Portfolio Tip #1: Don’t include art tests in your portfolio
This one should be pretty obvious, but most people don’t think about it. I see this a LOT. I’ve even done this one before. :)
Think about it: If you’re applying for a job and include an art test in your portfolio, that means you failed it! The result is that YOU look like a failure.
Avoid the appearance of failure! Look like a winner!
Secondly, realize that you’re not the first person that’s done that particular art test. You’re also not the first person to put it in your portfolio. That means that the company you’re applying at has probably seen this exact art test already, done by someone else, and possibly done better. So, not only does the person reviewing your portfolio see something you failed at, but he might also think “Man, that other guy did a better job.”
Ideally, your portfolio should be full of unique content that can’t be directly compared to other peoples’ work. That’s why that, although it’s tempting to model the coolest characters or enemies from every popular new movie or TV show, that’s what EVERYONE else will be doing, too. Be unique and set yourself apart.
Avoid comparisons! Be incomparable!
Finally, if you received proprietary materials for the test and you include that in the material you show in your portfolio, that’s very bad form. Even if you’re not under a non-disclosure, be respectful.
There are 3 Comments to "Portfolio Tip #1: Don’t include art tests in your portfolio"
Absolutely!
While reviewing a portfolio, I noticed it had a failed art test in it. I suggested he remove it considering I passed the same test and worked at the company he did it for. His excuse for keeping it was “other companies might like itâ€. This humored me that he thought he could still use a failure to snag a company of lower standard. Either way, one year later it’s still in his portfolio, he doesn’t have a job, and he’s still not ready for one.
Although I agree about being unique, there is some merit to being mundane. Because the mundane more closely represents the bulk of the work, and employers hire you to do “the bulk of the work”.
Some merit… just some ;)
I’d agree with that statement, but with a qualification: that may be what you *end up* doing once you’re hired, but I don’t think most companies approach the hiring process looking for mundane talent. Most try to hire the very best they can, and *then* assign them the mundane bulk of the work. :)
In any case, marketing yourself that way is a really bad idea. Hiring managers \ art directors look over dozens of portfolios at a time, and trying not to stand out or be unique is a quick and sure way to be ignored in favor of someone the AD will remember from the crowd.