Let’s talk about Portfolios

Fall 2016Gina Collura, Creative Director

Breathe

Your portfolio/book has:

- Only your most awesome, smartest work- At least 6 different projects (as many integrated projects to show depth of your thinking)

- Includes a range of brands/services, like: - Food/Beverage- Sports/Rec- Travel/Tourism- Tech product/brand- Fashion/Beauty- Eco/sustainable brand

Your portfolio/book has:

- Products you love- A brand you care about- Something you want to dig into and research

Your portfolio/book is:

- An extension of you

Look at your work from the last 2 semesters…

Luke Sullivan puts it best:- Speed of the Get- Believability- Creativity

It’s not a very big idea if it doesn’t fit on a Post-It note.

Look at your work:- Come up with ideas that generate other ideas.- Start with human truths. - Arm yourself with the facts.- Be fearless around bad ideas. - Often the worst ideas are your tour guide to the best ones.

Look at your work:- Where is the emotion in this product, service, or category?- Remember, it’s “got milk?” not “have milk.”- Don’t make things for the internet, make things out of the internet.- Would the press cover it? Would a person use it or share it?

Your Portfolio SiteMake sure your site: - Is responsive.

- Works beautifully on mobile. - Doesn’t have any typos.

- Is simple and easy to navigate.

Is all about “The work. The work. The work.”– BBDO

Are there any teams in this room?

Portfolio Don’tsAnything inappropriate/vulgar/distasteful

- No expletivesNo typos

Creative Directors on Your Portfolio

“I want more than just ads. I want to see you solve business problems.”

“Identify a problem for a brand and then show me how your idea can make the client money.”

“How does your idea make people look at the brand in a completely different way?”

Have one single sentence to intro the campaign.

Here’s a good example in a student book: ‘Citi Bike: How do you take an activity New Yorkers already do and turn it into something that does tangible good?’ See? It’s one sentence.”

Recruiters on Your Portfolio

“Here’s what student books should have: - 3 or 4 integrated campaigns- 1 digital-only campaign- A couple of 2-D campaigns (print/outdoor/etc.)- Plus a few things that’re cool: inventions,

evolutions on existing products/services, etc.”

Recruiters on Your Portfolio

Ways to create Portfolio Sites

• Cargo: $66/year• Carbonmade• Wix• Format• Adobe Portfolio• SquareSpace• Weebly• Coroflot

• CommArts/Creative Hotlist:

$8.99 for 1 year!

Buy an easy to spell + remember Domain name (GoDaddy.com) and go!

Next Week:Show your best portfolio pieces.

:15 minuteOne-on-Ones

You should have a range of brands/services, like:

- Food/Beverage- Sports/Rec- Travel/Tourism- Tech product/brand- Fashion/Beauty- Eco/sustainable brand

Need a brief? Ask.

Fun things + Deadlines

- At least 1 agency field trip- Fire drill session, if we need it

- Big Ad Gig Contest: (winner was in my Fall class last year: she interned at AtmoProximity/BBDO)

- Halloween is your Portfolio deadline - 62 days from Monday- 59 days from Thursday