Now that my time at Penn State Abington is coming to an end, it’s time to start planning ahead for my future. I’e been learning the trade of graphic design for nearly seven years, having practiced many different forms of content creation within the medium. This semester, I plan to show my mastery over the various mediums, skillsets, and creative tools that I’ve acquired by using this class as a workshop for a professional portfolio.
This will not be the first time that I’ve created a portfolio, but it will be the first time trying to make one that is both physical, and digital. By developing a webspace for my portfolio, I can present my work at any given time, and can include a resume on-site. In fact, the site itself would be a demonstration of my web designing abilities.
This will not just be a way to have a presentable body of work, but also refresh all of the skills that I’m out of practice in. Though I’ve learned a lot over the years, it can be difficult to keep up with maintaining acquired skills. Therefore, this workshop will also work to re-secure and enhance my skillset.
For the past few weeks I reviewed which skills I need to brush up on in terms of graphic design, and compiled which are the most urgent to improve on:
- Drafting and conceptualizing
- Page Layout
- InDesign/equivalent
- Typography
- Webdesign
Not only that, but I plan to revive my webcomic that I started last semester, both as a way to get used to deadlines and simply because I don’t wish to abandon my creation. I plan to research ways to simplify the process of creating backgrounds, which have been the most time-consuming of the creative process, as well as dedicating more to setting up reference scenes with available resources, rather than wasting time digging for reference images or drawing from the head (never a good idea).
By week 6 I intend to have at least three presentable pieces for my portfolio, and an online version at the ready. I also Intend to have begun updating my webcomic again.
This is quite a tall order for a semester, but I need to make absolutely sure that I graduate with a focused mind set, sharp skills, and presentable work. It’s time to see how far I’ve come.