Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing worth knowing can be taught. ~ Oscar Wilde, ART PORTFOLIO Creation of a portfolio is one of the most important aspects for a fashion designer to make his presence felt and to carve a niche for himself. Portfolios are a means for the designer to communicate his ideas and concepts about fashion to the people. The portfolio determines the sale quotient of an individual's design. It is a presentation of the range of a designer's skills and his expertise in the field. The process of making a portfolio is a thought provoking as a lot many factors go into making it perfect. The designer has to consider the design sketch and focus on the target customer. For instance, it should be known whether the portfolio is for men's wear, children's wear or for women. Similarly, it should be clearly defined whether the portfolio caters to contemporary or traditional fashion forms. Portfolios are based on certain themes and have to be made keeping in mind the target product. The making of portfolios not only requires a knack for fashion but also an understanding of the human form. The successful designers are more experimental when it comes to using techniques for making and presenting portfolios. They utilize various techniques such as watercolors, felt tip markers, cut and paste technique or computer aided programs for the presentation of portfolios. A portfolio gives visual evidence about the technical skills of a designer. It shows whether the designer has knowledge of sewing, draping and making of patterns. It also gives an idea about the ability of the designer to make fashion drawings and also highlights his awareness of the past, present and future fashion trends. The portfolio has to be articulate and not redundant, evolutionary and not stagnant. It has to be in sync with the time and a true reflection of a designer's artistic and creative skill. Building Your Fashion Design Portfolio A fashion design portfolio is a very important tool for any designer. It contains samplings of the best work done by that designer. When put together properly, a fashion design portfolio can help jump start a career with lucrative job offers. However, a poorly put together
Transcript
Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing worth knowing can be taught. ~ Oscar Wilde,
ART PORTFOLIO
Creation of a portfolio is one of the most important aspects for a fashion designer to make his presence felt and to carve a niche for himself. Portfolios are a means for the designer to communicate his ideas and concepts about fashion to the people. The portfolio determines the sale quotient of an individual's design. It is a presentation of the range of a designer's skills and his expertise in the field.
The process of making a portfolio is a thought provoking as a lot many factors go into making it perfect. The designer has to consider the design sketch and focus on the target customer. For instance, it should be known whether the portfolio is for men's wear, children's wear or for women. Similarly, it should be clearly defined whether the portfolio caters to contemporary or traditional fashion forms.
Portfolios are based on certain themes and have to be made keeping in mind the target product. The making of portfolios not only requires a knack for fashion but also an understanding of the human form.
The successful designers are more experimental when it comes to using techniques for making and presenting portfolios. They utilize various techniques such as watercolors, felt tip markers, cut and paste technique or computer aided programs for the presentation of portfolios.
A portfolio gives visual evidence about the technical skills of a designer. It shows whether the designer has knowledge of sewing, draping and making of patterns. It also gives an idea about the ability of the designer to make fashion drawings and also highlights his awareness of the past, present and future fashion trends. The portfolio has to be articulate and not redundant, evolutionary and not stagnant. It has to be in sync with the time and a true reflection of a designer's artistic and creative skill.
Building Your Fashion Design PortfolioA fashion design portfolio is a very important tool for any designer. It contains samplings
of the best work done by that designer. When put together properly, a fashion design portfolio can help jump start a career with lucrative job offers. However, a poorly put together portfolio can cost the designer jobs, so a portfolio should be built with thought and care.
The best way to build a great fashion design portfolio is to focus on the content. It should showcase the designer's creativity and unique style. Many things should be highlighted in the portfolio including sketching ability, knowledge of how to use color, textile understanding, design development, and problem solving skills.
Sketched illustrations should be in the portfolio so the potential client knows the designer can accurately sketch his or her ideas. The sketches should be large, colored final copies of the design, if the initial sketches are available and there is room in the portfolio, include those as well. This shows the development of the design from start to finish. Each collection should include fabric swatches that show of what the designs should be made. Small squares are preferred, but make sure they are large enough to show any texture or pattern that may be a part of the fabric.
Group the samples by collections. It is perfectly acceptable if there is only one collection in the portfolio. However, make sure everything is in the fashion design portfolio including mood boards and flats. Include any items that may have inspired the designs, such as photographs, paintings, or certain textures. Large, color photos of any completed designs should be included in the portfolio. Try to provide diverse examples of work such as daytime dress, skirts, jackets, coats, pants, and evening ensembles.
Many designers who are just starting out in a fashion career will have his or her work arranged in a binder, but when it can be afforded, a more professional, larger portfolio should be obtained for the work. Some designers are even going digital and either putting their portfolio on compact disc or online. This allows portfolios to easily be sent anywhere. Consider creating a web site to highlight the portfolio, making sure it looks professional. To do this you may need to hire a web designer, which may initially be costly, but can pay off in the long run. Images, sketches, photos, and swatches can be scanned or photograph to be included in a digital portfolio.
Here are some tips for creating a fashion design portfolio:
Make it interesting and enjoyable. Keeping the potential client's interest is imperative. The portfolio should open and end with an incredible piece to both set the tone and leave a lasting impression.
Keep it simple. An overly complicated, overly stuffed portfolio can be distracting. Keep it up to date. Keep adding new work to keep up with current trends in fashion. Some
designers use only designs that they have made within the last three years to keep things current. Include only the best designs. Remember that three or four strong, attractive designs are better than
eight or nine so-so designs. Make the portfolio flow and be interesting from beginning to end. It can even be used to tell a
story about the designer's growth and experience. The standard formats used for portfolios are 8x10, 11x14, 14x17, or 16x20. Take extreme care with the portfolio as it will take work and money to collect the information in it. Once the portfolio is ready, go through and review each piece in case the potential client asks any
questions.
From looking at a portfolio, a potential client should know what they can expect from the designer. This is the designer's time to shine, so the portfolio should be built to emphasize skills, experience, and talent.
Fashion Design Portfolio TipsFashion design may not be for everybody, but if one has determined with utmost confidence that it is the best-suited career for him or her then it is time to get ready for action. What one can do is to submit applications to the appropriate fashion school and learn more about the craft. If one has successfully completed the course, then it calls for careful preparations to get to the best fashion design firms.
Either way, the entrance to these institutions will require a portfolio of the best work done. A fashion design portfolio can present implicit and explicit information about the designer. It displays one’s flair in fashion designing, creativity, experience, special skills, and abilities. As a whole, the portfolio will show one’s evolution as a fashion designer. Consequently, a fashion design portfolio can either make or break an application that is important to have an enticing overall impact.
But how does one go about making a collection of these creations and deciding which ones to include? Here are some fashion design portfolio tips:
• Start with a presentation folder or a big portfolio and take note of its color and design. They can be bought in school and office supplies shops or special craft stores.
• If you want, you can put some small designs on the outside cover to make a nice first impression. Display your wisdom about color schemes as well. Giving a neat outside appearance is usually pleasing to the eyes.
• Next, one useful fashion design portfolio tip is to organize the samples of your work with the use of a certain theme. Thus, you can create a little story about your work that will make the viewer wanting to look for more. Portfolio browsing by a potential employee is like reading a book. So keep it as interesting as
• Express your individuality by including samples that are relatively different from typical designs. Do not hesitate to express yourself through your portfolio. It is the right venue to release your deepest thoughts and desires.
• Put in the final versions of your sketching samples in full color and size. The finished products will show the amount of research and hard work that has been exerted on it.
• It is also important to include small pieces of fabric in the design works so that the reader will have an idea about your extent of knowledge and skills in this area.
• Also, include the finished products of your work by taking pictures of models wearing them. It is imperative then that one takes a camera along with him or her to be always prepared for the finishing touches.
• Meanwhile, if you want to go high-tech, then you can scan carefully selected pictures of your work and place the file in a disc for perusal.
• End the portfolio showing your dynamic and evolving characteristics to show that you seek continuous development in the fashion design industry.
Therefore, the best fashion design portfolio tip is to make a unique pattern that will set it apart from the rest of the design portfolios.
How to Make a Costume Design PortfolioPutting together a good portfolio is an essential part of getting costume design jobs. The portfolio will be looked at by potential employers as a representation of your work. For a designer, the portfolio is just as important as a resume and the interview itself.
Difficulty: Moderately ChallengingInstructions
1. Step 1
Choose renderings for your portfolio. The renderings should not only be some of your best, but should also represent your most creative designs. The best ones are large and colored.
2. Step 2
Have photo representations of your designs. The photos should be next to accompanying renderings so that potential employers can see how your designs translate into actuality. Make sure the photos show the entire costume, are large enough to show detail and are in full color.
3. Step 3
Include fabric swatches. This will show how well the different fabrics are represented in the renderings. The swatches will demonstrate how texture, dimension and feeling are incorporated in your design.
4. Step 4
Label everything. Each page of the portfolio should have the name of the show that was designed, your name as a design, and the name of the character or person the costume is for. The label should also indicate whether the costume was for a play, television show, movie or anything else.
5. Step 5
Choose costume samples to represent in your portfolio carefully. The portfolio needs to represent your best work. It also needs to represent the variety of work in which you are successful. In your choices, show variety of styles and kinds of work.
6. Step 6
Organize the information in the portfolio wisely. Multiple designs from one show should appear together. Keep one or two designs to one page. The portfolio should tell a type of story. By flipping through the pages, there should be a natural progression from design to design.
7. Step 7
Consider having multiple portfolios if the extent of your work is expansive. For example, create a portfolio for costume crafts and hats, one for fabric painting and dying, one for costume construction, and one for just straight design, They could also be separate in terms of a portfolio for theater productions, one for television, one for dance costumes and one for Halloween costumes.
Read more: How to Make a Costume Design Portfolio | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2318091_make-costume-design-portfolio.html#ixzz0rPhv1JW9
MOOD BOARD
A mood board is a tool used by designers to help them get a good idea of what their clients are looking for. Mood boards are basically collages of items such as photographs, sketches, clippings, fabric swatches and color samples. A mood board can be actual or virtual. A mood board is used by many different types of designers such as those in fashion and interior design.
A decorating mood board often contains magazine clippings of furnishings that inspire the design concept. Sketches and a floor plan are also usually included on the board. Paint chips and other color swatches are also featured on a decorating mood board. The client can view the mood board and decide whether he or she likes the main design concepts the board represents.
A fashion mood board usually has sketches of garments as the main focus of the board. Fashion mood boards may also have magazine clippings or other sketches of what inspired the designer such as pictures of ocean waves for the design of a dark blue silk gown. Trimming details and ribbon could also be on a fashion mood board.
Mood boards are a great way for designers to present their take on a theme to clients. For example, if a client tells a designer that he or she wants something cozy or airy those feelings could be created in many different ways. By putting the ideas on a mood board first, the designer can make sure the client likes the ideas. You don't have to be a professional designer to create a mood board. It's possible to make your own mood board and get in touch with your own moods and tastes in the process.
You could start your personal mood board with a stack of magazines. Just tear and cut out anything that touches you in some way. Don't rationalize your choices, but pick colors, shapes, words and pictures that
you feel drawn to. You can do theme boards such as "What I want my life to be like" or "Career ideas for me" or "How I want to decorate the baby's room." Anything goes and creating your own mood board can help your learn more about your self and your style.
MOOD BOARDSBefore introducing a new clothing line, many fashion designers give their buyers and suppliers an overall impression of the image they want to portray. They often do this through a collage method called “mood boards.” A fashion mood board may contain cutouts from books or magazines, key words or phases, fabric swatches, music selections, and much more. Any sensory item that gives the viewer an idea of the designer’s direction is attached to the mood board.
In scrapbooking, you can use this same image-collage technique to determine your own style which will help you design and construct your layouts (To learn specifics about how to construct layouts see A Scrapbooker’s Guide 3, Creating Albums and Layouts):
Making Your Mood Board
1. To begin, flip through some of your favorite magazines (general living, fashion, home design, etc.). Find pictures that appeal to you or represent your personal taste. They don’t have to make sense or even fit together. You don’t even have to understand why a certain picture appeals to you. If it makes an impression or elicits a positive response, tear it out.
2. Next, look for colors, embellishments, techniques, or any other sensory items that please you. You may want to pick your favorite song or download a sample of your favorite fonts. 22 Be creative with what you use to pull together as you work at discovering your own style.
3. When you are through collecting, fasten each item onto an appropriately sized piece of cardboard or a bulletin board in collage form.
4. Finally, study your work. It’s okay if your mood board doesn’t feel quite complete yet. Analyze what you have so far. What impressions or moods do the grouped items give you? Is there a general theme to your style? Can you narrow or even pinpoint your idea of beauty? Figure out what your mood board is telling you.
Your mood board will become an individually tailored reference point when choosing from the many artistic aspects of layout and album creation. You will be surprised at the affect your mood board will have on your scrapbooking decisions. When you go shopping you will purchase items you want to have in your scrapbook, not those that others think you need. Keep your mood board in a place where you can review it often. Add to the board when you find some new inspiration to incorporate into your work.
IDEA NOTEBOOKSAn idea notebook is a three-ring binder containing a collection of layout ideas, gathered together as reference points, to be incorporated into future layouts.
Making Your Idea Notebook
1. To begin, flip through some of your favorite scrapbooking magazines. Tear layouts and articles that most appeal to you and place them in a three-ring notebook. Note: Some scrappers prefer to use 3”x5” cards in a storage box referencing the magazine issue, page and date. Either method is effective. Since there are many excellent layouts posted on-line (See e. g. The Scrapbook.com Gallery) you can also search for and print out layouts you like.
2. When you have a collection of fifty or more ideas, lay all of them on the floor and study the elements each has in common. Look at color, shapes, products, whether the layouts are complex or simple, strong, or soft. List your observations for future reference. Place this list in your notebook.
3. When looking for a layout inspiration or an opportunity to learn a new scrapbooking skill, pull out your notebook and select an idea to focus on.
4. Once that idea is used in a layout, throw it away. Alternatively, for those layouts and articles you want to hold on to, file them chronologically as you collect them or make a numerical index page filed in the front section of your notebook.
You may find that your idea notebooks reflect your mood board style. To keep growing in scrapbooking skills, learn a new scrapping technique taken from one of your favorite articles and incorporate it into a layout. Create a list of desirable skills and set goals in many different areas to try in layouts. Through this process, you are certain to find an approach to scrapbooking as individual as you are.
Designing a layout is all about preserving history through your own creativity, personal taste, and style. Once you discover the comfort of knowing your own scrapbooking preferences, you will put a layout together. Save yourself frustration, and clarify whether you like those punch-wove designs; asymmetrical or symmetrical; detailed or minimalist layouts; and bold or subdued color.
STORY BOARD /MOOD BOARD OR THEME BOARD
These terms are basically same and there is no much difference in them. When a fashion designer thinks to design new design line he starts to work on some predefined theme/story/mood . For to work according to planning one should start collecting information like choice of colors, fabrics, trims, age group he is targeting, season , men or women , culture and many other some few important aspects he should to consider. But the above said things are used just in preliminary stages , a professional fashion designers have to bother many other important facts like fashion forecasting, But we wont go in detail so we should first start with our theme selection
Difference in theme board Vs Mood board: theme board is basically your basic building block on which one person starts to work while creating his designs , its basically primary idea , a predefined thought through which he works , for example you think about creating your design on global warming , so global warming is basic idea of your design or a point through which you are connected and cant leave your path Mood bard is basically your rough idea when you start working on your theme, like some fabric swathes matching your theme and we pin it
THEME SELECTION:- when we start to think creating new fashion line one must to decide his theme/mood/or story . If you are student you should select your theme simple and easy to work on it , i meant you should be able to collect data from sources . before theme selection you should know your source of inspiration
SOURCE OF INSPIRATION:- Finding source of inspiration is not tough task. source of inspiration can be
anything , for example history, streets, culture, nature , books, etc
FINAL METHOD:- Now after deciding your theme you should start creating materials matching your theme, it can be anything from picture , to sand , to vegetable etc , just all we need to satisfy our theme . Now processes involved area:season: decide your season for which you are going to work for your themeb:age group: decide the age group or size group you are going to work. for example kids , infants , young , old etcb: deciding color : first you should decide the choice of color that would work according to your theme/mood/storyc: fabric swatch board: now you should decide type of fabric you are going to use that will satisfy your mood
d: write your ideas : you should write your ideas in some paper so you can use them without loosing your memory on the time of creation
ARTIST PORTFOLIO GUIDELINES
This article feature ideas on how to create a successful artist portfolio and how to present your portfolio to galleries or to anyone. The information is useful to anyone in working in fine art or commercial art. It will help all photographers, painters and other artists that might one day have to create artist portfolio or present their artworks to a gallery.
To become successful in today's art market, an artist must have a vision, they must master the technical skills required in your art medium, and the artist needs to understand of the business of art.
When presenting a portfolio, not only the artists work is being judged, the artist is also being judged. Is this artist or photographer serious? Will he or she succeed in the art world? Are they worthy of being represented?
Your artist portfolio should impress viewers with your vision and with how well you have mastered the technical aspects of photography. To go along with your portfolio, you should provide good artist support materials.
This site was designed to help you to understand the importance of good artist support materials and help you to understand the business side of art.
PERSPECTIVE
Remember, no matter what you've heard or read, your work doesn't stand alone. Whenever a gallery owner, museum curator, or art consultant reviews your portfolio, the memory of your photographs will be only part of what you leave behind. Just as packaging plays an increasingly important role in product marketing, you are as integral to your presentation as your images.
A successful portfolio presentation is absolutely necessary if you expect to become represented gallery or make a lot of sales.
PORTFOLIO DESIGN
Your photographs must be presented in a professional manner. Choose only finished prints for your portfolio. Never show work prints or unspotted prints. Always show your best work. Plan your portfolio carefully. A good portfolio should have continuity and provide viewers with a clear idea as to what your vision is. It should be organized by subjects or different photographic styles. Horizontal and vertical images, as well as different size prints should be organized and grouped separately. Black and white images and color images should also be grouped separately for easier viewing.
Your work should be presented in an appropriate portfolio case or shipping case. If you are presenting your work to a gallery, it is best to use a case specifically designed for fine art photography. Cases are usually available from good local photography or art supply stores. You can also purchase them through mail order companies.
Your photographs should be completely finished prints that are ready for sale. They should be overmatted, signed, dated, titled, numbered, and stamped with your print identification stamp. Before making your portfolio presentation, remove any tissue or plastic bags that protect the prints. Make sure that your overmats are clean and free of any finger prints.
Your window overmats should be well cut, with clean straight lines, and look as good as possible. If you are having problems cutting them, try a professional frame shop. Shop around for the best prices, and if money is a problem, consider trading art for matting.
EDITING YOUR ARTWORK
Your portfolio must be well-edited, and you may not be the best judge of your own work. Since it is often difficult to be objective about your own photographs, you might have someone you respect view and critique your portfolio prior to
showing it to a gallery. This will ensure that the work you show is your strongest work.
Limit the number of photographs you are showing to no more than twenty prints. You might even consider as few as ten prints. The main objective of your first visit is just to introduce your work to the gallery. Make the experience of looking at your work as pleasant and positive as possible so that you can come back another day. It could take several portfolio presentations before the gallery gets to know you and decides to represent you.
Present only one thematically unified or otherwise cohesive body of work. If you have more than one body of work to show, show your strongest work first and trust that your success will allow you to present your work again.
INTRODUCTION AND PRESENTATION
Start off on a positive note, make a complimentary comment about the gallery or the artworks on display. Thank the reviewer for taking the time to look at your work. Briefly introduce yourself and your photographic history. Keep it short, because your work is more important at this stage.
Assume that the person looking at your work is a professional. Don't insist on white gloves or make a fuss about the handling of your work. If you are overly concerned, handle the work for the reviewer. Always keep in mind that you want to make it as easy as possible for the reviewer, so that you will be welcomed back again.
Don't interfere with normal business that might be going on during the portfolio review. Never interrupt a sales effort or impede a possible sale. Before you begin your presentation, let the reviewer know that you understand the importance of normal business, and that you will not mind an interruption if something comes up.
Listen carefully and don't hesitate to take notes if necessary. Try to identify the reviewers favorite photographs. You might want to show them again on another visit.
Keep your questions to a minimum. Try to eliminate negative responses from the reviewer, and always avoid questions that can be answered with a "no." Don't ask for representation, and don't ask for an exhibition, because you can assume that the person looking at your work knows what you want. The reviewer will discuss representation or exhibitions if they are available to you. Your main purpose in showing your portfolio is to have the gallery become familiar with your work.
If you have arranged for a thirty-minute appointment, time your presentation so that you will be ready to walk out the door in thirty minutes or less. Stretching your appointment, unless the reviewer requests it, will do you more harm than good.
If you have slides of additional work, have them ready and be prepared to show them if (and only if) the person reviewing asks to see more of your work. Slides are frequently used by galleries and art consultants to show clients images. Slides should always be of prints, not duplicates of slides. Mastering the art of making good quality slides will be a benefit to your career. If you are having difficulties making good slides, let a professional lab or someone who knows how to make them do it for you.
PREPARATION
Before contacting a gallery, find out what type of art they show. Look at the work of the artists they represent and make sure that your photographs will fit into the gallery's profile and positioning.
Inquire about the gallery's current reviewing procedures and comply with the review methods requested. The best way to do this is to ask the gallery. Methods of review vary. You might have to leave your portfolio overnight, or you might have to leave it for a week. Some galleries will review only artist slides. Others may ask for a recommendation from a gallery artist or a collector. It is important to follow the gallery's review procedure, especially on your first review. Request a special review only as a last resort, only if you are absolutely unable to comply with the standard review process.
Find out the name and position of the person reviewing artists' portfolios and write down his or her name with correct spelling. This is important for future visits and correspondence with the gallery. If you expect the reviewers to
remember who you are, have the same courtesy and remember them.
TIMING YOUR PORTFOLIO REVIEW
Call or write several weeks ahead of time requesting an opportunity to show your work. If writing, be sure to include a self-addressed envelope with a reply card. Always address your request to the person reviewing work. If you are not sure who that is, call the gallery and find out. Form letters are frequently sent to galleries and typically are not well-received.
Avoid short-notice appointments ("I'm in town for only one day! Can you look at my work?"). Never "cold call" that is drop in without an appointment and ask for a review on the spot.
On the day of your portfolio presentation, call to confirm your appointment and ask, "Is this still a good time for you to look at my work or would another time be better?" As in all aspects of business, your timing will be crucial.
Be on time for your appointment. If you are unable to make your appointment, phone as far in advance as possible and try to reschedule. Be sensitive to the gallery's priorities. Don't try to get your work reviewed at a time when a new exhibition is being installed, or when the gallery has an opening or other scheduled event.
Timing is one very important for a successful portfolio review.
COMMON SENSE
Be friendly, positive, polite, and courteous. Avoid being rude or inconsiderate. Keep in mind that you are asking a decision maker to help you. Through your words and actions, indicate that you place great value on that person's time and opinions. Are you making his or her job easier or more difficult? Have you visited the space before? Do you know anything about current programs, new directions, or the history of the exhibition space? You should learn as much as possible about the gallery before your review. Show them that you know and care about what they are doing. Remember that when asking a gallery to work with you, you are asking it to care about you, to invest time and money in you. You are also asking it to become your business partner.
FOLLOW-UP
Create a marketing card for your manual or computerized files. A marketing card is a record of who you have contacted and what you contacted them about. Include the following information: name of reviewer, name and address of the gallery, telephone number, date of review, type of work presented, impressions, comments, what material you left behind, results of the review, and type of follow-up you have planned.
Be sure to send a thank you card to the person who looked at your portfolio. Send a postcard of one of your images, so that it will remind the reviewer of what work you presented. Follow-up in four to six months, or whenever you have a new portfolio of images to show.
You can create and send real postcards from AmazingMail, click on the link try one. The quality is excellent and you can upload your own images to create a postcard.
HAVE PATIENCE
Developing a relationship with a gallery is like developing any other valuable relationship; the chances are that it won't happen overnight. But if you are not patient, professional and polite, chances are it won't happen at all.
A gallery owner or anyone else to whom you are showing your portfolio has many things to do beyond discovering new artists. Be aware and sensitive to the difference between your priorities and the priorities of whomever is seeing your photographs.
To become a successful professional artist takes more than good artwork. To succeed, you must understand the business of art, create a good portfolio, and master your portfolio presentation. You can and will become a successful visual artist if you have good timing, some luck, and the desire to become successful.
MORE ON PRESENTATION BOARDS
A sampling of student work from Antwerp-Adrian Brachler, Ann tolks , Karen Shewerberger.
“A story board is a summary of your collection’s inspiration and theme. It’s a design tool that will help you remain focused and consistent as your line develops. It’s also a great communication aid when explaining
your vision to others (retailers, media etc.). Magazine tears, fabric swatches, old photos, buttons, ribbons; basically any visual reference you desire are mounted onto a hard board. Be sure to give your story board a title, like a book or film” - fashionincubator.com
In fashion, this board will usually consist of a full colour illustration of a fashion figure or figures (male or female) wearing the garments being showcased. You should include a sizeable swatch of the fabric chosen, clearly labelled. You should consider your storyboard to be a pictorial representation of your clothing in full colour, along with technical renderings of each garment individually. I have gone into more detail on that in the technical drawings page.
-Sophie Lee
Individuallly, just the sketches can look dull and lifeless, very uninteresting. You need a well planned layout, a strong theme - and your ideas must seem commercially successful. Designers need to learn how to use many presentation techniques in order to enhance their artwork.
How to plan your presentation:
Decide on your objective, depending on the design brief - be it trends forecasting, a fashion design board, theme, etc. Depending on the target market, the brief and the purpose of the presentation, your storyboard should include the following:* A fashion figure, clothed in your designs/or flat working drawings* Swatches of your fabric (all fabrics used)* Colour ways (palettes) all the colours used in your designs* Trims used* Photographs
Presentation Techniques
The presentation must be strongly themed, capturing the mood and should always have a title. This can be determined by the fabrics: Natural Linens, the season: Summer Blues, or the merchandise: Metamorphasis etc.
Stance: Choose the correct and appropriate pose for your templates when you start drawing, either classic, sophisticated, funky, moody or sporty etc.
Positioning: Don’t allow your fashion figure to look like its floating on the page, use shadowing. I prefer to use mounting tape to stick it to the cardboard - 3mm thick. It provides a drop shadow.
Figures: When using more than one fashion figure on the board, you may vary the size of them, this can look visually appealing. One large scale in the foreground, and the rest in the background can look amazing. You can even use one enlarged figure in the foreground and cut it in half, the rest can be smaller and full length.(when trying to illustrate the clothing on the upper half of course!)
Fabrics: You can cut the fabric with pinking shears (zigzag cut on edges)This looks professional. I usually use double sided tape on the edges to prevent the fabric fraying. You can also crumple the fabrics into little rouged balls and stick with double sided tape. I also like to window-mount it in cardboard, using a blade to cut out an inner square to reveal the neat swatch of fabric. Avoid this if the fabric needs to be able to be felt between the fingers.
Heading: The font should match the theme or era. Try to use the computer where possible.
Labels: Where necessary, print small descriptions and labels and stick it next to the relevant object. Eg: “Princess Lines” or “Full length coat”
Collages: Use anything you can find from magazines, your pc, tissue paper, feathers, foil, string, fabric etc. DONT go overboard, this can look messy.
Borders: Surround the storyboard with a contrasting cardboard frame, using different textures works well. Cut neatly, use ruled lines!
Backgrounds: If necessary, use plain or mildly textured/printed board as a background, dont allow it to drown the focal point - YOUR FIGURE.
Each fashion illustrator has their own style, I have sourced some storyboard and fashion figure examples from the relevant illustrator’s portfolios off the internet; please don’t copy any of their ideas or try to make templates from their drawings. Try to eventually produce your own fashion templates from scratch.
Storyboards are most often coupled with a mood board – an inspiration board containing a collection of pictures or colours, card and fabric that evoke an emotional response. Designers and pupils can use mood boards to decide on the right colours and convince others of their choice. You can make use of various mediums to create interest on the mood board: Buttons, ribbon, wool, sand, corrugated board etc.
I have put together some quick pointers for your storyboard presentation, you must use your imagination, be as creative as possible, but bear in mind:
Top- Don’t allow your board to become messy and unstructured in your endeavour to be creative- Keep it
simple and focused on the theme and figure:
-Cindy Chu- Use the correct fashion template for your theme, if its classic Victorian don’t use an outlandish figure template and if your theme is contemporary then use the appropriate pose:
- Don’t forget to illustrate accessories, bags and jewellery, this creates a polished finish:
-Angelo RussicaTry to keep the figures symmetrically presented where possible, it keeps the eye focused (Storyboard Below) Using a larger figure amongst two smaller ones on the left and right can also look good. It will seem like the two smaller figures are in the background. Sometimes it’s effective to use the same figure for all the different outfits, creating a repetitive tiled effect.
-Diptri IrlaAlways remember to have a main heading such as “Trends for Winter” or “Black & White” Dating your board will only make it short-lived.
-Justin Gloston- Have your fabric swatches neatly cut out and decoratively arranged on your board, clearly labelled. Use sticky tape on the back of the fabric when cutting, this prevents fraying and gives a good end result. You can also use pinking shears to create a zigzag edge
-Theresia Fanda- Don’t use too many unrelated colour varieties on one board, such as pastels and brights and neutrals - dirty and clean shades should be grouped together. There has to be a theme or collection of complementing colours, this is the general rule, unless you are specifically going multicolour in your designs:
-Annie Kim
Top
- Buy paint sample swatches from the paint store, use those as a colour way - Don’t have too many things hanging off your board, as this seems untidy.- Use as much detail as possible, draw in the texture, beading, trims, fabric print, weave and as much visual ornamentation as you can. Use shading and highlights for the skin and hair:
-Sarah Louise Petty- Your technical drawings can be pasted on the rear of the board, or neatly pasted on the front, sometimes this can look cluttered- Try to use computer printed headings and labels, but don’t forget to colour code, don’t just print out a black & white heading if it will clash with your board. Print the heading as large as possible without interfering with the overall look, a small floaty heading will cause you to lose marks. Use Microsoft Word to print them out.- Use the foam double sided mounting tape to stick your figures down, as this creates a raised look – very professional, it gives your board a 3 dimensional look:
-Christine Dauguet
- Find bits of material, feathers, edging, embellishment or beads to stick on the board – anything that goes with your theme, keep this tidy and within the borders of your storyboard, nothing flapping off or hanging down- ALWAYS stick to the requirements of your brief, the due date, amount of outfits required, theme etc. Use the correct board size stipulated (A2 A3 or A4) and try to buy rigid board – I like to use 1200 micron but you can use slightly thinner. The rule should be that you can rest it up against a stand and it won’t fold, and warp – not impressive during presentations!- Have all the information regarding your board handy, your lecturer will ask you questions about fabrication, target market segment (sportswear, evening wear, ready to wear, couture etc) and you should know off hand. Fabrics are the most important aspects to remember, don’t just say “cotton” if its viscose cotton, cotton lycra or stretch cotton – be specific- Bear in mind that everything you do from now on has to be showcased in your portfolio – so create the best boards possible, and look after them. Use a plastic cover when handing them in
Wednesday, 6 June 2007
Joules Project 2007
Before finishing at university we all participated in a four week mini design brief for a company of our choice. I chose to do this project for Joules creating a womnswear capsual collection influence by the Best of British.
As part of my third year at university I participated in an ongoing work placement with Plain Lazy, Brighton. As part of a live brief for my final majour project I created a more fashion orientated surfwear collection for their recently released womenswear collection (Lazy Lady).
This project shows my creative design skills, ability to take a brand forward and offer something new whilst maintaining the philosophy and humour this particular company is renowned for. I also backed up this project with a full set of fabric feature samples and promotional material.
Here are some samples of work for this project taken from my portfolio:
CREATING A FASHION DESIGN PORTFOLIO PROJECT – WHAT TO INCLUDE
In our last portfolio article we discussed ways to get inspired, how to decide on which design sector to focus on, and how to choose your theme. This week we will be looking at how to take that next step in creating that all important portfolio.
So, what to include? Your portfolio should be made up of a series of different projects, all with a very definite beginning, middle and end. The beginning is what is called the Mood Board. The middle is Design Development, and the end is the Final Design Boards. Below we will summarize what is needed for each section.
MOOD BOARD
You should now have an idea of your theme and inspiration, and should have gathered many images, photos, tearsheets from magazines, original sketches, fabric swatches, trims, colour swatches and trend information into a scrap book or research book. Even if you haven’t put all of this into a scrap / research book, you should by now have a pile of images which inspire you. You should carefully select only the images / information you feel ‘sells’ the theme or mood you are trying to get across, to put on your mood board. The ideal board should include a title and which season you are aiming for, eg Spring / Summer 2010, your colour palette (this can be displayed in traditional colour block format, or each colour could be displayed as a shape or word, depending on what fits with your theme), fabric and trim swatches, some trend information (such as catwalk images) relating to your season, and general images you find inspirational (try to include some original sketches or your own photos, not just found images from magazines). If you are particularly interested in designing product with graphics and print, you should of course include some ideas for textiles on this board too.
A good mood board should make your theme very apparent as soon as the viewer sees it. Also think about the type of company your product would suit, as this will affect the presentation of the page. For instance, if you are designing in the style of Calvin Klein, your mood page would be quite pared down, uniform, lots of neutrals. While if your style is more towards Roberto Cavalli or Dolce & Gabbana, your page would be much more decorated, have lots of colour, lots of trims and bling! Some designers who are creating speculative projects like this often add the logo of the company they have in mind, to make the project seem more real. This is often useful to get your audience in the right mind set, and they are then able to visualize your ideas within that particular brand’s store.
As this page is the first one anyone will see, it must have the ‘wow’ factor, and make the viewer want to find out more….
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
These pages are the middle of the ‘story’, and follow on from the mood board. You should have between 4 – 8 pages in this section, showing your design ideas, loose sketches, and doodles. Any less than this won’t be enough to get your ideas across, and any more runs the risk of boring your audience. At this stage, your designs don’t have to be perfect or presented on figures – this part is to show the viewer your exploration of various design ideas. For instance, you could draw a long sleeved top with a zip down the front, then your next sketch would be the same style but with a ruffle down the front too – the next from that might be a variaton, with short sleeves. It’s all about showing the development process, brain storming ideas, and showing how your mind works, and how your got from point A to point B. If you have an interesting seam detail, embroidery or
embellishment, you might want to draw this up in detail on the page alongside the flat sketches, or focus in on details you feel are important.
Show lots of ideas on the same page, instead of one or two on a page. You might want to group different types of garment on the same page – eg a page of dresses, a page of pants and so on…
Also add elements from your mood board (you could photocopy sections of this) to add to these pages, to provide a link between all of the pages, and pull together the whole package of work as a cohesive story. Think about what else tells the story – feel free to add in more trims, fabrics, prints, etc alongside the sketches.
By the end of this section, you should have many different designs to choose from to select as your final garment ideas.
FINAL DESIGN BOARDS
Your final boards should show which designs you have selected as your ultimate capsule collection for this project. Go back through all of your ideas from the design development and think about which ones sum up your theme the best. Ask youself: Which pieces would sell well? Which ones sit alongside eachother best? What has the ‘wow factor’? What is commercial?
Although each collection will be different depending on what type of product you are working on, and which sector, but you should also think about the balance of the collection. If you are designing a capsule collection of daywear for example, it wouldn’t work if you only showed dresses on the final design board. Think about each outfit and what you will include in the final line-up – eg, 2 dresses, 1 coat, 2 pants, 1 blouse, 1 top, etc.
Although you won’t be physically creating this collection, you should be thinking like a proper designer, and asking yourself all of these questions. Whoever you show your portfolio to, such as a college tutor or recruiter, will be asking you why you chose these pieces to include in the collection, so you should be able to justify your decisions well.
The number of outfits you show is up to you, but as a general guideline, approximately 5 full figure illustrations is enough, spread across 2 pages.
So on one page you would have 3 figures, and on the second you would have 2 figures. These figure illustrations should show your garments in as much detail as possible and be in full colour. Experiment with different ways of figure illustration – there are so many ways to do it, including hand drawing with fineliner pens, Pantone pens (chunky colour markers with a huge variety of colours), paint, colored pencils, collage, or illustration on computer packages. At this stage of your career it’s probably fair to say that you will not be familiar with computer design packages (CAD) yet, but you will learn about these once you get to fashion school. Don’t worry if you aren’t a great illustrator – most people aren’t – but there are ways around this. For instance, if you have trouble drawing the face and hair, take a look at a couple of fashion magazines to see if there are any photographs of models who would suit your style. Photocopy these and place them onto your figure illustrations. You will have to play around with the sizing to get it looking in proportion, but the end results can be very good.The same goes for creating realistic looking fabrics on your figures – if you find it hard to replicate them in a drawing (especially if the fabrics are printed) – photocopy your fabric, and minimize it until it is the right size to be placed onto your illustration (you will need to trace the shape of the garment onto the photocopied piece, and cut to size).
Always remember to keep your target consumer in mind when doing your figures – try to do the hair, makeup, shoes and accessories in the style your consumer would have. Going back to the examples we mentioned earlier, the Calvin Klein consumer would look very different to the Dolce
& Gabbana customer, so try to get their style across when you illustrate. This can make the difference between a good final page and an excellent one – it isn’t just about the actual garments, it’s about how the page looks as a whole. Other elements you should include on your final page are the title and logo again, some pieces from your mood board, and also some black and white flat drawings. Flat drawings are exactly that – a garment sketch showing where the seams go, where the fastenings go and what type they are, and any other interesting detail. You don’t have to do a flat for every single garment shown on the figures, but focus on pieces which for instance have back details which aren’t shown on the figure drawings.
There is lots to think about and do here, but don’t be daunted by it - the key is to simply get the ball rolling, and make a start on the project. You will find that it gets easier, the more you practice, and your design style will begin to emerge once you have done a couple of projects. Good luck!
Fashion presentation resources:
port·fo·li·o (pôrt-f l - , p rt-)n. pl. port·fo·li·os 1. a. A portable case for holding material, such as loose papers, photographs, or drawings.b. The materials collected in such a case, especially when representative of a person's work: a photographer's portfolio; an artist's portfolio of drawings.2. The office or post of a cabinet member or minister of state.3. A group of investments held by an investor, investment company, or financial institution.
[Italian portafoglio : porta-, from portare, to carry, from Latin port re; see per-2 in Indo-European roots + foglio, sheet (from Latin folium, leaf; see bhel-3 in Indo-European roots).]
portfolio [pɔːtˈfəʊlɪəʊ]n pl -os1. a flat case, esp of leather, used for carrying maps, drawings, etc.2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) the contents of such a case, such as drawings, paintings, or photographs, that demonstrate recent work an art student's portfolio3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) such a case used for carrying ministerial or state papers4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the responsibilities or role of the head of a government department the portfolio for foreign affairs(Government, Politics & Diplomacy)Minister without portfolio a cabinet minister who is not responsible for any government department6. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Stock Exchange) the complete investments held by an individual investor or by a financial organization[from Italian portafoglio, from portāre to carry + foglio leaf, paper, from Latin folium leaf]
Examples: portfolio of brokers—Lipton, 1970; of choice original designs, 1794; of drawings, 1807; of stocks and shares.
Fashion Presentation boards: standards and guidelines1. General recommendations for Fashion Presentation boards.
a. Captions1. keep your fashion boards informative. It must be clear what your board represents.
Fashion trend related and /or seasonal information information should be on a presentation board.
2. readable font: readability first !!!Font size: big enough to be read easily but not too big.
b. technical perfection: Check quality of your technical drawings (flats) ,textile designs, fashion illustrations and photos before you compile your board.
c. Layout1. Always preserve some space as a visual frame for your fashion board 2. Use the space of the board efficiently without wasted space . 3. Economize the space on the fashion board by overlapping your technical drawings
(flats) and other visuals ( for example textile swatches)
negative space around the Fashion Presentation boards, "visual frame", overlapping of visuals (technical drawings, fashion illustrations and textile swatches) helps to create very focused and efficient fashion presentation boards ( by
Dominique Acevedo)
4. Use either perfect symmetry or absolute asymmetry as a principle of layout for Fashion Presentation boards .
Symmerical board Assymmerical board
5. All elements in your Fashion Presentation must be aligned
perfectly aligned boards by Robin Thompson look very organized and very focused
6. Composition of the page must include all design basics requirements, and first of all, Balance and Unity
d. implementation1. Background: curb your enthusiasm. Keep it simple, no pictures on the background
unless it is a necessity 2. minimum embellishments . Focus on the layout not on decoration. 3. Limit yourself in color: keep a minimum of colors on your board 4. Keep your colors in harmony : if you have to use more than one/two colors for your
board, arrange your colors in harmony. Analogous color scheme or monochromatic color scheme usually are perfect solutions for coloring boards without taking too much attention from content.
Outline swatch including it in a visual box frame. Use 3D effects .
Make color of background more de-saturated and more neutral than the colors of your designs. Consider a different value for color of a background ( lighter or darker) than your images on a board.
e. Style :
contrast of proportions (big and small ) Include close-ups as a reinforcement to general image.
"close ups" with accent on important details help designer to focus attention on the most important aspects of the presentation designs and fashion presentation boards by Slavica Trifunoska : see Slavica Trifunoska portfolio
Originality of imagery : If your image is not created by you it must be either copyright free, or you have to obtain a written permission from the copyright owner allowing you to use the image. It is unprofessional and in some cases illegal to use other people's creations without their permission.
b.Remember, that you are not selling your boards, you are selling the collections of garment or fabric with the help of your boards , therefore , visual and written data must be the logical focus of your presentation. . This is not Fine Art where you are expressing yourself for the sake of Art, this is Design, therefore think of function of your presentation first. Follow the logic of data-driven, content-oriented board and make the content of your board the paramount. Do not disrupt viewer's attention from content of your board by over-decorating your board.
fashion drawing resources for fashion professionals: draw with style, draw with confidence!
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How To Hire a Fashion Designer By Camille Wilkinson
Illustration From The Design Portfolio Of Camille Wilkinson
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Tips Before You Hire - Hiring a fashion designer can be a full time job. So to make your life a tad bit easier we came up with a list of must do's before you hire for your next big project.
10 THINGS TO LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING A FASHION DESIGNER
POINT 3. What made them catch your eye, hold your breath, and call in the rest of your team to see what you see. If you know what you need, seeing what fits the bill should be easy. The plus of looking, is if you find something more, something je ne sais pas (I don't know what), but when you see it - wow - you know it.
It might be good to know what kind of environment they best design in... It is not just a passing curiosity to know how a designer thrives best. And aside from the physical environment, what is the computer environment or OS (operating system) - along with the programs - that made their work pop. Genius may also have its source in the tools used.
POINT 4. A good design portfolio contains - like manners - a designer's best foot forward, their best work, their best representation of all of what they can do as a designer. And like manners, it's not a façade, it's not a put-on, it's in fact the super powers that they have cultivated throughout their career to the point where they are now: Now, ‘You Are Here'. So no worries, they should be able to back up what ever they have presented. That is to say, they should be able to apply all their talents and skills to whatever you may challenge them with.
POINT 5. Check and balance your initial awe of pretty pictures with sound design process practicalities. If you don't see it in the portfolio, and you still want to investigate what the designer is capable of, let this be one question in your first line of defense upon interviewing:
QUESTION #1. Are you capable of detailing your designs in a tech pack?You should also ask:QUESTION #2. Are you capable of leading fit meetings for your designs?And since you are on this track, ask this:QUESTION #3. Are you knowledgeable of fabric types, constructions, knitting qualities, and gauges?
Yes, you need to get technical with a prospective designer, to know the perimeters of their skills. Even if you have departments who this work is delegated to, a designer must know how to communicate with them to get their designs to the next stage.
POINT 6. A designer's portfolio should indicate their organization of ideas. All portfolios should feel like mini client presentations. Does each pretty image, also inform as being an element of the process of design, or is it random, and without thread. As long as the majority of examples of their designs are supported with aspects of the design process, then the occasional stand-alone idea is acceptable.
POINT 7. A fashion designer's portfolio should effectively show their diversity within a market or markets they are experienced in; diversity by way of brand levels and price points. Customary reason suggests keeping to one market niche, per portfolio if a designer has market share (pun intended) in several.
Simply put, a fashion designer shouldn't mix menswear with children's wear, and the like. It should be kept as separate, concentrated and concise categories. This is so to keep the fatigue factor low in viewing and remembering what was seen. Neat bites, Easy digestion, Pleasurable meal.
POINT 8. A fashion design portfolio should include fabric swatches or facsimiles to bolster the design ideas and make the designs as tangible as possible. Actually, anything that supports the intrinsic understanding of a designer's design serves the idea best.
POINT 9. A design portfolio should indicate the designer's knowledge of how the designs are constructed. Note to self; see above point 5.
POINT 10. A fashion designer may be excellent at illustration, but a good illustration is not designing. The ‘je ne sais pas' factor aside, it is important that they know what is intended in their own work, and be able to convey and express it clearly, to all others that will promote its production. The idea is to get it out of the portfolio, off the drawing board and on its merry way to the customer. It's all win-win when you and the designer are on the same page.
