PROJECT 1 ASSESSMENT

My portfolio website: cecilypincsak.com
Link to my emailable portfolio: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9e56q4x0ami5est/pincsak%20pdf%20portfolio.pdf

Out of the three projects in Practicum this semester, I think the creation of my portfolio was what stressed me out the most. At first, I had the rather lofty goal (for me, anyway) to design and code my website entirely from scratch. I was actually into the coding process about halfway through the semester when it became apparent that it was simply too overwhelming and time-consuming an endeavor for someone of limited web experience/confidence. Meanz told me about the hosting site she was using for her portfolio site, Cargo Collective, so I looked into that as an option... and very quickly became a convert, changed my plans, and signed up for my own! Cargo provides a number of basic templates for you to choose from and makes the uploading process incredibly easy, but they also allow you to go into your site's CSS and customize it any way you would like, which is really the perfect balance for me. I have a few minor things to add (I would like to retake some photos over the summer and I need to compose a more engaging "About me" page), but my portfolio site is essentially complete and it has been fully functional from the moment I set it up. I will definitely be staying on Cargo for the foreseeable future.

I had very lofty goals for my presentation portfolio, as well... after seeing what Isaac put together, who wouldn't? Time and indecision got the best of me this semester, though, and I ended up decided to get a presentation case from Pina Zangaro rather than make my own--and I love it. I got a clean, minimal, white acrylic book that I will be able to happily use for years, and which allows the work it showcases to (rightfully) take the spotlight. I used my leave-behind as a chance to create a mini handmade portfolio, instead.

The important part of all this is, of course, the work I am choosing to show. All of the pieces I picked for my presentation and emailable portfolios are ones that I take pride in, and which I feel helped me to grow as a designer. I included a few more minor pieces on my website, but there is nothing present that I am not proud of and glad to showcase as my own. I think I created a good arc in my presentation to maintain the viewer's interest and to show a variety of projects, beginning and ending with my strongest pieces. Once I have a job and am creating regular work, I am sure that some of my school projects will disappear from the portfolio more quickly than others... but I like to think that I will still be very proud of my Dadaist Manifesto, Knowledge Map, and Murphy's Law book many years from now! As with everything this semester, this was an incredibly useful and necessary project for me and I'm glad the Practicum course gave me the opportunity to spend time developing it.