A Portfolio Book for the 21st Century

A Book with More
We all know that a portfolio website is a must. But the portfolio book isn’t dead either. It’s still a vital part of marketing yourself. In the past, if you wanted to include interactive or motion work with your portfolio book, you needed to include a cd (gasp, how old school) or dvd with the book. This was problematic however as it required someone to get out their machine and load up your disc. As broadband increased, in many ways it was just easier to point someone to a website.

Integrating New Technology
But that’s all changed. Move over dvd, the iPad’s in town. There’s a new trend afoot: literally, physically integrating an ipad (or other tablet device) into a portfolio book. It’s a great new way to get motion into your book. Melissa Hennessy of Hennessy Represents says, “With the artists that are shooting motion as well as stills now, I’ve found the printed book to be only half representational of their abilities. Sean Busher is the first in my group to incorporate the iPad, complete with a dedicated portfolio app that shows only his work.”

What’s the Response?
I asked Melissa what the response to Sean’s new “iPad” book has been. She said –

“Both he & I have been taking it around for 3 weeks now & the response has been great! His old book was a Blurb book & wasn’t able to show his CG or animation work on a 2-D page. Creatives like the fact that the app he’s using is very easy to navigate, opens right up to the work, & is the only thing on the iPad. It’s great support for what they are viewing on the printed page. For example, the CG flower that he created for Energy Cafe looks like a simple flower on the printed page, but when a creative views the time lapse on the iPad of what went into the creation of it, they have a greater appreciation for the image. We haven’t had to mail it out yet, but the structure of the box & the case will allow it to be shipped. At the point, we have to go on faith that the iPad won’t come back ‘missing’.”

*I also recently featured Jesse Rieser‘s portfolio book which integrates an iPad as well. Check the article out here.