COPYRIGHT ZOMBIE

DESIGNING A DIGITAL PORTFOLIO
CHAPTER 12
COPYRIGHT & PORTFOLIO



There's a lot of toes to step on in the area of copyright protocol. Not only do you have to be careful not to step on them - but also watch out no one steps on yours!

COPYRIGHT:
"Exclusive rights to an identifiable expression of intellectual property, as definded specifically by the government that grants the copyright"
-pg238, Designing A Digital Portfolio, Cynthia L. Baron

TRADEMARK:
A logo or something similar that identifies an individual or group.

FAIR USE:
Certain things that can be called 'forms of expression' that use copyrighted material.

INFRINGEMENT:
Violating copywrite protocol. Stealing what another has already deemed copyrited material.

CEASE AND DESIST ORDER:
You are forced by legal order to stop using copyrited material --- wich usually ends up with a large fee ):

Ok, some of these still seem a little 'on the boarder' for me. Especially fair use. I've been taught about copyright several times and I know most people, like myself, are still not 100% sure what is really copywrite infringement and what isn't.

LOL @ 'Orphan' projects
I love the description of this:
"An orphan project is one where the client no longer exists. There is little chance that the client is going to rise from the dead, grasping for rights with its mummified hands."

I'll infringe on copyright laws JUST to see that happen.

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MORE CRAYONS WEB SMART PALETTE
This is actually really spiffy - if you click the color cube - it becomes this 3d representation of the color wheel and you can select a 'layer' of it and then zoom in to see each color on that layer.

IN YOUR (INTER)FACE!

DESIGNING A DIGITAL PORTFOLIO
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DESIGNING A PORTFOLIO INTERFACE



It's not a book, it's not a plane, it's not a bird - ITS A WEBSITE.

Thus you must create an interface that is not in the traditional sense of making a book.

There are many creative ways to make an interface for the audience.
It can be linear or nonlinear, it can have multiple connections from different pages.

Another thing to keep in mind is what your page size is going to be. Will it be vertical? or horizonal? Will it take up the entire page? Or just be a part of it? These are all things that you have to think about before starting your site.

I ran into this issue actually - I made a site that will take up just a portion of the screen and I wanted to find out how to position it not only horizontally - but vertically as well. Turns out no one knows how to vertically align a page out of my group of tech-ie friends. ):

Look and feel also contribute to your interface. Will it look very straight forward and business like? Or will it look more like free thought and expression?

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Link of the week:

STUFF ON MY CAT
What a wonderful site - its updated daily
Basically - its user submitted photos of thier cat with objects on them. Some people have gotten very creative.
There's an entire library of photos on the site now.

DON'T BUILD DISCUSTING PORTFOLIOS

DESIGNING A DIGITAL PORTFOLIO
CHAPTER X
DEVELOPMENT BASICS



Chapter ten talks about putting everything together and starting your website. It emphisises on having something simple, yet not too static and boring. Having a little motion and interation is important and will keep the attention of the viewer.

Having a metaphor to set your portfolio to is a good idea. You have to know what kind of portfolio you are making. Is it a gallery, narrative, diary, experience, or what? You have to find that out first before starting your site.

I think mine is focusing on the narrative. I just wish it was focusing a little more on the "COMPLETED" metaphor.

There were some really great examples in this chapter. I love the one slideshow one on the bottom of page 207. Really great idea, and really great illustration too (same with the color scheme).

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BUILDING DESIGN PORTFOLIOS
p140-to the END



OMG I LOVE the wood portfolio on page 146. How awesome is that. It opens up to show smaller doors to open that show the portfolio peices. This one is so spiffy because not only is it increadibly original and memorable, but it shows that the person knows how to work with wood.

hahaha...
When I first flipped through this book I saw that picture of the HUGE 15 foot portfolio at the end of a car on page 153. I love how the artist is actually standing on top of it.

Ok, the brain one...(page 157) just creapy. I'll give it kudos for being original... but I think its going to run into the problem of people NOT wanting to reach inside the head to look at your work. Lesson learned: don't make a discusting portfolio kids.

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My cousin in Rhode Island is making her own cafe called "Kafe Lila". Her dad (my uncle) used to be a coordinator for Habital for Humanities and he's really great at construction (even though he was a math teacher lol). So he, my cousin and a friend are actually building this cafe. It should be done in a couple of months, I can't wait to see it.

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And the link of the week:

NINJA NEW YORK
A Japanese resturant in NY city themed on ninjas. Don't see any ninja's in the site?

EXACTLY

The flash intro to this is pretty spiffy, and I love the concept of the resturant - just wish it wasn't so expensive >.<

PAPER PRINT PORTFOLIO PERFECTION

DESIGNING A DIGITAL PORTFOLIO
CHAPTER NINE
CREATING WRITTEN CONTENT



"Someone showing their art should at least pretend they're competent."
This line in the book made me LAWL a little.

Some sugestions Baron makes when writing for your work are:
Identify your work.
Introduce yourself.
Explain your ideas and process.
Speak directly to your audience.

IDENTIFING YOUR WORK
Even if you aren't going to put a lot of text in your portfolio, and are trying to go for the minimalist look - you still need to at least have a short caption. A title and a short explaination (what the project was for, what part you had in it, etc.) are necessary.

INTRODUCING YOURSELF
You must keep your resume clean, otherwise the employer might not have the patience to read all of it. Include all the basics like contact info and a bio while still keeping a certain level of confidenciality. You don't want to put:

"I'M JACLYN LALLI AND I AM AWESOME AT VIDEOGAMES"

Even thought it might be completely true, it's not something you want to tell your potential employer, or let them know.

EXPLAINING YOUR CREATIVE THINKING
Having sketches, comps and other items leading up to your finished project will help show your process in which you work. It will show your audience that you take steps before starting your work. You come up with a plan, and an idea and develop them.

WRITING TO YOUR AUDIENCE
Pretty much, you want to explain the things that need to be explained to the EMPLOYER, not to your best friend. For example, you want to explain your process, what the piece is about, and esentially, what it is. Don't write:

"DUDE LOOK AT THE CAT I DREW THERE! ISN'T IT ADORABLE?!?!!!1one!"

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BUILDING DESIGN PORTFOLIOS
p94-p140



Here, we have a lovely look at many MANY examples of super spiffy print portfolios. It's a little intimidating building an entire book, but looking at some of these examples is very inspiring.

I really thought the one by Lorenzo Geiger on pages 138-139. Its VERY simplistic, yet is an excellent way of showing your portfolio. He just has a folder with vertical pockets. Each page is free and not bound at all (which makes construction SUPER easy) which makes showing each peice very convienient. Also, this makes adding or taking out peices very simple.

I might have to do something like that design, I really like it.

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My favorite band Deerhoof came out with this selfmade music video. They're an underground band and I absolutely love them. Their music can not be classifyied or put under any kind of music category.

They are just crazy.

I've had the chance to see them live a few months ago, and it was amazing. Go check out this video, it's so happy.

THE PERFECT ME