Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
I wanted to update you about crossing off some of the items on My Grand List of Geeky Goals. Trouble is… it’s not the super sexy stuff. Alas, still an accomplishment. And even the smallest of accomplishments should be celebrated. So what have I done?
7. Back up (and continue to back up) all my writing and photos
This turned out to be the biggest job I tackled over my holiday vacation. I just sat down, sucked up the cash and installed Google Drive on my computer. I actually really, really love it. So much so that I’ve stopped using Microsoft Word altogether.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. And now I can sleep at night knowing that my Wizarding World of Harry Potter vacay photos and England photos and random puppy videos will never disappear.
19. Build a better portfolio site
If you’re going to get people excited about hiring you, you have to give them the goods. So now I’ve got lizgiorgi.com up and running to let people know what I do day to day.
I used Squarespace to build the site and yes, I highly recommend that service as well. Very affordable. The templates are easy to edit if you know how to code and even easier to use if you don’t. I’m not in love with the interface at all times, because I like to code the CSS and HTML and be able to preview things right away instead of reloading the window, but if you aren’t going to do that - then this may be even more ideal for you.
I’m 10% done with my list. Only 18 more things to go this year! Do you have a grand list of geeky goals?
If you’re a photographer, videographer, graphic designer, writer or creative brain - then you should have a portfolio site. A portfolio site really serves two purposes: the first is to expose people to the best of the best of your work. The second is to give potential clients or employers an idea of your strengths, your point of view and your most recent work. In this economy, I can genuinely say that my portfolio site has helped me to reach a lot of new clients and reconnect with previous clients again. The one thing they always say: “I’m surprised by how often you update your work.”
Here’s some key tips for creating a portfolio site that will get you a job, clients and even clarity about your own work.
1. De-clutter your work. A lot of people’s first instincts is to get as much content as possible on their site. That’s the exact opposite of what you should be doing. Identify your best, most recent and most impactful work and feel confident that when you sit down with someone, you’ll have a chance to go over more of your work. Your portfolio site should really just give the visitors some quick, high-level impressions of you.
2. Put your name on it. This is so painfully obvious, but it needs to be said. Your name should be prominently displayed in some capacity when visitors first arrive at the site. On my portfolio site (top), my name is repeated in all its forms in many fonts and colors. It’s integral to the design AND serves a purpose. On my friend Jacey’s site, her name serves as a logo.
3. Make it easy to connect. If the point of your portfolio site is to attract clients and potential employers, then you best make it easy to get in touch with you. Email, Twitter, LinkedIn - give your visitors options and make it obvious.
Need inspiration for something? Send us your biggest inspiration pitfalls to [email protected] and we’ll try to help.
would be doing Jessica Hische a disservice if I didn’t start this post with one of her Drop Caps. And while Daily Drop Cap is one of the coolest internet projects I’ve seen, it doesn’t make nearly as huge an impact as her partnership project: Don’t Fear the Internet.
Hische is a letterer, illustrator, and creator of impeccably awesome things. The Don’t Fear the Internet project is one that I admire because it helps break down the barriers between the tech industry and creators. You’re a photographer or a business owner or a social media strategist - but you’re also interested in learning how to take your creations and put them on the interwebs in an attractive way that sets you apart. Don’t have thousands to attend a years worth of community college continuing ed classes? Well, Hische and her partner Russ Maschmeyer have created a bunch of videos to walk you through HTML, CSS and more. This HTML video tutorial is simple, interesting and witty. (Plus, the music reminds me of that free music I pointed out yesterday, so if you’re looking for practical applications, here you go!)
Perhaps you’re wondering where you may have seen Hische’s work before? You needn’t look any further than your mailbox. Her stamp designs for USPS caught my eye right away and remind us all that even the simple things should be beautiful.
In my world, it’s a constant battle to remain inspired. When you work in a creative field, there are so many instances where I need to design a series of animations or a new website header or pick a new music track for a video and I’m just plain OUT OF IDEAS. That’s why I decided it’s time for a new topic area on this blog: finding inspiration.
Today, I want to talk about web headers. I know it seems like a strange choice, but it’s a worthwhile one. Why? Because a header says ALOT about the content below it. Plus, I think there are some really awesome things going on in the world of web design, but it’s so rare to break it down piece by piece. So if you’re designing a web header and need inspiration, what can you do?
1. Seek out sites similar to yours: It sounds simple, but if you’re a videographer like me and you’re working on your portfolio site, go look at other portfolio sites. And don’t just seek out big names whose careers you’d like to emulate - go find the sites of people who work in the same area as you or on similar projects to you.
2. Evaluate your content: Sometimes we forget what we actually post about on our blogs. When I was redesigning BGC, I wasn’t even thinking about putting the words “Harry Potter” and “Sewing” on the header, but when I re-read my content, I realized it earned a rightful place there.
3. Get coloring: What’s a color board? It’s a simple combination of color blocks put together to create a mood, scheme or simply to have fun. Sometimes when I need a visual boost I head over to Adobe’s awesome site, Kuler, and poke around with color combinations. Visual stimulation can spark creativity.
4. Help a friend: One of the most effective ways I have found to become inspired about my own work is by helping a friend with their work. When my friend Tish was designing her blog, tishwatson.com, I helped her with videos for the site. A new perspective or learning something different is often the jolt I need to apply a new technique to my own work.
(Photos above credited to: designsponge.com, younghouselove.com and tishwatson.com)
clientsfromhell:
Boss charges into my office furiously, two days after the company site goes live.
Boss: “Carl just showed me that people can right-click our site and view all our code.”
Me: “Well, yes, that’s how web browsers work.”
Boss: “Take the whole thing down, now! I’ll be damned if I’m going to give our competitors all our god-damn code!”
