[portfolio]- brokendragon, Designer
Hey guys. Thought I'd show you my portfolio thus far to get it ripped apart...err, get some critiques. All the essential elements are up and working, I just have to put more stuff up on it. I'm a senior at Brown College in Minnesota, and I graduate this summer. Making our portfolio is a two quarter long project, and we just finished the first quarter. The first part of the class concentrates on getting the website up and functional, along with a few pieces of content.
Also, I know the movie for Obelisk is terrible. I'm going to be making a new one when I get back from GDC.
Let me know what you guys think.
www.mareed.net
Also, I know the movie for Obelisk is terrible. I'm going to be making a new one when I get back from GDC.
Let me know what you guys think.
www.mareed.net
Replies
What exactly do you want to do in games? Environment art? Level Design? something else?
Figure it out, and concentrate your website on that one thing. For some reasons colleges seem to tell people that they have to have a little bit of everything on their site. Maybe you do for other industries, but in games, it's far better to just show what you're good at/want to do.
Overall design stuff: White backgrounds make your work look flat and shitty. I'd consider running with something darker, (dark greys are usually best). Your name, email, and phone number should be at the top of the page, large, and clearly visible/legible. I'd toss the blog. Keep that to your personal site. This site (I assume) is to sell you as an employable artist/designer, your potential employers don't care about your blog. You should make an HTML version of your resume for the resume page. And you shouldn't have to direct people to click the link below. Make the Resume Page your actual resume, and then provide links to both .doc and .pdf versions of your resume. "The Artist" page becomes rather unnecessary if your name/email is at the top of everything, and your resume is easily accessible, so I'd lose this tab all together. Lastly, just keep working on stuff. Your site will be better when you have more/better stuff to show. That will come in time, so just keep going.
Also, your The Artist page doesn't seem to be necessary. That could all go onto the resume page. And where did you get your Bachelor's from? You just say you got a degree in Game Design and Development.
Tumerboy, you ask what I want to do in games. I want to be a Game Designer. I want to study and develop a game's core game mechanic in order to make the game FUN. I want to develop a game's focus, communicate it to the members of a team, work with the team members throughout production to meet deadlines, come up with answers to design questions and problems, and playtest the game all throughout production to create and maintain the suspension of disbelief. That is what I want to do.
However, I have been told by my instructors that getting a job as a Game Designer, (as a fresh college newbie, anyway), is next to impossible unless you know someone already in the industry who takes pity on you and gives you a chance. So, in order to get to Game Design, you have to market yourself as something else that's somewhat related to Game Design, such as QA, or Level Design. I chose Level Design.
It's true you do need to know Game Design to do Level Design, I'm not arguing against that. But the works on my portfolio are not an accurate representation of what I believe to be my best work because I do not want to be solely a Level Designer. Originally I was working on a GDD as a portfolio piece, which I was very excited to do. I felt that I was making great progress with it and I was proud of what I had done. But when midterm came around and I showed my instructor my work, he pointed out that no one is going to read a GDD for a portfolio piece, especially potential employers. He recommended that I go a different direction, so I did, albeit reluctantly.
I'm responding to your comment at length because I was worried that this exact thing would happen; People would be confused as to how I was marketing myself. I value your advice. What do you think is a good way to market yourself as a Game Designer, and do you agree that it's almost impossible to get a job as one initially?
But I will say that if you WANT to be a designer. . .then you need to show your DESIGN skills.
I could put you in contact with a couple designers if you'd like to talk to them about it, but here's my take.
Lose the "finished" art.
Put up a solid design doc.
Make a 2D map, and then a whitebox level for some specific game (or at least catagory: FPS, RTS, MMO, etc.)
It's true that no ARTIST is going to read through a design doc. But I'm fairly sure that DESIGNERS would at least skim through it and see if it's worth a read.
You said you know some Designers I could talk to? I would very much like to get their opinion, too.
www.mareed.net
Have a look through this sans-serif collection for better alternatives
http://www.dafont.com/theme.php?cat=501
its not about that the font itself is bad - its just that its used in every poor document these days. So if you want to call yourself a artistic/fresh/designer/inspired - person you should stay away from them. Its kind of the same as using phtoshop lens flare filters or default 45° shadow filters - it makes your work look like the one of a big amateur.
The blue on grey background text is hard to read,- overal imo. the website layout size is very smal.