“Leave them in no doubt why you are relevant”: Head to this portfolio masterclass at Facebook

Date
6 November 2015

If you’ve left uni, decided to do something different or just feel stuck in your current job, it’s tricky to work out if you’re doing all the right things when embarking on a creative career. What jobs should you apply for? How do you meet the right people? How do you know if you’re showing your work in the best way? Recognising the overwhelming amount of choices and paths out there is The Dots, the career network solely for creative talent. Having been described as the cool LinkedIn for creatives, The Dots aims to encourage professionals and employees to showcase work, collaborate and connect with each other. Started by Pip Jamieson in 2014, the platform has a specialised jobs board on its site, but goes further by creating real opportunities for young professionals.

Throughout this year The Dots has been holding a series of masterclasses to find out what the bigwigs are looking for, covering various disciplines including digital design, illustration, advertising and graphic design. The classes have been held at the offices of Google, Pentagram and ASOS among others, and each one sees 40 budding creatives showing their portfolio to a panel of ten leading industry experts. 

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The Dots Portfolio Masterclass

The next masterclass takes place this month on Wednesday 18th November at Facebook’s London headquarters and is still accepting applications until Thursday 12th November. Some of the savviest people in design will be there from companies including D&AD, Landor, Liberty, ASOS, Mr. President and of course Facebook. To get an insight into what the masterclasses offer, we asked three of the mentors their top tips to get noticed in a sea of portfolios and what they hope to find at the next Graphic Design Portfolio Masterclass.  

Stephen Owen, executive creative director at brand consultancy Landor believes adopting a “practice what you preach” approach to your portfolio will help make yours stand out. “Understand your audience – their motivations, beliefs, desires – then build the portfolio as you would a presentation,” he explains. “Leave them in no doubt what your strengths are, why you are relevant and where you can add value. It’s equally important to edit too… Remember, this is a sales tool not a document of your working history.”

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The Dots Portfolio Masterclass

With over 19 years of experience in branding for companies including Warner Bros, Jaguar and England Rugby, Stephen hopes the masterclass will allow attendees to “get a true insight into the kind of things myself and others like me are really looking for.

“There can be a tendency for designers to create a portfolio that they and their peers would like to see, rather than the kind of things senior members of the industry are on the lookout for. I’m looking forward to seeing creative insights and original thoughts. Put simply, great ideas,” Stephen explains.

“I’m looking to see design thinking that’s not just on a page. That one project brought to life in an unexpected way.”

Thea Hamrén

Also on the panel is Thea Hamrén, associate creative director at independently owned creative agency Mr. President. Helping brands like The Body Shop, Virgin and Grazia to get attention, the agency constantly pushes for bold and creative solutions. “I hope the designers will get a broad spectrum of inputs on their work and gain some great industry contacts,” she says. 

“A face-to-face date like this is different from reviewing someone’s work online, so I’m hoping the attendees will really take advantage of this.” Thea’s top tip for getting noticed is to focus on the impression you give as well as the portfolio, and to recognise that less is often more if you have a clear story within the work. “I’m looking to see design thinking that’s not just on a page. That one project brought to life in an unexpected way.”

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The Dots Portfolio Masterclass

As a D&AD board member and founder of design practice The Office of Oldham, Craig Oldham has seen his fair share of portfolios, so his advice to those building one is to make sure it has personality. “It’s easy to archive work in a portfolio, but you should also let your work express you, your approach and your ideas – not simply what you have done,” he says.

“I think [the Masterclass] will provide a valuable opportunity in getting insight from experienced eyes on your work. For me, it’s always amazing to see work from the young creatives of the next wave. They’re inspiring and I’d be lying (as others would be) if I said it was purely didactic. It invigorates everyone involved, and I see [this masterclass] as an exchange of ideas, views, opinions, and approaches.”

If you’re looking to get feedback on your portfolio, find out about upcoming Portfolio Masterclasses here

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