Denise Anderson - Stand Out: Design a personal brand. Build a killer portfolio. Find a great design job.

Design a personal brand. Build a killer portfolio. Find a great design job.

DENISE ANDERSON

STAND OUT: DESIGN A PERSONAL BRAND. BUILD A KILLER PORTFOLIO. FIND A GREAT DESIGN JOB.

Denise Anderson

PEACHPIT PRESS

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Peachpit is a division of Pearson Education.

Copyright 2016 by Denise Anderson

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR: Nikki Echler McDonald

PRODUCTION EDITORS: Tracey Croom, Becky Winter

DEVELOPMENT EDITOR: Jennifer Bohanan

COPY EDITOR: Cathy Lane

PROOFER: Kim Wimpsett

ART DIRECTOR: Denise Anderson

COMPOSITORS: Margaret Grzymkowski, Kristin Leu

INDEXER: Valerie Haynes Perry

COVER DESIGN: Stephen Sepulveda

INTERIOR DESIGN: Denise Anderson, Margaret Grzymkowski

PRODUCTION ARTISTS: Laura Menza, Kristin Leu

ILLUSTRATOR: Margaret Grzymkowski

DESIGN ASSISTANTS: John Weigele, Stephen Sepulveda, Brooke Roderick

Notice of Rights

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact .

Notice of Liability

The information in this book is distributed on an As Is basis without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.

Trademarks

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

ISBN 13: 978-0-13-413408-6
ISBN 10: 0-13-413408-7
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed and bound in the United States of America

Your portfolio is A STORY
ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WORK
an expression of growth
THROUGH ALL THE OBSTACLES,
SURPRISES, SUCCESSES AND FAILURES.
THIS IS YOUR EPIC. Illuminate
THE ARC OF YOUR CAREER AND
why you matter.
Simon Pan

If you were stranded on a deserted island, you would want my Stand Out team along with you on the adventure. Jennifer Bohanan would develop and articulate an SOS message so compelling that you would be rescued straightaway. Laura Menza and Kristin Leu would harness their instincts and clarity to design a flawless plan of escape. Margaret Grzymkowski would use illustration to shape and beautify your shelter. John Weigele and Stephen Sepulveda, your special missions team, would create a set of aesthetically pleasing and highly functional survival tools. Brooke Roderick would organize and reassure you regularly that everything will be all right. Thank you all for your time and devotion to the adventure that has been Stand Out. I could not have survived it without you.

STAND OUT TEAM

Jennifer Bohanan

Margaret Grzymkowski

Laura Menza

Kristin Leu

John Weigele

Stephen Sepulveda

Brooke Roderick

THANK YOU

Family and friends

SPECIAL THANKS

Gail Anderson

Robin Landa and Rose Gonnella

Greg Lesh

Jeff Witchel

Simon Pan

RBSD FAMILY

Robin Landa

Rose Gonnella

Alan Robbins

Ed Johnston

Chris Navetta

Liz Blazer

Jeff Witchel

RSBD students, colleagues, and alumni

PEACHPIT PRESS TEAM

Nikki McDonald

Cathy Lane

Becky Winter

Tracey Croom

Kim Wimpsett

Valerie Haynes Perry

FOR THEIR SUPPORT

Dr. Dawood Farahi President, Kean University

Dr. Jeffrey Toney Provost, Kean University

David Mohney Dean, Michael Graves College, Kean University

Rose Gonnella Executive Director, Robert Busch School of Design, Michael Graves College, Kean University

Stand Out is dedicated to:

MY PARENTS, MAUREEN AND FRANK ANDERSON,

who gave me the core values
at the heart of my true and
authentic self, and the foundation
for my personal brand; and

MY FAMILY, PAULA AND DYLAN,

who inspire me to stay true to
my brand promise, live my values,
and improve myself every day.

by: Gail Anderson

I teach at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, a school that graduates hundreds of amazing designers every year. Denise Anderson (a fellow Anderson, but no relation) teaches at the Robert Busch School of Design at Kean University. From what Ive seen over the years, her designers are pretty swell, too. So are Ellen Luptons at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and Andrew Byroms at California State University, Long Branch (CSULB), not to mention those from Art Center College of Design, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Portfolio Center, Yale, and so many others. Not surprisingly, competition for the best jobs is fierce, and while you may assume that successfully landing a job is all about your work or where you went to school, its really about you and the brand you create for yourself.

Branding is an overused word in our culture todayalmost an eye-roller at this point. What does it mean to brand yourself, particularly when you dont have much professional experience to hang your hat on? And how does a person with little-to-no professional experience even have a brand? How can you create a portfolio that will make you the most memorable job candidate? The answers to these questions are hereyou just have to keep reading.

Youve taken the first important steps by cracking open this book, by challenging yourself to take it up a notch, and by seeking assistance from resources that can offer the help you need. Youve already demonstrated that you have an open mind and a willingness to take a good hard look at yourself and your workessential qualifications for a successful design professional. Well done!

A good portfolio tells a prospective employer important things about younot just that you can choose great typefaces or have technical chops, but that you are adept at solving problems. A good portfolio reveals your curiosity and sometimes some humor. It tells your storythe story that is unique to you. Remember, in the end, its all about finding a good fit. An employer wants to hire a great designer, of course, but is also looking for someone who brings something interesting to the table. How you craft your brandyour personal identitywill make you stand out, and it will make people want to hire you.