my redesigned portfolio

As I mentioned last night I've been spending all my free time working on updating my portfolio. Actually, updating is an understatement. I hadn't worked on my portfolio since 2003 when I graduated from college. I took some photos so you could see what has been sucking up all my time. And maybe this will help you forgive me for neglecting my blog lately :)  See some detailed notes below...

I bought this suitcase a couple years back with my portfolio in mind. What started out brown with travel stickers all over it is now a lovely chartreuse.

I love the color green, all shades, and that I love patterns. I bought sheets of linen book cloth and ran it through my printer with a pattern I designed. This fabric is what I used to line the entire suitcase and the inside covers of my book. I then printed all my portfolio pages and used chartreuse book cloth tape when putting the book together. I also added a large chartreuse envelope with a euro flap in the back of my book to hold copies of my resume. There is another small matching envelope that holds my business cards.

I have designed a lot of packaging. And sometimes photos do not do a project justice. Because I had this big case I wanted to build a base inside that fit examples of some of my projects. I took a piece of brown mat board and used my mat cutter to cut windows. And built a base underneath. Because you could see the recessed pockets when the pieces were removed. I lined it all with another blue patterned paper. Just a pretty detail that I think really helped finish it off. I also attached another large envelope in the top of the case to hold a catalog that I designed.

I am passionate about how things are packaged. I'm also very detailed and I wanted my entire portfolio to be a project in itself and really reflect who I am as a designer.  I hope you liked taking a peek. I'd love to hear any comments or feedback!