Alexis (Digital Creative Director) beat our elusive Creative Director Damian to publishing the next post in the How to get started in advertising series…He spends a great part of his day at his PC, and has given the subject a fair bit of thought of late, writing an article for the Digital Times and preparing for tonight’s Portfolio Night event).

Some might ask what exactly is a digital creative. We know what an Art Director or a Copywriter is. And we know what a Web Designer is.
The Digital creative is a relatively new and evolving breed, and in its current form is somewhere between the three. You need a solid mix of skills encompassing idea generation, design, technical know how and – if not proper writing skills – at least the wherewithal to distil a message to fit the limited character count usually afforded by digital vehicles.

If you’re considering a move into digital advertising, there’s a very good chance that your background is either in web design or art direction.So you’ll not only need to demonstrate the skills inherent to your speciality, but also that of the other. i.e. a web design graduate will need to prove their design skills AND their concept generation skills.

Either way, the following applies.

It’s very simple. Your portfolio site is the single most important tool in your possession. The email, cover letter and CV are the last things that the Creative Director will look at. They go straight for that portfolio link in your email. And if it’s good enough, only then will they want to learn about your previous experience and education. And do not even THINK of sending a PDF. I still get those and wonder why a digital creative in their right mind would do that…Even if your technical skills aren’t the strongest, failing to set up a site for yourself isn’t the first impression you want to give.

A portfolio site is your opportunity to brand yourself. Advertising is all about brands so think hard about what makes you stand out, and reflect that in your identity as well as the design and interactivity of your site.

Obviously, the work itself is far from secondary. A great portfolio site with poor work is still a poor portfolio.
Simplicity is key. Make your work easily accessible, highly visual, and provide links and/or video every chance you get.
Nothing’s as fishy as a site full of screengrabs and no links.

Present your work pieces as briefs. Who was the client, what was the problem you were briefed to solve, and how you solved it conceptually, visually and technically.

Display your ability to work across as many different channels as you can. Websites, social networks, online ads, iPhone apps etc…
If you don’t have many professional pieces to showcase, publish college work or personal projects.

Now that you’ve got a solid portfolio, get noticed. Blog. Use twitter. Linkedin. Facebook even. Spot the creative directors of the agencies you fancy and send them a nicely designed HTML email with a strongly visible link to your site. Create a video piece and send it to them. Use spare time to develop scamps, a flash game or an iphone app. Anything that will show off your skills and ability to learn. As a digital advertising creative, you’re expected to understand  all the ways to connect with people digitally. So use them to get in touch with the people doing the interviews and impress them.

Alternately, you could just email me at alexisb@rothco.ie as it just happens that we’re recruiting…