PDF Burn Your Portfolio Stuff they don't teach you in design school but should Michael Janda 9780321918680 Books

Product details Paperback 400 pages Publisher New Riders; 1 edition (June 14, 2013) Language English ISBN-10 9780321918680 ISBN-13 978-0321918680 ASIN 0321918681

Burn Your Portfolio Stuff they don't teach you in design school but should Michael Janda 9780321918680 Books Reviews

• Author Michael Janda is a graphic designer and owner of his own graphic design firm. According to Janda, design schools spend roughly 90 percent of their time having students develop a portfolio. He feels that there are many additional skills needed for success, including teamwork, communication, social aptitude, production speed and business skills.
  
  This book contains some really great advice on running a business. Chapters are short, easy-to-read, and humorous. They also contain great lessons and specific examples of his learning experiences. Chapter 100, for example, is titled “Floods Happen.” It’s the story of a flood in his basement office that destroyed a bunch of work because he didn’t have a backup strategy.
  
  Although written with a light touch, Janda does a good job of conveying the reality of owning a business. He shares how much he worries, the importance of understanding your financial statements, and how to deal with clients. He also shares many of the forms and checklists that have been the basis for his success.
• I did a full review of this book on my website pdn9.com, and then realized I should share the review with others considering buying it on .
  
  Score 7.3
  
  Amount of Content 7/10
  Value of Content (Usefulness) 7/10
  Originality of Content 8/10
  Relevance of Content (To a Product Designer) 7/10
  Entertainment Level 7/10
  Length of Read 8/10
  Inspiration 7/10
  
  I just finished reading Michael Janda's book, Burn Your Portfolio, Stuff They Don't Teach You In Design School, But Should. This book's score of a 7.3 is pretty good, especially considering it was written by a graphic designer for graphic designers and I'm a product designer.
  
  This book doesn't grind down into the technical processes in creating digital art, rather Janda focuses on widely-applicable skills and habits that nearly all successful entrepreneurs have. A visual indication that I enjoyed this book is all of the shreds of post-it notes marking pages I found particularly helpful.
  
  For those unfamiliar with Michael Janda, he's the owner and operator of renowned design agency Riser. As an independent designer and director of Riser, Michael Janda has worked with clients that freelancers and agencies dream about having. Riser has proven profitable and grown year after year, and Janda's ability to understand design as a service as well as business is apparent. I'm very glad he took the time to share what he's come to learn and publish it into a great book for everyone to learn from. Now, let's look at why it scored the way it did.
  
  Amount of Content
  Although this book is only 361 pages long, there are a lot of words on those pages, haha. Not sure how else to say it. This book is just incredibly dense. Little room is wasted and the book is deceivingly heavy. I'll go ahead and pretend that the weight is indicative of the amount of information contained within. There's plenty of information in this book in my opinion.
  
  Value of Content
  I gave this category a 7 of 10. I found the content quite valuable. One way I'd find to improve this category is to include more actionable steps rather than high-level ideas and concepts. Another reason I only gave it a 7 in this category is because the book is really intended for graphic designers. Being a product designer, some of the content wasn't that valuable to me as it simply didn't relate.
  
  Originality of Content
  This book is full of original content. That's why it scored an 8 in this category. Michael's take on design is that it's a services. People skills matter in services and so he focuses on how to improve as a business owner and a human who's paid to provide a service. He pulls lots of experience from his own life which makes it entertaining and original. He also shares what he's seen work and not work. Finally, there's lots of concepts from other successful business owners and authors in this book, but Janda discusses exactly how it applies to designer.
  
  Relevance of Content
  This is a bit surprising. I'd think the relevance would be a 5 or 6, but I felt it deserved a 7. Again, since it's geared toward graphic designers, I was impressed. As a product designer I got lots of great insights on how to improve as a designer, a communicator and consultant. The merit of thoroughness and hard work is talked about in an uplifting way in this book.
  
  Entertainment
  Another 7 for this category. It's not as entertaining as an adventure or thriller book, but then again, it's about business as a designer. For the subject matter, it's well-written. There are some funny stories, but perhaps most useful are the actual experiences Michael shares which are inspiring as he's had a very successful career.
  
  Length of Read
  I assigned an 8 for this category as it took me a while to read this book. It's got many short chapters (over 100), so it's pretty easy to pick the book up, knock off a few chapters and then put it down. Also, at 361 copy-heavy pages, there is a generous amount of content between the two covers of this book.
  
  Inspiration
  Seven again! This book is perhaps a bit more aspirational than inspirational. Being pretty young in my career, Janda's accomplishments are more like milestones I'd like to hit than things I'm about to go do. The evidence he provides that a thorough, hard-work approach will take you far is inspiring and all the practices he mentions provides some sort of blueprint no matter where you're at in your career as a designer... unless you're Mr. Janda. (If that's the case, thank you so much for reading!!)
  
  Final Thoughts
  Burn Your Portfolio is a fantastic book. It's full of original information that provides a look into the design business through the eyes of an agency owner. this is valuable to anyone who ever wishes to be more than just a production artist. I think there are loads of valuable resources for Product designers and (other) designers alike. It's reminded me how my clients deserve to be treated and provided some stepping stones to advance my own career.
  
  The Verdict
  Buy it.
• For someone who just worked tirelessly to put together a portfolio, this is probably the last book I would ever think to pick up. However, this is exactly why it caught my attention. As a recent SCAD graduate, this book was the perfect insight to make it in this world as a designer. I believe that many artist/designers have high hopes of one day being the most sought after, living in a big city, and doing pretty well for themselves. Michael shares with us that while achieving those dreams are not impossible they may require a lot more work than many think or are willing to put in. This book resonates with me because of the witty insights from Michael, the beautiful illustrations, and the way it deeply relates to those of us who chose a creative career path.
• Every page in this book reminds me of my self and the decisions I made, right or wrong, over the past 16 years of my career as a Graphic Designer & business owner. Michael Janda's clever and genuine writing of his own experiences throughout his successful career in the creative industry, gives voice to many who struggled just like him. This book is a must read! Not only for Graphic Designers with an entrepreneurial drive but also design students, teachers, creative professionals, and even clients who hire creative professionals.
  
  Cagan Yuksel
  Founding Owner / Creative Director
  GRAFX CO.
• This book is by far the most enjoyable design related book I have read. The author Michael Janda put himself into this book and you truly feel as though you're sitting across the desk from him having a conversation. He writes with a level of open authenticity so that you feel as if you know him personally. The book is full of practical and actionable advice! I truly believe that anyone working remotely in the creative field, regardless of tenure, should read this book. Burn Your Portfolio teaches or helps you remember how to be a good employee, co-worker, treat clients properly, deal with hard topics, and this list goes on.