I walked away from this year's Reality Check scratching my head, wondering if students understand the impact a good online portfolio can make. A book may be sufficient for print designers, but not for interactive designers.

I thought it might be helpful to write down a few thoughts in response to the online portfolios I saw. I feel like the majority of them missed the mark.

AIGA Seattle Reality Check is an event where design professionals gather for the sole purpose of critiquing student portfolios. Students from around the state travel to Seattle to receive real world feedback and the event sells out every year.

When designing and building your online portfolio, consider these recommendations from a guy who's reviewed hundreds of them over the years.

1. Think of Yourself as a Brand

If you dream of working at an interactive agency, you need a website that represents you and your work. Your online portfolio is a tool, and its purpose is to help you get a job. Think of yourself as a brand you want me to buy, and show me why I should pick you.

2. Know Your Audience

Your audience is made up of busy design professionals looking for creative talent. We're visual thinkers. Make it easy for us to be interested in you.

3. Grab My Attention

"When I get a resume in my inbox, I scan for an url and go. At that point, you have a few seconds to grab my attention." I tell that to students and they seem surprised, but they shouldn't be. Your online portfolio is the first step in a process of elimination. Give me a reason not to close my browser.

4. Show Me You Thought About It

Me browsing your online portfolio is a user experience, and you want me to have a good user experience. Is your navigation clear and consistent? Is your content appropriately organized? Is it easy to click-through your work? Can I get back to the homepage? Your site can be clever and wildly creative, but it should be usable and make sense.

5. Put Your Best Work Up Front

I want to see your best work more than anything, don't bury it behind a firewall of intros and clicks. Hit me with it up front. Remember, I don't know anything about you, and you might be preventing me from finding out.

6. Not Happy With It? Don't Show It

Many students try a little of this and a little of that, which is great, but it will dilute my perception of you if you pad your portfolio with the kitchen sink. Pick and choose carefully. Be selective. Show me five successful projects you were passionate about, and omit the ones that don't cut it.

7. Consider Your Content

Let's say you did a project in poor taste, but you're proud of it despite its lewd content. Now put yourself in my shoes and look at it again from a different perspective. Is it worth losing an opportunity over?

8. If You Suck at Flash, Do Not Make a Flash Site

Nothing, and I mean nothing, makes me close my browser faster than a poorly designed and/or executed flash portfolio site. If you have the skills and can pull it off, I want to see what you're capable of. If you've had a class in flash and think this is your chance to stand out, a clean HTML site will certainly serve you better.

9. If You Get an Interview - Be Prepared to Talk About Your Work

In an interview you'll likely be asked to walk through a favorite project. Do yourself a favor and have something more to say than you thought it looked good. Talking about your inspiration, the challenges you faced, and the decisions you made along the way will do wonders to elevate your opportunities.

10. Work Hard to Do Great Work

None of this matters if you're not willing to work for it. Be passionate about design, maintain a positive attitude, and always give every project your all. Makes sense, right?

In Summary

Do great work. Create a smart showcase for your great work. Be able to speak to your great work. Those three things may not be easy to do, but do them right and you'll be positioned for a bright future.

A great many people contributed to these projects and I thank them for their efforts and congratulate them on this recognition of excellence.

And the winners are...

Gold - Interactive Business
Seattle International Film Festival

Silver - Information Design
Melbourne Theatre Company

Merit - Interactive Entertainment
Mario Super Sluggers

Faye and I traveled south a few weeks ago to visit the families across North and South Carolina. While there we decided to eat as much barbecue as we could hold without intruding on the non-barbecue family meals. We managed to squeeze in four barbecue lunches, three in North Carolina and one in South Carolina.

Stop #1. Little Richard's Bar-B-Que
4885 Country Club Rd.
Winston-Salem, NC 27104

Our first stop was Little Richard's. We've eaten here before, and even though we've never had our socks knocked off, Little Richard's is generally considered a safe choice for barbecue in the area. I had a coarse chopped sandwich with slaw and a side of hushpuppies. The meat was piled high, but didn't have a smoky fragrance and was far away from meltingly tender. It just didn't fall apart like a well-cooked chunk of pork should. To make matters worse, the hushpuppies were overdone and greasy. I think we're done with Little Richard's.

One out of four hogs.

Outside Little Richard's

We're in tobacco country

Why they serve on tinfoil I'll never understand

Stop #2. Short Sugar's Pit Bar-B-Q
1328 S Scales St.
Reidsville, NC 27320

http://shortsugarsbar-b-q.com/

We drove about an hour NE out to Reidsville one day to try Short Sugar's. Was it was worth the drive? Oh yes. I had the chopped sandwich with slaw and a side of hushpuppies. The sandwich I would faithfully describe as hickory smoked heaven on a bun. The sauce was vinegary with brown sugar and maybe soy sauce, not too sweet, it was just right. The three dollar sandwiches and hushpuppies didn't last long, so additional sandwiches and a few chili dogs were ordered. It was so good we couldn't stop eating.

Four out of four hogs.

Chimneys are something you want to see

Counter service looks good

Short Sugar's knows their stuff

Stop #3. Beacon Drive-In
255 John B White Sr Blvd.
Spartanburg, SC 29306

http://www.beacondrivein.com/

I grew up in Sparkle-city, which meant a hash with cheese, heavy on the red from the Beacon defined what barbecue was. When I visit my family, I always, always, always stop at the Beacon to get my oil changed.

At the Beacon I throw my barbecue rules out the window. Minced pork, not chopped? Never had the chopped, why start now. Cheese on barbecue? Yessir. Red sauce? Yes ma'am. No hushpuppies? Correct. Onion rings and fries? Indeed.

The whole experience of going to the Beacon, and it is an experience, hasn't changed much since I was a kid. JC was there hollering out the orders up front, the Beacon has the best sweet tea bar none, and the food tastes exactly the same as I remember, even though the business changed hands in the 90's.

I had my standard hash with cheese, heavy on the red, onion rings, fries, and sweet tea. I didn't get the a-plenty because I needed to see the sandwich, if you've ever been there you know what I'm talking about. The pork is minced and soaked in a powerful vinegar sauce and the bun is wide and toasted, a nice touch. The onion rings are addictive, immensely popular, and always drenched in grease. The Beacon goes through about three tons of onions a week.

Three out of four hogs. I dropped a hog in fairness to the others because of my sentimental taste buds.

The old Beacon sign

Beacon from the front

Gotta learn the lingo

Best meal in Spartanburg right there

Stop #4. Snook's Old Fashion Barbecue
109 Junie Beauchamp Rd.
Advance, NC 27006

It's hard to believe we hadn't heard of Snook's, especially considering how good it was. I had a chopped with slaw sandwich, hushpuppies and tea. You could taste the smoke and the slaw was tangy like it should be. The hushpuppies were the best of the bunch, a little more flour than cornmeal, and not too sweet. The sandwiches weren't as big as normal, I could've eaten two, but I heard they were running a little small that day. I'll be back next time we head South for a comparison.

Four out of four hogs.

Note the mercedes, I couldn't figure out whose car that was

At the counter of Snook's

Shotgun style dining

That was a great sandwich

When I first set foot in the space in late December of 2007, I knew an opportunity to create something truly special had presented itself. The building was a mess, I remember nonsensical piles of doorknobs, but it felt right. A little over a year later and I couldn't be happier with the results. Everyone involved, from the top-notch SKB Architects to all the POPsters who pitched in, did an amazing job in making our new home an exceptional workspace where no detail was too small to be ignored.

POP is located on the top floor of the historic Skinner Building, above the 5th Avenue Theater, at 1326 5th Ave in Seattle.

Looking South through POP's Design Team

Lichtenstein Conference Room

We did that at POP. We have a new website as a result.

A great many people worked vigorously to make this happen and I thank them for their extraordinary efforts.

POP Homepage - Target

POP Homepage - Amazon

POP Homepage - Nintendo

POP / Work

POP / Work / Brown-Forman

POP / Careers / Flash / ActionScript Developer