The scariest, most easily procrastinated task any creative person must tackle when the time comes has to be the dreaded Portfolio. There are so many different formats, so many different tastes and mediums out there that it becomes difficult to narrow down a suitable layout without making it as dull as toast without butter. But at the end of the day, it needs to be done in a way that lays out your strongest skill sets, your best work, and, well, yourself as a person. How? Well, hopefully, this blog will clear up a few things.
First off, decide who your audience will be. 3D Modellers? 2D animation? Riggers? The reason why you must decide this is to make sure that any recruiter will know what skill set you have and what role you are strongest in. For example, if you were a developing 2D animator, you would need to show life drawing skills, character design, character acting shots, and potentially 2D VFX abilities. Think of it as a visualised CV in simpler terms. You wouldn’t make a Compositing portfolio for a Creature animation role, so at the end of the day, make sure you represent what you want to do on your site.
Secondly, don’t clog it up with words. Make it a visual story! You’ll find that anybody who works in a creative industry will want to be presented with images and showreels rather than an essay on each page. Speaking of showreels, make sure that’s the very first thing they see. Make it punchy, and if your website has a certain style or aesthetic, try and match that, give it flow! Don’t be afraid to use the icons of the programmes you’re proficient in to show, rather than tell, what you can and can’t use.
And last, but not least, have an introduction to you! Don’t be cliché, but don’t go synonym crazy with it either. Think outside the box and blow them out the water by depicting yourself as someone they need rather than someone they’d hire temporarily.
Believe in yourself and don’t be afraid to be confident!!
Check out Lucy’s portfolio here and her vimeo here!