FBW Hardbound Book
Architects and designers are always seeking ways to distinguish their work. Websites are obviously slick and portable by nature, just bring along an iPad or laptop and you’ve got your work with you anywhere in the world. Occasionally, however, a physical representation of your design acumen is preferable. Traditional portfolios – physical reproductions or representations of your work – are a requirement in many fields for a variety of presentations. Potential clients will want to see the goods before hiring you. Friends will ask to see what you’re up to. Potential collaborators or employers will request that you bring samples along to interviews. If you’ve ever created a portfolio using one of those binder systems you see in art or design stores you’ve probably realized the inherent weaknesses they reveal: bulky, fussy, inflexible, and expensive.
There are better options now, including custom publishing services. For me, there proved to be no better option. The quality of these book publishing service is quite good, and a wide variety of design professionals use them for small, on-demand print runs. There are implicit advantages to using an online publishing service. You can order new books anytime, from anywhere, and have them delivered. Spill coffee on your book? Order a new one from your phone. A client requests a copy for marketing purposes? Order a dozen instantly – would you prefer hardcover or soft? Blurb (the publisher I use) even offers your book up for sale to the public (if you choose to share it). A favorite feature of mine: The added security of knowing that your book design and images live on a server other than your own. In a worst case scenario – office fire, burglary – your work lives on and is readily available. Sounds great, no? Hold up! There are a few negative factors to consider. Hardcover books on high quality paper in color and with a substantial (60+) amount of pages are not cheap. My 80+ page portfolio book runs me over $120.00! The books are ‘on-demand’ but there are lead times of two weeks or more. These are not your grade school library bulletproof cloth hardbound books of yesterday, but the print quality is high and the hard cover is sturdy. Graphics on the cover are an option too. To achieve the highest level of output you will need to dial in your inputs – workstation screen calibration and image photoshoppery are a must! Finally, I once had to send back a book due to poorly cut pages. As with most things, diligence and care will serve you best when taking advantage of these services.
I’m not shilling for Blurb here – I simply used them for my project. See for yourself. Check this link to my book, be sure to test the ‘preview book’ function – very slick:
Nicholas Fiore : Portfolio
Expensive? Somewhat, relatively speaking. In book pricing terms versus your average coffee table fare these books are not cheap. Worth the price as compared to alternative portfolio creation options? Absolutely. The cost in materials and time to compose, print, and bind such a book yourself would be considerable. The online publishers allow you full control over the book design and content. Use InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, or even Quark (really?) to do your layouts, upload your pdf (including full bleeds!), and order your copies.
by Nicholas Fiore
June 6, 2011
Categories: News,Projects
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