How do you stand out?
Just because someone gets a degree does not guarantee a job. For many fields of work especially a graphic designer, one must face the challenge of standing out amongst a sea of other people. This can make job hunts increasingly discouraging to downright futile. As if all self-promotion amounts to screaming into a black void.
This challenge is difficult, but not impossible to overcome. The solution to further stand out is to have the most avenues of displaying work, and send out as much as possible in every way possible. Having a more impressive display of content is one of the easiest ways to stand out, even if only slightly.
Both portfolios in and of themselves could be seen as a testament to content mastery: A physical portfolio displays the ability to construct a visually pleasing display of work and an understanding of printing. A digital portfolio provides the advantage to take professional work anywhere and show off skills in web design.
I plan on making a full-scale professional portfolio for my senior thesis. This includes both a physical, and digital version. The goal is to have at least 3 or 4 works to put into the portfolio by week 6, as well as have a domain and website set up for my online portfolio. I also plan to start my webcomic back up by then as another example of my capabilities in both web development and artistic ability, as well as proof of the ability to adhere to a deadline schedule.
With all of this above, I will have a versatile arsenal of displayable work to present when searching for a job. It may still feel like screaming into a black void, but it’s a scream that will go in a lot of directions.