and the importance of being prepared for computer malfunctions. Included are portfolio examples, pertinent glossaries and a bibliography. Myers's choice of success stories are sure to inspire the creative personality, such as the artist whose portfolio included herself clad as a 1950s waitress and achieved five job offers.
Though the title implies a small audience, this spirited book will aid job-seekers in a broad spectrum of fields, not just in the arts but in business and the sciences as well. At the very least, The Graphic Designer's Guide to Portfolio Design should be a permanent resident of not only academic art libraries but the designer's personal library too, for this is a work that will be consulted again and again. There is always a place in the world for artists; they merely need to know how to find it. Myers illuminates the path.
Mostly Useless Book
I was very disappointed by this book. The design examples, with an occasional exception, are very weak; and the content is so generic and obvious that it yields virtually no valuable insight at all.
(6 reviews)
