Graphic design folio

i think there jeasuous of your abilitys.. these are awesome... i like the PS2 one the most.

as for crit... um... the zebra and web factor 5 ones are pritty weak. i wouldn't include them on my foilo.. maybe they view people on only there worst works and saw the factor 5 one.. but apart from those two.. the rest are great

Where abouts are you applpying for Makk? Perhaps you should include some paintings aswell and some other mediums (like flash). I went for an interview at Wollongong, my folio sucked and my flash stuff didn't work well but I seemed to have passed o_O (I didn't end up taking it though) The more complex you can go into your software packages the better because apparently they like you to learn all that by yourslef.

Your work is pretty sweet tho man... You should work with a few vector only adds and do up some stuff that would go onto large bollboard signs on the road. Also do some food packaging stuff. ;) apparently thats a big area for Graphic Designers.
The more variation you have the better I think and thats what will get you in I rekon anyway :D

Goodluck man!

what was the course? did you have an outline of what they were looking at/for?

The biggest thing that hits me when browsing your images is that they are all fun/cool graphics and not much down to earth design application or pieces that obviously show a really really worked and refined process. It would be good to see the logos applied to business cards, letter heads, products etc. Possibly including things like the PS2 ad may damage your chances, as it really only show off some photoshop work. The rest of the piece is appropriated - it would be better to create your own finctional PS2 competitor and marketing pitch. Then every aspect of the piece would be soley your creation...

have you considered applying to other institutions, maybe even interstate? eg I think SA design courses might be easier to get into than Melbourne ones, don't know about the other states. and in the mean time short courses are good in you have the ca$hola. If you are a bit sneaky and do your research you might beable to do a short course with tuition from the very people that will be assessing you folio next time you apply! a bit of a foot in the door so to speak.

I?m a graphic design student. I ain?t pro but I can tell you a few basic things about your designs.

I think your design lack the design principles.
Seriously do a series of images that focus on each principle of design.

They are:
Balance
Emphasis
Rhythm
Depth
Unity

The graphic design is about the manipulation of those principles. You must show them that you know what they are!
It is about visual communication.
Your work must mean the same thing to a wide range of people.

When you show them a piece, you should be able to explain why you used that image with that font and so on and what feeling you are trying to evoke from the viewer.
But keep in mind that you should talk but don?t rave on and on endlessly.

Good graphic designers hate seeing stuff that looks like filter work.

I remember someone in class doing something with filters; he got told that it looks tacky and cheap. Also in a design, every element is there for a reason. There is something called ?over designing? so there?s a simple and clean rule somewhere.

I think you might need to work on your typography knowledge too.

Thanks for replying guys. I applied at the Ballarat Uni (Arts Acadamey) here for a Diploma of Graphic Arts.
The info from your replies has been invaluable, I only wish I had done this before the interview and application.
You right in that there really isnt enough logo, package design, etc and evidence of design elements and principals. I think I understand now why I didnt get in.
I have another year to get another portfolio together and apply, thats if I decide to take that route.
Oh and Chris if your reading this, thanks agian for the email :)

Makk, you're a talented artist that the games industry could benefit from, why the heck would you want to throw away your skills into the field of graphic design? [:)]

I studied graphic design and worked fulltime as a graphic/web designer for a few years, and I have some regrets that I didn't spend that time developing my artistic talent instead. I'm seeing people at my age who went the fine arts path and wondered if I could have been at the extraordinary artistic level they are at now. Of course, I wouldn't have been able to afford it anyway, but if I could, I would have loved to have done a fine arts course. I did get a lot out of graphic design and I do enjoy seeing the creativity that people do in that field, but in my opinion the scope for self improvement is much lower in graphic design than in the field of visual arts (illustration, concept, painting etc). I mean, you could get a good hang of graphic design in a few years or so (and anyone can be a graphic designer), but mastering painting or human anatomy etc would take much longer, even if you have great drawing skills, which not eveyone has. In the end, do you want to be an expert at making throw-away advertisements or art that you can be proud of?

This is my opinion, but having been in the graphic design field for so long and observing the industry, it really is a field of follow the leader and copying the latest design trends that others have set. Grunge style, 40 degree angles and arrows, exploding 3D shards etc, now it's vintage or flat coloured shapes and figures with a retro 60's look. In a year that stuff will be old hat, trust me. Trends get outdated fast, and when you're following the trend, your work gets outdated too. I have a whole heap of old designs which I'd rather toss away because they've become a cliche of the fads from yesteryear.

Another thing is, you won't be making any work for yourself - you'll be designing work for clients, and what they say is the rule. Most of the design work I did made me feel like a design slave where I pretty much had little input of my own in the overall project. Some clients even have a thick book of guides and rules on what font types and colours etc to follow (e.g Microsoft and every other corporation). I spent 3 years on designing corporate things like that, and I'm not even proud to show a single one of them, whereas I am happy to show all the pixel art work that I did 10 years ago.

Anyway, the pluses for graphic design is that it's a much bigger field to get in to, and so finding work is easier (although it's pretty competitve too with so many people taking up graphic design). But personally, I think it's waste of talent for prople who have great illustrative skills.

...and don't forget, you're only JUST on the safe side of [url="http://www.paulkingsnorth.net/archives/2004/03/17_march_04_bil.html"]marketing[/url] (shudder).

Souri, hehe! Nobody seems to have anything nice to say about working in the graphic design industry!
I have often wondered what it would be like working with the negatives in this field (tight guidelines/rules, pushy clients, etc) and how I would deal with them. The reason why I was going for that industry is that there is more employment potential. Where as in the games industry, there isnt a lot there for me. No studios where I live plus the fact that I cant model is a pain.
I have been leaning towards going for a career there(game industry) but it wont be easy!

Souri : Amen to that! [:)]

I *know* exactly what your talking about. 5 years working for a respectable firm and at the end of it I walked away with a Mossimo Snowboarding Jacket and a perfect example of how not to run a business, and less artistic skills than when I started. *TRUTH* [:O]

My artistic skills where boxed up and shipped off to some unknown planet, and replaced with a more generic armament of rules, boundaries and guidelines which were imperative to stay within.

If you dont mind throwing away probably about 90% - 95% of your designer flair in favour of listening to how clients want there signs, displays, images then graphic design is for you =)

I think ive had this chat with you before also Mark [;)] Heed the words of the wise!

In the end you will do what you will, but just prepare for it. [:)]

As an about-to-be student of design, they were probably the most sobering comments I needed to hear.

In fact the reason why I'm not considering it at all is because it just seems the students are focused on getting things to look cool. (ie copy today's latest trendy inky blotchy screen print style and whack them nicely in place). It's an industry that tries to find inspiration from itself, and when you've seen the 15 millionth inky flowery butterfly design, you gotta question exactly how your work is gonna be accepted by clients who want only the latest inky vectory "in" thing. Then you consider if you do follow trend, then is it fulfilling for you?

That's probably going way to far. Initially all people do is design business cards and letterheads or make a website and what not, it shouldn't become a philosophical issue.

And yeah money would roll in easier in that field, you'd be surprised what you can pick out freelancing on common jobs like that, and you don't really have to have qualifications, just the tools.

Anyway, there's always a bigger picture - whatever it is for you, so there's gotta be a lot more avenues for you to take.

Good luck!

Hahaha! I was waitng for you to chime in Troy! :)
Ironhide, I was pretty much trying to get my pieces to look cool, Unfortunatly in doing so I completly missed demonstrating knowledge of fundamental design principals and elements. I agree with what you (and others) have said about following trends.

I don't want to discourage everyone from graphic design - I just hate seeing talent going to waste. I agree totally with Hazard, when you enter the foray of graphic design, you can pretty much kiss your illustrative/artistic skills goodbye because you most likely won't be using them at all for work. One of my most disheartening moments is picking up a pencil to draw some characters on paper for fun after a 5 - 6 year hiatus and realising that I drew the exact same looking things as I did back then.

[url="http://www.sumea.com.au/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2767"]WanderingSwords[/url]'s post re-enforces what I mean a bit. Writing web apps, system applications to game dev programming is what graphic design is to game dev art for artists..

The jobs are with graphic design and system apps/web apps for business etc, and I'm sure it's much less stressful and pay more too, but it's boring work, and you won't learn as much or gain that much more skills doing it. 5 years of graphic design experience will give you nothing valuable, in my opinion, compared to the skills you'll learn working on games where you are constantly challenged all the time. Anyway, it's a tough decision, definately. One of my friends recently ditched a business apps job for a game dev job in Sydney with a pay cut, and isn't regretting it at all.

Anyway, I think I will stop polluting this thread with my rambling :D The most important thing I've ever learnt in graphic design is that less is more. Keep it simple and clean.

Graphic design in my opinion changes the way we work... things tend to be more about photographs and vectors... custom brushes and etc. However if you are with the right people, it can help you refine your tastes and definition of what is good and bad visuals.

Right now we're in the phase of black is boring. Saturated colours are awesome... etc.

About the illustration skill thing. I haven't done anime looking characters in a long time... been doing realistic ones lately and I can't do anime looking ones anymore. My line art is not as good now... but my colour knowledge is a lot better that it was a year ago. Sometimes illustration skills are not all about practice but also about knowledge and attention to detail and pushing yourself to get the shape right.

What does it bloody take to get work experience around here? is my main concern. I'm thinking about going to Sydney to look for some.

http://leviron.bio-hazardous.com/images/illuo.gif
http://leviron.bio-hazardous.com/images/liv_small.jpg <--- my crap.

This will be my last post/rant in this thread - sorry to hijack [:)]

But all i wanted to say was - until youve been there and done it, you wont actually realise the truth of what happened to the time you spent working for a design firm.

I dont mean to discourage anyone from making the choice - but just be aware that a majority of your design skills *will* be cast aside for corporate standards. Its as simple as that.

Regardless of your input or whether you have excellent design skills, an eye for detail, colours and composition - you will not have many opportunities to express those. And when they do come about - more than likely they will be handed to a senior member, or those who pounce upon it first.

Gain familiarity with staying within strict mathematical boundaries whereby logos must remain x distance from the edges, and be 2x from the bottom of the page with the only exceptions being logo variation A, B & C. I have worked with very high profile clients that have even gone as far as measuring the formulae to check whether I had followed the guidelines, and in one case been asked to redo some signage due to a logo being placed roughly 3mm out from where it should have been on a 2400mm x 1200mm sign.

Of course it wasnt all bad - the money was pretty good and youll always be able to find work between firms, so if security is a major issue its a good choice of profession.

Sorry if that sounds discouraging, im merely expressing the nature of my experience in working for a respectable design firm.

As in you put it in the bleed area or just outside of the text area?

Let's hope your video editing part of the course isn't done in Adobe Premiere... it's evil and most of the effects are lame as.