Please enjoy this presentation of my physical portfolio and reflection on the first steps into my design career.
My journey as a graphic designer began as a result of COVID. I have always been passionate about creating art, but I instead found myself fifteen years into a healthcare career which was slowly draining my energy and ability to find time to pursue art. Then the world turned upside down as COVID began to infect the masses and I truly realized how short life is and how precious it is to spend as much time as possible enjoying our time on this Earth.
I enrolled in SNHU’s B.A. program for Graphic Design and Media Arts with the goal of eventually leaving healthcare and creating a vibrant and fulfilling creative career. It was a difficult transition into working full-time as well as going to school full-time; and there were several bumps along the way to this moment. But, as I wrap up this course, I can truly say there is nothing further holding me back from carving this new path in life. I am equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead the way.
This design portfolio presentation may be the final product of my journey with SNHU, but it is also a small stepping stone in what I will create in the future. Within this portfolio lies not only the results of my classroom work, but also the results of my first design job. Through the skills learned within these electronic halls and connections I’ve made throughout my personal life, I was able to sign on as a staff member of the Middle Tennessee Anime Convention, a multi-thousand attendee convention, in Nashville, TN.While this is a non-paid position, it does come with the benefits of portfolio work, a design listing on my resume, and networking with a fantastic group of designers who offer wonderful advice and critique.
My time prior to this year’s convention really taught me the value of teamwork and creating a positive environment for open communication. Through Trello, a list making application/website, our team was able to create categories, tasks, and specific item descriptions. This allowed us to categorize items as “to-do,” “in progress,” “for review,” “in production,” and “completed.” We also assigned a team member to each task/item which created accountability. Then, through Discord, we posted works-in-progress to garner feedback and critique. This process was extremely important as the items we created ranged from merchandise and website components to app development and onsite signage. This was a huge undertaking with a very tight deadline.
The simultaneously both intimidating and exciting aspect of this whole project was working within an established brand identity that shifts according to theme each year. This allowed for additional flexibility as long as we hit on a few key components keeping in line with the MTAC identity along with the theme for the year. All of my designs went through multiple iterations before being approved. The Premium Tour Shirt design began with the prompt of “band tour shirt/ 90s aesthetic” which resulted in a hot pink design reminiscent of a neon sign. The design itself was polished and well balanced utilizing mostly strong lines, typography, and a limited color palette. While my supervisor loved the concept, it was determined to be better as an outline since the neon light effect would not translate well into screen printing on a t-shirt (1). So, I had to rethink the project while utilizing this critique as well as additional points made by our Merchandising Manager who wanted to remain closer to the established brand identity (red/black/white).
I feel extremely fortunate to be able to include this design as well as my other merchandise items in this portfolio as an example of what my time with SNHU has prepared me to do. These items also serve as proof to myself that while this new path is scary and filled with uncertainty I made the correct decision in working towards leaving a career which keeps a roof over my head but slowly squeezes the creative joy from my heart.
It is interesting to look back on the items from my classwork and actually see my growth as a designer throughout my time with SNHU. There are several projects I initially thought of including in my portfolio, but throughout this specific course I was able to really learn and apply the importance of editing myself. I received feedback on design items that really felt more like “assignments” and less like polished design work (2). Even though I was proud of the work I put into them and the skillset illustrated in the projects, I had to really evaluate their worth as portfolio appropriate items and keep in mind the goal of this course. I decided to scrap these designs from the portfolio and include only my more polished works.
However, even my more polished works benefitted from peer and instructor critique in order to really make a more successful portfolio. I adjusted multiple pieces in order to make them stand out in the best way. The most valued advice I believe I received was presenting my designs as mockups. This allows my prospective client to see my designs in action! For my classroom work, I found free pdf files to utilize as mockups and altered them with my design in Adobe Photoshop (3-5). For my work with MTAC, I had the privilege of actually having physical items. With the exception of the Premium Tour Shirt design photo which was posted by my supervisor, I set up a small lightbox in order to take product photos of the remaining items and show how they successfully translated into physical merchandise (6-9).
I believe the inclusion of physical merchandise to be one of the strongest elements of my portfolio. This shows my prospective client that not only can I envision the final design on a mockup, but I can prove that I pay attention to product specifications in order to create a successful final product. My goal is to present myself as a skilled designer, effective communicator, and an enthusiastic and professional project partner who pays attention to even the most minute of details.
As I move forward, I believe this presentation of myself will be extremely important as this is my second career later in life. Realistically, I will face challenges ahead being slightly older than the majority of the designers starting out. I know the importance of having a strong portfolio when the market is saturated with wonderful designers and the world is leaning more towards remote positions which creates a larger pool of competition. I plan on presenting this being my second career as a positive advantage over others. Having been in healthcare for 15 years I have learned how to work well under pressure, adhere to tight deadlines, operate while multitasking, and work with a wide array of personality types. This is experience I can bring to my work in the design field.
I cannot wait to take my first step out into the professional (paid) design world. I am excited to continue learning and expanding the skills I gained within this program. Here’s to proving that anyone can do anything they set their minds to in order to enrich their lives and enjoy the time we have!