This morning, I had my portfolio interview with illustrator, Jo Davies. Prior to this interview, I prepared five pieces of work showcasing examples of children’s illustration, book design and also a little bit of branding, a new found interest of mine. I tried to incorporate work that displayed my strengths, artistic abilities and most importantly my adaptability in skills. From my portfolio alone, I wanted Jo and the design panel to automatically recognise my main passions and areas of specialities.
In the past I’ve had the tendency to overdecorate my portfolio’s by making them too busy, resulting in the main pieces being visually lost. To convey a strong body of work, I tried to centre my portfolio on simplicity. Overall I was happy with the chosen layout, as I believe it showcased my work in a professional manner. To give my portfolio a personal touch, I added small illustrations at the beginning and end of my presentation. I believe this reflected my personality and design style. I must admit, interviews are not my strong point. Sometimes I lack confidence in my abilities. I was anxious that my nerves were going to affect my overall performance. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how calm I was during the interview. I think my nerves derived from the fact that my portfolio was heavily centred around children’s illustration which is similar to Jo’s specialities.
Pages from my portfolio
In the days leading up to my interview, I rehearsed over my presentation with family members and university peers. I practised sharing my screen on the team's software and repeatably went over what I was going to talk about. Although I had a few wobbles while practising, I eventually got into the swing of things. Now looking back on this, I definitely feel that I benefitted from this experience. I felt more prepared going into the interview having practised over what I was going to say. To reassure myself, I prepared a few notes in front of me just in case I reached a blank spot in my presentation. It was reassuring to know that I had something to fall back upon. To my surprise, I didn’t even have to use these notes during my presentation. With all the practising, talking about my work became like second nature. Most importantly I tried to be myself.
I never would’ve imagined that I’d be able to speak in front of a design panel, never mind a professional illustrator, like Jo. Speaking to Jo, she was a very friendly and caring individual, who had a strong passion for illustration. I hope this same energy came across through my personality. From our discussion, it was clear that she has a lot of knowledge about the illustration field. For her to pass this knowledge onto me was a real blessing, and I’m extremely grateful for the experience.
I thought I’d discuss some of the main points which I received. After my interview, Jo gave me some constructive feedback, helping me improve my portfolio. Overall Jo felt that I had a very strong visual style, commenting on how my illustrations have a clear level of sophistication. She suggested for me to include more development work at the beginning of my projects, to help set the tone and purpose of the brief. I did this to a certain extent through my portfolio, however, Jo believed I could push some of these elements further. I appreciate how she noticed some of the smaller details in my presentation, such as my exploration of other topics besides children’s illustration. Jo suggested that with my book illustrations, I should include a character sheet, to help display all the individual elements from my story. She believed this would help showcase my artistic abilities to a deeper degree. I thought this was an excellent suggestion, as it’s something which I didn’t originally think about.
As a whole, I'm pleased with my presentation and performance. To work past my nerves was a big achievement in itself. Looking back, there are some things that I wish I expanded on, however, this interview was a great learning experience. With the advice I’ve received, I feel more confident to discuss my work professionally. I believe this experience will help me with interviews in the future.
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