Please review my portfolio and be honest!

The Crit Pit
#42

You asked for critique, and this is how things go in the real world.

I, and others, see a connection.
Others don’t.

Hence the reason I brought it up.

Whether you ripped it off or not is not the question. It has that perception.

Don’t take it as an attack on you personally.

But it is something you will face in the real world.

When I give critique I have to look for thing that is wrong.

Otherwise we’d sit in the crit pit patting each other on the back for a job well done.

And the CC and the other logo was settled out of court for a large sum, if I’m not mistaken.

#43

It’s great that we have this dialogue.
But I am looking at it from a perception that I don’t know you - and normally I wouldn’t get to ask questions.

I could get 5/10/15 CVs and portfolios across my desk on a weekly basis.
And I don’t have the luxury of talking to them one on one.

It’s great that you can explain it - and I fully accept your reasoning and I know that you didn’t rip it off.

But playing the role of the Critiquer I have to look at it from the point of view of what do I think about this when I see it across my desk.

I have Tineyed your work - as I do with anyone that submits work here or to me personally.

I have had designers who I hired on a contract come back with logo iterations that were found on stock sites.

This is why I’m giving you my advice.
This is why I’m pushing this.
This is why I’m going over and over and over it with you.

You came here for advice.

My advice, looking at it from my perspective and how I - and others might - would disect your work based on the chance of hiring you… my advice is that I’d be hesitant to include this YSG in the portfolio.

All you need is 1 reason to pick between you and someone else. And usually, that’s what it comes down to.

I literally picked one person’s portfolio over another because the apostrophe was in the wrong place. It literally couldn’t be decided any other way. Both portfolios were beautiful. But it was a job that required excellent levels of English.

Where I’m not a grammar expert, others in the team are. And looking for that reason to pick one over the other is sometimes very easy decision, and often a very difficult decision.

Don’t think that I think that you ripped off the logo - because I don’t.
I’m only telling you what the perception might be in the real world, and when it comes to picking you over someone else it’s an easy sway.

I do like your work, it looks very nice. But I can’t sit here and tell you everything nice about your work - we can all see it’s nice.

It’s what is wrong with it that I want to find out.
And that’s something once I realised I could do changed my attitude in reviewing and hiring/firing people.

And I don’t have the luxury of speaking one on one with potential people I want to hire or collaborate with.

Hope that clears it up.

1 Like
#44

During a business course I did, I was very surprised to find how seriously some people take the “about us” page, but I guess it makes sense to know who you’re dealing with if you’re about to drop thousands of dollars.

Your profile photo on Behance looks pretty slick. If I were you, I’d find a mate that’s a photo enthusiast with a good camera and get them to shoot some candid photos for a box of beers :beer:, just to give it that human touch :wink:

I think it looks a bit inconsistent, once I’d scrolled to that section it kinda felt like I was on an entirely different website. I’d show 1 post, maybe 2 max using a san-serif typeface aligned with the rest of the site and have a link to the rest of the blog. I’d definitely drop the generic stock photos entirely :face_vomiting: - sorry bro. At least from your main page, they definitely feel out of place and kinda disrupt the feel of your website.

1 Like
#45

I truly appreciate your honest and refreshingly blunt way. I am pleased that you don’t feel I stole as it really personally offends me to a high degree, design is a deep passion for me, it comes from a place of innocence and creativity that burns inside.

Each of my logos are like my little graphic babies I release into the world. I take incredible care to focus on making them just right.

In the end they get smashed by critizism that often times comes from uneducated, random people that think its missing graphics or colors when that defeats the point.

I have never had a high level professional critic my work as on this platform.

I do appreciate ALL the points given and am learning and applying what I can.

I know I wouldn’t have gotten “the job” with you, but that’s ok because my goal is to run my own business. But its good to know how I match up.

In regards to using it on my portfolio, its one of the best peices I made, and its the only peice in the luxury industry. Unless I get some other gig in that sector, my portfolio is weak as of now…

As stated in the past most of my CV is small clients with poor looking work. One off projects for $50 or $150. No substance or design thinking, just “make it bigger, and it needs more details along with showing all our services in the logo…” and crap like that.

#46

I will try to find someone, I honestly am a bit of a loner. I am a 40 year old engaged man that works 2 jobs plus designing. You can imagine the lack of friends :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Also thanls for the insight, I made the site on a drag & drop editor, I make really limited sites for folks as its not my strong suit. I have to play with it some more after all the feedback!

1 Like
#47

Your profile photo on Behance looks pretty slick.

I took that selfie on my phone in a storage facility and masked out the bg with my brand color :shushing_face::yum::joy:

1 Like
#48

If you feel my crit was harsh - and you found that offensive, you’re in for a shock in the business world.

You only asked me the other day to work with you???
Am I missing something?

It’s not that you wouldn’t have gotten the job.

I’ve had people get to interview stage and you drill into the portfolio and pull it apart and point out everything that is wrong with it.

And it’s the people who can calmly and eloquently explain it all away that are usually considered.

Then there are rapscallions - who when you question their work - they get highly offended - then you know, I can’t work with these people.

You are treating the designs like your ‘little babies’ when in fact it’s the clients.

Remove the highly offended portion from any crit you receive and sit back and explain yourself properly and maturely.

Then things go well.

One of my biggest pet peeve is when feedback is given then toys are thrown out of the pram. Rather than focussing on the feedback, applying necessary changes and getting on with it.

Sometimes, you need to remove emotion from the feedback process.

#49

Loud and clear. No offense, but sometimes you do come off a bit “heavy”.

I have thick skin my friend, I grew up in the project building of brooklyn NY. Guns, Gangs and Death were all around me. But when someone said: “you stole the…” those were fighting words… so yes it bothers me. But not that seriously. And I have been working with small clients for several years, I can take the crit no problem.

I am a New Yorker, so I don’t take disrespect from anyone. On a screen its hard to get context and social queues. Thats on me though. I appreciate again all your feedback whether I agree with all of it or not is my problem. But apply a lot of it I will.

All love man. Keep the peace :handshake:

#50

And yes I did put myself out there in case you needed a hand, I have never applied for a design job after my 30’s as I went into the electrical trade for lack of oppirtunity. I am on my break from teaching class as we speak, but I am sure your interviews would be an awesome challenge!

#51

I grew up in a rough area too.

I was witness to a murder when I was 14. I won’t go into details.
We were often chased home from school, stones thrown, knives produced (we don’t have a gun culture).

And I’m telling you it’s nothing like sitting in a room with heavy hitters from big brands.

I once got a pitch at high end financial company and go in front of the CEO and I was told I have 30 seconds.
I did my 30 seconds and was pushed out the door.

I got the job - but that was a tough day.

I’ve sat through big brands marketing that tore the work apart. I’ve see co-workers leave pitches in tears and one co-worker never ever came back.

It’s tough out there. It really is.

If I’m heavy - it’s because of my experience and how things went for me.

So I take a role here - critique - it’s never personal.
It’s just from my vantage point - to say to you - that some people will look at your portfolio without ever talking to you and say that YVG logo is a ripoff of YSL and never get in touch with you.

That’s literally how it works.

I never disrespected you.
But I do get pissed off when it seems like the message isn’t getting through.

Agreed

You can take the feedback - and disregard it all if you want.

You came looking for the feedback - take what you want from it.
Ignore the rest.

I don’t need a hand right now - and I’ve already a book full of freelancers that I can call on that are local and in my timezone.

So when I say, ‘no thanks’, I mean it. The thanks is sincere.

#52

Can we please end this back-and-forth semi-argument here?

You noticed, huh? :wink: Smurf2 knows it too. We’ve had discussions about it several times before.

As I mentioned, let’s please stop before it gets out of hand and we lock the topic. Good points have been made and various viewpoints expressed. Let’s leave it at that and move on. OK?

1 Like
#53

Your starting to grow on me Smurf… like the old grumpy smurf full of knowledge that everyone loves :rofl::heart_eyes::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

#54

Sir yes sir! :zipper_mouth_face: Just an Alpha Male and Sigma Male butting heads for territory. Smurf won. I concede in battle. And I apoligize. But ya’ll know I am a serious person now (for the most part) God bless.

(Assuming you and Smurf are Males and I don’t mean to offend anyone assuming gender… blah blah blah)

1 Like