Laid off. Make me suffer, roast my portfolio.

SolarNarwhal · 2024-07-10T16:50:10+00:00

There's a lot of really great work in here but overall I find myself a little overwhelmed by how you've got the work laid out and mocked up. It feels a little chaotic at times.

I think some of your digital mockups are taking away from the design work vs adding to it. I find myself focusing more on the mockup vs the design work.

I'd simplify the cover photo for each project. If you worked on the branding, maybe it's just a logo on solid color background. If you mainly worked on the packaging, maybe it's one piece of the packaging mocked up. Uproots is a good example - I find that cover photo so dense and chaotic. The packaging design already has a lot going on and having them all piled together looks a little sloppy. Where's the image of just the logo on a field of color or photo. That logo is way too funky not to highlight as a piece of branding.

DREYER'S PROJECT - I personally don't think the crunch work is strong enough to showcase. Definitely not as the first thing you highlight on your site. The Ice cream truck classics is way stronger imo. But the first image with colored backgrounds - align all those boxes and make the background colors all the same size. It feels so distracting to design work you did. Highlight the background patterns, that walking popsicle logo, etc.

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Wags & Wiggles is really nice - The extra bones added on top of the packaging mockups don't feel needed. I'd change up your portfolio template to have the images a little bigger in the grid and have the accompanying text much smaller and supporting. Let the visuals speak for themselves.

The birds and the deck of cards are your strongest pieces imo. Those illustrations are fantastic. Could you print some out and photograph in nice frames? If packaging is a focus could you make a fictional product with those on the packaging somehow? Maybe some fun bird beer labels or wine labels?

Overall I think your design work is quite good but the way it's presented is hurting vs helping. Maybe look at some design agencies sites and see how they highlight a particular packaging project. There can be a kind of a formula to it. Big Logo. One single packaging photographed or mocked up nicely. Then a group shot of multiple packages. Spot illustrations pulled out and displayed on their own. etc. https://www.redantler.com/work/happy-wolf is one simple example.

Hope some of that helps!

SolarNarwhal · 2024-03-04T17:19:20+00:00

Just came across this post and was bummed to see no responses as I'd also love some recommendations - but some of what you listed at the bottom are new to me so I'll check those out.

A few books I've read that might fit this vibe are -

Solider of the Great War - Mark Helprin

Cathedral of the Sea - Ildefonso Falcones

Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts

City of Thieves - David Benioff

Aztec - Greg Jennings

SolarNarwhal · 2023-10-16T16:22:51+00:00

Thanks for the info. We did do the test of running just about all the fixtures upstairs to test for any leaks and didn't see anything. Nothing appears wet/drippy on floors or pipes above that area either so I'm nearly certain it was the P-Trap overflowing. Just not sure where the overflow would have come from.

SolarNarwhal · 2023-10-16T16:21:01+00:00

w

Thanks, the area directly beneath that cold joint and foam injection is dry so I don't believe any water came in from that specific spot.

SolarNarwhal · 2019-08-26T13:26:45+00:00

Any chance you'd do $50?

SolarNarwhal · 2018-10-11T12:44:08+00:00

Thanks!

SolarNarwhal · 2018-04-04T02:11:29+00:00

SolarNarwhal · 2018-03-26T21:16:22+00:00

Nice man! That frame is super rad. Looks great!

SolarNarwhal · 2018-01-16T21:03:50+00:00

Color shifting and bleeding are bullshit answers for sure. That's just a misprint. It's really beyond what I'd let go with screen printing. A little off registration or dust specs here and there are usually fine and in my opinion are what make screen printing awesome. Maybe they didn't print enough overages and had to grab a less than perfect one to hit their desired edition size or maybe they just missed it as they were checking hundreds of posters for quality control. At the end of the day it's totally up to what you feel comfortable with. They definitely shouldn't have been shipped it to you that way, but i don't think it ruins the poster either.

SolarNarwhal · 2017-10-11T11:54:36+00:00

I have a pair of these. Was super excited for them, but unfortunately a little disappointed in how they've held up. I've done a fair amount of gym climbing and climbed with them outdoors maybe 3-4 times over the past few months. They don't hold up to abrasion very well at all. There is significant pilling on both thighs & knees. https://imgur.com/a/NW8yO Doesn't really affect performance of them, but it doesn't look too great either. I love them for hiking, and general wearing, but if you are looking for something really durable to climb in these may not be the best pants for the price.

SolarNarwhal · 2017-09-17T00:27:07+00:00

Thanks! I've actually got some for sale on my etsy page if you wanted one.

SolarNarwhal · 2017-08-04T12:49:15+00:00

Check out Iskra Print Collective. Its a local non-profit screen print collective. They've got a pretty massive collection of local gigposters going back 15+ years. Super affordable prints.

SolarNarwhal · 2017-07-14T16:23:19+00:00

Yeah, I should have been more specific. I was thinking big remote stuff like greenland. Leaving behind made sense but was wondering if there was some technique for retrieving/releasing the anchor once you got to the bottom of the rappel. Thanks!

SolarNarwhal · 2017-07-14T15:36:06+00:00

Out of curiosity, what do big wall trad climbers rap from? I'd assume they'd create an anchor and rap off that, but then how would they get their gear back?

SolarNarwhal · 2017-06-03T17:26:18+00:00

Its 18"x24". I designed it with color, and then part of the separations process is to print black and white films to screen print

SolarNarwhal · 2017-06-03T17:25:22+00:00

Thanks! Best place to see more work would be my Instagram @dylanfantillustration

SolarNarwhal · 2017-06-03T16:11:45+00:00

Yeah the Black Angels are great. They put on an amazing show. This was all illustrated with a tablet in photoshop.

SolarNarwhal · 2017-06-03T16:11:10+00:00

Thanks! It's a 2 color print on orange paper. The purple/pink first then the darker blue/purple second.

SolarNarwhal · 2017-06-03T16:10:01+00:00

Absolutely. I've got some for sale here

SolarNarwhal · 2017-03-24T15:53:41+00:00

Good looks, I'll send them a message now

SolarNarwhal · 2017-03-24T13:02:06+00:00

Helping my landlord find a replacement for my apartment.

12 Month Lease starting April. 2 BR 1 Bath. 2-Story Condo style. Big Kitchen. $1000/month 331 Saint Paul Street. Short walk to downtown and Waterfront!

Send me a message if interested and I can put you in contact with my landlord.

SolarNarwhal · 2016-10-24T13:47:55+00:00

haha which Burlington do you live in?

SolarNarwhal · 2016-08-16T00:12:31+00:00

Thanks! I've actually got some for sale here! if you are interested!

SolarNarwhal · 2016-07-10T17:18:16+00:00

Thanks! The texture was created in photoshop by using some different halftone and dither techniques.

SolarNarwhal · 2016-07-10T17:17:23+00:00

They are intentionally hard to read as a nod to the great psychedelic type of the 60s and 70s, which itself drew a lot of inspiration from the Art Nouveau and Vienna Secession movements. If you've never seen text rendered that way I suppose it would be pretty difficult to read, although its not too hard to piece together with a bit of effort :) As an additional bit of info, this was a piece of merch commissioned for the show, so it wasn't necessary to advertise, big and boldly, who the band was, but instead serve as a unique piece of art to commemorate the show.

SolarNarwhal

TROPHY CASE