Finding My True Self

By: Casey R. Butler

Events Attended

As my undergraduate studies in graphics, multimedia, and web design at New England Tech come close to an end, I knew that I needed to enhance my online portfolio to prepare myself for not only the real world but to prepare myself for grad school in the upcoming fall. DesignXRI was offering a couple of workshops such as building creative portfolios.

The portfolio workshop occurred on Thursday, November 12, and Thursday, November 19 via zoom from 10 am-12 pm. I also attended the National Portfolio Day event that occurred on Sunday, November 22 via zoom. The National Portfolio Day event was a chance for me to have a representative from an MFA graphic design program from various grad schools across the country review my online portfolio for consideration.

Why did I choose these events?

I chose these events because I wanted to examine how portfolios were developed compared to how the Graphics, Multimedia, and Web Design program at New England Tech develop their idea of setting up online portfolios. Before I took the portfolio workshop with DesignXRI, I attended various open houses for grad school such as Rhode Island School of Design, SCAD, MICA, and Boston Univerisity. I wanted to get a better sense of how graphic designers from other schools displayed their work on their online portfolio sites for better chances of landing a job within the graphic design industry.

What I Learned?

What I learned from the portfolio workshop from DesignXRI was that I needed to display my work in a tile format. I was also informed that I only needed to display work that was my strongest and what I am capable of designing for a potential graphic design job.

I talked with Sasha Flowers, who was the host of the workshop and brought up the way that the graphics, multimedia, and web design program at New England Tech set up online portfolios. I told her that we had to display our work in a form of a blog post because of SEO reasons.

I also asked the same question to the instructors at various grad school open houses and they said that all I needed to do was display my work and showcase the overall process of each graphic design piece created. Most graphic design programs at various schools don’t display their work in a blog post format, to begin with.

Portfolio Reviewed by Sasha Flowers

I knew that at some point I needed to have my portfolio reviewed. So in the portfolio workshop, Sasha was looking for four volunteers to have our portfolios reviewed. I ended up being one of the four volunteers to have my portfolio reviewed. At first, Sasha was concerned about my file sizes because my website was taking a while to load, but it turns out it was her wifi connection.

I showed her some of my work and liked the direction I was heading in developing my online portfolio. However, she informed me that I needed to work on displaying my over progress a little more. She was also confused if my online portfolio was personal or business-related. I told her it was for personal reasons to seek a company based graphic design job. She told me I only needed to add 3-5 pieces of work on my website if that was the case. I always thought companies what to see as much work displayed as possible just as long as it’s relevant.

National Portfolio Day

A few days after the end of the portfolio workshop, I had my portfolio reviewed once more but this time for grad school. I met with a representative from Boston University known as Christopher Sleboda who was one of the graphic design teachers in the MFA graphic design program. I showed him a few pieces that I worked on throughout my time at New England Tech. He loved my work and said I have a good eye for typography and colors. However, he wants to see at least two more pieces of work that are on the creative side of graphic design and not so much on the technical side of graphic design. I only have until January 2021, to submit my application for grad school.

My Thoughts on Portfolio Building

Ideally, I’m all about being creative. I’ve been informed by my classmates that I will land a job in a design firm one day. I liked the sound of that. However, the way that I am instructed to present my portfolio as a blog post takes away the creativity and artistic side of who I am as a graphic designer. To me, the blog post version of displaying my portfolio is cluttered and hard to follow. But I’ve been informed by my instructors to do so because of search engine optimization and marketing reasons. It may not be creative, but it’s a way to drive traffic to my online portfolio. I just need to further enhance my SEO ranking then I’m good to go.

The representatives from various grad school open houses told me that most people do not have time to read like myself, they just want to see our work with a little explanation and what we are capable of as a graphic designer. I saw online portfolios from other graphic designers from various schools and the way they display their work is different compared to how I have to display my online portfolio. They didn’t display their work as blog posts, they displayed their work as to how it should be done in a gallery format with clickable links. To be, it’s a much more creative way to display work than in a blog post. Like it or not, I’m going to display my work the way I want it to look.

Why Grad School?

I didn’t think that I would need a master’s degree to gain a job in the graphic design world after I receive my bachelor’s this march, but a part of me felt there’s more to graphic design than what I learned from New England Tech. During my time at New England Tech, I learned a few creative aspects of graphic design based on colors, fonts, and imagery chosen to create eye-catching content. Most grad schools I’m applying for want to see what I can offer as a graphic designer. I mainly learned the technical aspects of graphic design but not so much the creative aspects. I mean sure I took a couple of design-based classes here and there, but to me, it isn’t enough.

I want to explore more about the creative side of graphic design and the history behind it. Someday I’d like to be my own boss and earn a little more money which is why I’m considering myself to attend grad school in the fall.

After conducting some research on each grad school and attending national portfolio day, I’ve narrowed it down to my top choice being Boston University. I feel as if Boston University will be a good choice for me to attend grad school. I like what the MFA graphic design program has to offer. Plus I got to observe other MFA graphic design student’s work to get a better sense of what to aspect. They seem like a wholesome community and seem to look out for one another. The staff seems pretty cool and I know I’ll be a perfect match for the program.