Barco room at PSA Design Center via www.barco.com
Dear friends,
I am starting to receive via email some digital virtual 3D portfolios asking for a feedback. Mainly are portfolios sent by DSK-ISD design school in India and I am very happy to see them and answer back with an honest feedback and with a costructive critic.
To me it is a good thing that design schools seriously start forming young designers to learn and become passionate about the fascinating virtual 3D design world, design studios around the wordl need such professional profiles because virtual technologies are getting more important day by day into the design process. Autodesk and Maya 3DMAX softwares are very popular just like others like Rhino....
Back in 1996, when I was Chair of Transportation Design Dpt at Istituto Europeo of Design in Turin italy, I also tried to start forming this type of profile "the virtual 3D modeler or sculptor". Finally today almost all schools try better to accomplish this task.
Good!
The question is what is not working in all of them? Or , for better saying, what could they do to make their portfolios more personalized and most of all great knocking portfolios?
My opinion is:
I believe that today to get a job, in a very difficult period such as the economic crisis wich contracted dramatically job offers around the world, every student should try to have a real strong portfolio with which demonstrate that they are the right hiring choice and not someone else. In other words competition is becoming higher and tighter so to have good skills is not anymore enough. We need more to pass the difficult selection and be the one that will be hired.
What to do for those digital 3D portfolios?
You guys have to push your limits! You know that you can model, you know that you can shade and render...now you have to pass to a higher level by using your creative talent to make superb rendering illustrations.
Here in this hub I choose some images to make myself clearer, you need to develop a sensibility to choose the right spot light the right perspective to organize a cool composition on page (this comes from your illustration classes) you need to choose cool typeface if you write on your images, you need to moderate your warm and cool light and color choices, you have to express energy and seduction , you need to orientate well your room or scenario lights to play with shadows, your images must be sexy...yes sexy! You gona be proud of your images!
Now i am sure your teachers give you these tips, but you do not follow up because you are concentrated on your modeling ability...this is a mistake and a strategic one.
How does it work in a real design studio?
Generally when I have to follow a new project and get to the 3D modelig stage I look always for one of our best digital modeler because I know that he works very well, he is flexible, he has taste (he can help me) and he knows how to make great virtual images to help me in selling my project using the emotional quality of his images.
So in your digital 3D modeling portfolio you should do the same! You have to organize your design modeling process starting from modeling, shading, rendering and final presentation hot images.
You have also to think that your portfolio has to provoke curiosity so have a good amountof different type of projects, have some nice designed products, different type of transportation design projects, and if you really want to be super hot make a short video with your 3D data something like 1 minute time nice music and cool animation.
I hope I was clear explaining my point of view and I hope that it will help you!
Luciano Bove
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