As a practicing designer, your portfolio is an imperative tool in developing your career. It speaks for you when you're not in the room, proves you're up to the job, and communicates the type of work you're passionate about.

You may have finished some killer projects, but the perfect portfolio won't just magically appear. It takes a lot of consideration and elbow grease to share your skills the right way.

Don't let your portfolio cover up what you can do! Join us at Columbia College Chicago to discuss how to make your portfolio work for you. We'll be covering a lot of ground, from pulling portfolio pieces together on the cheap to maintaining them for the long haul. We'll also share a few local designers’ portfolios beforehand so you can get a look at the process. Expect to walk away with some immediate next steps to get your portfolio up to snuff.

General topics the talk will cover include:
    •    What do portfolios look like for different concentrations – graphic design, motion, UX, etc.

    •    How can you pull together a slick portfolio affordably?

    •    Do’s & absolutely do-not’s

    •    In-person presentation tips (is the printed portfolio dead?)

    •    Maintaining your portfolio instead of completely overhauling it every three years

    •    The importance of process work

    •    Do you share the type or work you want to do or the type that will get you hired?


This event is part of Tune-Up, a series designed to help you get the right tools to boost your career.

Mike Joosse – Moderator
Mike Joosse creates change within organizations. Since 2001, he’s devoted his career to nurturing and leading design communities and championing the talents and dedication of their designers. Currently, he serves as President at Designation, the leading UX/UI immersive design program, where he helps participants become purposeful, skilled, impassioned design leaders of tomorrow. He has lectured across the country on community and careers in design, at conferences and to a host of organizations. He believes in being hungry, indispensable, and enthralled every day.

Russell Lord
Russell Lord is a Chicago-based freelance designer & creative director. He does branding, advertising, illustration, typography, books, motion graphics, and a few other things. Most days, you’ll find him at the Post Studio on West Hubbard Street.

He loves what he does.

Allison Catuira
Allison is a Chicago-born-and-bred graphic designer, art director and illustrator. A graduate of both the School of Visual Arts (BFA Illustration) and Columbia College Chicago (PBComm Graphic Design), she's spent time in Chicago and New York City as both a freelance and in-house designer and art director for clothing brands, non-profits, agencies, and small businesses alike. She loves learning new things, collaborating, working hard and having as much fun as possible.

Jules Simplicio
Jules Simplicio is a full-stack designer of software products—from research → code. Born and raised in São Paulo, living in Chicago. Currently designing web and mobile apps at dscout for the field of qualitative and contextual research.

In the past: Designed e-commerce experiences at Threadless for their new on-demand print service, Artist Shops. Designed colorful and fun print materials, and web articles for Basecamp.

Currently mentoring designers from Designation.

Agenda
6:00 to 6:15 PM — Mix, mingle, and grab refreshments
6:15 PM — Presentation
7:15 PM — Q&A

Ticket Pricing
$5 Student Members
$10 AIGA Members
$15 Non-Members

Twitter Hashtags & Handles
@AIGAChicago
@ArtisanTalent

Special thanks to Buddy Boor and Jo-Nell Sieren, our Programming Chairs for planning this new event series, to Columbia College Chicago for hosting this event, and to Artisan Talent for sponsoring this series.