Necessary Nonsense.

   I am not a Graphic Designer. The contrary seems to be regularly suggested by the likes of my partner, parents and pretty much anybody who knows me. The fact is, anybody outside of the creative field, harmlessly believes that anybody within the field is either an Artist or Graphic Designer.

   The primary disadvantage presented by this misconception is that I don’t in fact have the skills to create a finished graphic product to the standard of a graphic designer.

   Having recently set to the task of putting a CV and Portfolio together, I have been presented with that very challenge. As an advertiser, I appreciate how crucial it is for my self-promotional material to effectively represent my ideas, passions and skills. However, my main challenge is in knowing where to draw the line between ‘necessary nonsense’ and ‘nonsense’.

   I don’t know whether or not graphic designers have the same problem, but; when presented with the challenge of creating a finished graphic product, I find myself begging the question, ‘is that really necessary?’

   Borders, colours, images, typefaces, layout… the list is endless. I have a passion for simplicity when displaying work as to avoid distracting from the work itself. But, where do I stop? Is my name really necessary? My address or excessive contact details? Does a creative director need to know when I was born? Do they want to build up a full opinion of my character or are they simply bothered whether or not I have the raw talent for the job?

   My only option is to do what I do best… display my work in a manner that visually represents the content of the work itself or the primary concepts behind my creative theory. That should be pretty simple.