Portfolio Question
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- nylon
What are your thoughts on people banging shit out and mocking up LOADS of visuals, putting them on 'social design sites owned by Adobe' in order to turn a simple 'identity project' into a full 'branding project'?
'social design sites owned by Adobe' seems to be 'mock up' central
Thoughts?
- marychain0
It's flash over concept.
Show me a creative concept. I KNOW you pasted into a mock-up. I don't give a shit....NEXT!
- jeez man. here, maybe these will calm you down (nsfw) http://fap.to/images…iCanHazQBN
- nylon0
Ive spent a small fortune over the years photographing all my work but since finding Live Surface, it seems easier to do it this way.
The issue I have is that 'templated mockups' can look fake.
If your work looks face, it probably is fake in which case is not good for business...
Just curious to see what you guys think...
- nylon0
@marychain - are you saying that from a designer point of view or from a client point of view?
I personally (if I was hiring someone) would want to know that its real...
Sure - if you are out of college, you HAVE TO mock stuff up BUT if you have been in the business long enough - I would want to see REAL work...
Am I making sense?
- iCanHazQBN0
What's the harm in mocking it up? Most of the time it looks better. It can still be REAL work but mocked up.
Photographing actual printed work can be tough and not every designer is able to do that, and they might not have a good camera or photo skills.
- Because it looks fake as hell.marychain
- you're probably looking at some really crappy ones. just because you haven't seen good ones doesn't mean they aren't out there.iCanHazQBN
- there.iCanHazQBN
- Maybe they're so good, that you don't even know you're looking at a mock-up!iCanHazQBN
- Been a Creative Director for 20 years. BELIEVE me...I knowmarychain
- I've seen the so called "good ones"...still looks fake, but do as you will.marychain
- iCanHazQBN0
And a lot of the time you don't have access to the final printed piece (if the client is in a different state or country and they don't send a sample to you). So mocking it up is sometimes the only option.
- iCanHazQBN0
At least with mocking it up, you can make sure all of your work is showcased consistently. It would be weird to have some print projects photographed and some mocked up (for the ones you couldn't shoot). This way they can all be mocked up and you have consistency in your portfolio.
- nylon0
Totally agree with Marychain but don't disagree with iCan...
Photographing work by a professional photographer shows that you take your work seriously.
Comping the work because you didn't get a sample is not good enough.
Not photographing it well - is not good enough...
Maybe for individuals but not for an agency...
iCan - I have been in the business for 15 years and I have NEVER not had a sample back from the printer...
Is this the norm in the States?
- iCanHazQBN0
"I see too many students concerned with making things pretty, but caring too little about concept." -marychain
So just because someone mocks up a project then the concept itself is no longer valid or good?
"Photographing work by a professional photographer shows that you take your work seriously." -nylon
Maybe an agency can afford this kind of thing. But what independent designer can hire a pro photographer after every project? They'd be losing money on every project. It's unrealistic. Just because you don't hire a photographer to shoot your work doesn't mean you don't take your work seriously.
- Not what I meant. They do mediocre work...then mock it up in a professional template..marychain
- and think that makes it good. This is more a student/graduate problem than a professional problem.marychain
- well i agree with that. no mock-up is going to make bad work look good.iCanHazQBN
- £300 every six months to photograph your work - surely this is a good idea?nylon
- marychain0
You don't have to show the work in context everytime you know. I don't NEED to see a stack of mocked business cards...just show me the damn work.
- fadein110
excessive use of mockups is like a persuasion tactic to the client - look how this will work in the real world. A good designer/agency already knows it will work or wouldn't be offering it as an option. It's also often presentation fodder to show the client how hard they have been working and to show something vaguely tangible (but not obviously) for the money they have spent.
- nylon0
OK so look at this guys work...
http://www.studiojq.co/ourwork/
I'd love to get your feedback based on what we have discussed above...
Thanks
- real client work is mixed in with non-client "concept" work. i find that a little deceptiveGnash
- deathboy0
^
Looks nice.
I think the mockup stuff works well as dress up. Remember on a old website for work I dressed up the surrounding work and put it in a "scene" to dress up its boring nature. I think it's the hot thing lately. I see it with all kind of extended "case studies." Especially with todays attention spans. I don't have time to read everything or really get into it and Im sure in my skimming these dressed up case studies I give them more credit than they deserve. Simply it works. Also when displaying multiple thumbnails in portfolio sites it mixes it up and makes the whole site look more interesting as a whole.
- Chimp0
I don't have too much of a problem with it. A good design will always rise above the guys who just use the mock ups to polish their turds.
- nylon0
This is great feedback people...
'Extending Case Studies' is essentially whats going on...
It suggests to me that the projects are small and are made to look big...
Chimp - how much of this guys work is good and what is turd?
Remember - you can't polish a turd. Its a fact of life!
- bklyndroobeki0
I feel like if it's good, why not.
- trooperbill0
you can get your concepts out and show clients how it could look without getting it all printed etc... its part of the process surely?