Would you hire me?

Tommhuy · Jun 20, 2013

Hey,

Just got my folio website setup and wanted some feedback.

www.thomashuynhdesign.com

Is there enough pieces of work on there? is the work up to scratch?

Any help would be great!

Thanks

sergioarista · Jun 21, 2013

Definitely!!!

Loved your work

All of it looks fresh, stylish and well balanced.

I wish I could hire you; Honestly

jjthexer · Jun 21, 2013

yup

Had to reset my password & all that garbage just to login and say I liked it.

Good job.

Clean, crisp, simple.

Steve Jobs would be proud.

G'Day mate.

DUCKofD3ATH · Jun 21, 2013

Tommhuy said:
Hey,

Just got my folio website setup and wanted some feedback.

www.thomashuynhdesign.com

Is there enough pieces of work on there? is the work up to scratch?

Any help would be great!

Thanks

I'm curious about some of your design choices. First, why SS instead of SB? Second, given that it's Simple Bike Co., why would you pick a hexagon as the logo shape instead of a circle (i.e., wheel)?

GoCubsGo · Jun 21, 2013

DUCKofD3ATH said:
I'm curious about some of your design choices. First, why SS instead of SB? Second, given that it's Simple Bike Co., why would you pick a hexagon as the logo shape instead of a circle (i.e., wheel)?

^This. However, I truly like your work regardless of the question about SS versus SB and hex versus something more identifying like a wheel. Overall, I love the minimalist approach. Very nice.

Hire you? Do you do gutters? If not, I also need a sidewalk done if you're interested.

fig · Jun 21, 2013

You've got some solid work that I really like visually, but as a potential employer I'd want to see either some work that's more commercially focused and/or interactive.

You've got nice branding pieces and some nice photo and type interaction, but maybe 5% of my projects are work like that. I need a designer who can put together a website for XYZ company who needs a straightforward, professional site. There are some firms that do primarily the cool creative stuff and you might get lucky, but even the boutique firms I've worked for had "boring" projects making up a large portion of the work.

I've also learned the hard way that any designer I hire has to have interactive experience. I really need someone that can design and build out a site in HTML/CSS, but at a bare minimum I need to see that they've got a solid understanding of how content and navigation interact, how to visually organize a variety of content, and how to put all that together on a website.

You're off to a great start though man, really nice work.

PrePressAcrobat · Jun 21, 2013

I have always liked the clean minimalist look.
-
The SS in the logo makes me dizzy. Maybe it is just the spacing or alignment.
-
The back of the BC has that skinny border -
it will be difficult for any bindery to trim out a stack of bc stock and keep the border even on all sides, especially if printing on a digital machine or duplicator with no sheet registration control. If you ned the border, I would make it wider as a larger size will make the uneven trims less noticeable.
-
Mag looks nice.
-
Visibility book looks nice
except
some type is VERY close to the face trim
making it dangerous for the same reason of registration as the BC
but also adding in "creep."
-
Poster looks easy and nice.
But,
if printing on a digital press or a lower end litho duplicator or press
you may be disappointed with unevenness / mottling / banding or "grumbling" in the background gradient.
-
Can't sat Deforestation does anything or me.
A bit boring, maybe.
-
Poster is a bit "iconic"
but
it seems just ine for what it is.

I like the overall handling.

MSD

torana355 · Jun 21, 2013

PrePressAcrobat said:
I have always liked the clean minimalist look.
-
The SS in the logo makes me dizzy. Maybe it is just the spacing or alignment.
-
The back of the BC has that skinny border -
it will be difficult for any bindery to trim out a stack of bc stock and keep the border even on all sides, especially if printing on a digital machine or duplicator with no sheet registration control. If you ned the border, I would make it wider as a larger size will make the uneven trims less noticeable.
-
Mag looks nice.
-
Visibility book looks nice
except
some type is VERY close to the face trim
making it dangerous for the same reason of registration as the BC
but also adding in "creep."
-
Poster looks easy and nice.
But,
if printing on a digital press or a lower end litho duplicator or press
you may be disappointed with unevenness / mottling / banding or "grumbling" in the background gradient.
-
Can't sat Deforestation does anything or me.
A bit boring, maybe.
-
Poster is a bit "iconic"
but
it seems just ine for what it is.

I like the overall handling.

MSD

Its funny when you see a fellow prepress operator thinking the exact same thing. Designers rarely think about the repercussions of some of their design choices. I think the overall design looked nice but i agree with all the prepress issues you mentioned. One of the nicer design effects ive seen is printing on a brown textured board with 2 coats of opaque white then the 4col process on top which gave the effect of woodgrain. Our client LOVED it.

Tommhuy · Jun 21, 2013

sergioarista said:
Loved your work

All of it looks fresh, stylish and well balanced.

I wish I could hire you; Honestly

jjthexer said:
Had to reset my password & all that garbage just to login and say I liked it.

Good job.

Clean, crisp, simple.

Steve Jobs would be proud.

G'Day mate.

wow thanks a lot guys! really appreciate it

Tommhuy · Jun 21, 2013

DUCKofD3ATH said:
I'm curious about some of your design choices. First, why SS instead of SB? Second, given that it's Simple Bike Co., why would you pick a hexagon as the logo shape instead of a circle (i.e., wheel)?

GoCubsGo said:
^This. However, I truly like your work regardless of the question about SS versus SB and hex versus something more identifying like a wheel. Overall, I love the minimalist approach. Very nice.

Hire you? Do you do gutters? If not, I also need a sidewalk done if you're interested.

The idea behind the logo was to borrow inspiration from the straight lines and angular shapes on a frame of a bicycle, instead of the wheels. Hence the hexagon and the angular font choice. The combination of the two 'S' is meant to just represent a singular 'S' for 'Simple' and further represent the tubing and shape of a bicycle frame when joined together

I can see where you're coming from though, it does seem like a double 'S'. Thanks for the comments it really helps, and unfortunately gutters is not my speciality, if you need a bike fixed though I'm in!

Tommhuy · Jun 21, 2013

fig said:
You've got some solid work that I really like visually, but as a potential employer I'd want to see either some work that's more commercially focused and/or interactive.

You've got nice branding pieces and some nice photo and type interaction, but maybe 5% of my projects are work like that. I need a designer who can put together a website for XYZ company who needs a straightforward, professional site. There are some firms that do primarily the cool creative stuff and you might get lucky, but even the boutique firms I've worked for had "boring" projects making up a large portion of the work.

I've also learned the hard way that any designer I hire has to have interactive experience. I really need someone that can design and build out a site in HTML/CSS, but at a bare minimum I need to see that they've got a solid understanding of how content and navigation interact, how to visually organize a variety of content, and how to put all that together on a website.

You're off to a great start though man, really nice work.

When I put the folio together I was trying to show what I enjoy designing for which is print and publication. I guess I was hoping to land a job that purely dealt with those disciplines. As I'm starting to seriously look for a job I'm beginning to see basically what you're saying. So I'm currently trying to teach myself some HTML and CSS. University touched on it but nothing in great detail.

It's great to hear some firsthand advice, cheers!

Tommhuy · Jun 21, 2013

PrePressAcrobat said:
I have always liked the clean minimalist look.
-
The SS in the logo makes me dizzy. Maybe it is just the spacing or alignment.
-
The back of the BC has that skinny border -
it will be difficult for any bindery to trim out a stack of bc stock and keep the border even on all sides, especially if printing on a digital machine or duplicator with no sheet registration control. If you ned the border, I would make it wider as a larger size will make the uneven trims less noticeable.
-
Mag looks nice.
-
Visibility book looks nice
except
some type is VERY close to the face trim
making it dangerous for the same reason of registration as the BC
but also adding in "creep."
-
Poster looks easy and nice.
But,
if printing on a digital press or a lower end litho duplicator or press
you may be disappointed with unevenness / mottling / banding or "grumbling" in the background gradient.
-
Can't sat Deforestation does anything or me.
A bit boring, maybe.
-
Poster is a bit "iconic"
but
it seems just ine for what it is.

I like the overall handling.

MSD

torana355 said:
Its funny when you see a fellow prepress operator thinking the exact same thing. Designers rarely think about the repercussions of some of their design choices. I think the overall design looked nice but i agree with all the prepress issues you mentioned. One of the nicer design effects ive seen is printing on a brown textured board with 2 coats of opaque white then the 4col process on top which gave the effect of woodgrain. Our client LOVED it.

Thanks for the comments, especially the printing side of things. It's definitely something I need to think about more when designing.

Out of all the pieces I do think the 'deforestation' is probably the weakest so I'm thinking about swapping it out.

torana355 · Jun 22, 2013

Tommhuy said:
Thanks for the comments, especially the printing side of things. It's definitely something I need to think about more when designing.

Out of all the pieces I do think the 'deforestation' is probably the weakest so I'm thinking about swapping it out.

Yeah it pays to get some knowledge of the printing side of things as you can save your client money in prepress labor when it gets to the printer.

ezekielrage_99 · Jun 23, 2013

Really like you work, I don't think you'll have an issue finding work in prepress.

fig · Jun 23, 2013

Tommhuy said:
When I put the folio together I was trying to show what I enjoy designing for which is print and publication. I guess I was hoping to land a job that purely dealt with those disciplines. As I'm starting to seriously look for a job I'm beginning to see basically what you're saying. So I'm currently trying to teach myself some HTML and CSS. University touched on it but nothing in great detail.

It's great to hear some firsthand advice, cheers!

Glad to help.

As you learn HTML and CSS I'd look at adding some web mockups to your portfolio. It doesn't have to be something you have built out as a working site (although I'd keep working towards that), but show me you know how to organize content for web layout, show visual hierarchy in navigation and content, etc. You can create a ficticious entity or redesign a really terrible existing site you might run across.

You're off to a great start man, keep it up.

alice04 · Jun 23, 2013

I really like the site. It's simple, clean but yet so elegant looking :apple:

vigorblade · Jun 23, 2013

You have some nice work and I feel you have already received some really constructive feedback from others here. One thing I would recommend is to add something about yourself, it doesn't need to be much, but tell the visitors something about who THOMAS HUYNH is, other than a title of Graphic designer, maybe tell me something interesting about you, who are you ? What led you to the path of becoming a graphic designer ? Maybe what/who inspires you ? Other than that, continue growing, continue listening to constructive feedback and continue creating.

DUCKofD3ATH · Jun 24, 2013

Tommhuy said:
The idea behind the logo was to borrow inspiration from the straight lines and angular shapes on a frame of a bicycle, instead of the wheels. Hence the hexagon and the angular font choice. The combination of the two 'S' is meant to just represent a singular 'S' for 'Simple' and further represent the tubing and shape of a bicycle frame when joined together

It's hard to imagine a more simple concept than the Simple Bike Co. logo if what's wanted is a spare and clean design. An "S" or "SB" inside a circle representing a wheel—the part of a bike that everyone thinks of first (given that it's the largest part an observer sees clearly) and there are two of them—would have been ideal.

But what you went with was two S's for no reason ("combination of the two 'S' is meant to just represent a singular 'S' for 'Simple'" is supposed to be simple??) and a hexagon to represent (in abstract!) a bike frame.

If your design worked, there'd be no grounds for criticism, but what I gathered from it was that SBC made bikes with hexagonal wheels that gave you double-vision (hence the two S's) when being ridden.

So it's my opinion vs. yours on this, but I've pointed out problems with your design concepts whereas the problem with my design (S or SB in a circle) is its obviousness. But the criteria was for a simple design and sometimes that equals boring.

vstill · Jun 24, 2013

Grammar is important!

Sorry to be a grammar policeman, but, you state on the front page about the bicycle company, "The goal was to achieve a clean look that pays homage to both the companies name and products." How many companies are there? It should read, "The goal was to achieve a clean look that pays homage to both the company's name and its products."

Incorrect grammar will mar any design you may create, especially if it makes it to print, so be extra careful when it comes to text and have another pair of eyes to proofread before the client sees it.

Something that may provide some clarity and hopefully enjoy as well. This animated video is about kinetic typography, with monologue by Stephen Fry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-aoXLZGY

Tommhuy · Jun 24, 2013

ezekielrage_99 said:
Really like you work, I don't think you'll have an issue finding work in prepress.

fig said:
Glad to help.

As you learn HTML and CSS I'd look at adding some web mockups to your portfolio. It doesn't have to be something you have built out as a working site (although I'd keep working towards that), but show me you know how to organize content for web layout, show visual hierarchy in navigation and content, etc. You can create a ficticious entity or redesign a really terrible existing site you might run across.

You're off to a great start man, keep it up.

alice04 said:
I really like the site. It's simple, clean but yet so elegant looking

vigorblade said:
You have some nice work and I feel you have already received some really constructive feedback from others here. One thing I would recommend is to add something about yourself, it doesn't need to be much, but tell the visitors something about who THOMAS HUYNH is, other than a title of Graphic designer, maybe tell me something interesting about you, who are you ? What led you to the path of becoming a graphic designer ? Maybe what/who inspires you ? Other than that, continue growing, continue listening to constructive feedback and continue creating.

Thanks guys will definitely take that on board!

Tommhuy · Jun 24, 2013

DUCKofD3ATH said:
It's hard to imagine a more simple concept than the Simple Bike Co. logo if what's wanted is a spare and clean design. An "S" or "SB" inside a circle representing a wheelthe part of a bike that everyone thinks of first (given that it's the largest part an observer sees clearly) and there are two of themwould have been ideal.

But what you went with was two S's for no reason ("combination of the two 'S' is meant to just represent a singular 'S' for 'Simple'" is supposed to be simple??) and a hexagon to represent (in abstract!) a bike frame.

If your design worked, there'd be no grounds for criticism, but what I gathered from it was that SBC made bikes with hexagonal wheels that gave you double-vision (hence the two S's) when being ridden.

So it's my opinion vs. yours on this, but I've pointed out problems with your design concepts whereas the problem with my design (S or SB in a circle) is its obviousness. But the criteria was for a simple design and sometimes that equals boring.

It wasn't for no reason, though I admit I wanted to do something different. What I was trying to go for with the combination of the two S's is a abstract representation of the tubing on the frame, mainly the middle section of the two S's, maybe if I filled it in it would be a bit more clearer.

If you look at a bike frame its made up of mainly two triangles and straight lines so that was the reasoning behind the hexagon.

The target audience are people who ride bmx, most people who would be interested in their products already ride and are looking to change parts on their bike. They dont actually sell a complete fully built bike just parts for it, with frames being their main product group (they do sell wheels as well though). So they are actually more a bike parts company.

I guess I wanted to differentiate the logo with the existing logo's in the bmx industry, as well as represent the company's name and products. But maybe the fact that I have to explain my design decisions means that it didn't work too well and I tried too hard to be different. I think a circle but using that same font for the S could work as well.

Thanks for the critique! appreciate it.

----------

vstill said:
Sorry to be a grammar policeman, but, you state on the front page about the bicycle company, "The goal was to achieve a clean look that pays homage to both the companies name and products." How many companies are there? It should read, "The goal was to achieve a clean look that pays homage to both the company's name and its products."

Incorrect grammar will mar any design you may create, especially if it makes it to print, so be extra careful when it comes to text and have another pair of eyes to proofread before the client sees it.

Something that may provide some clarity and hopefully enjoy as well. This animated video is about kinetic typography, with monologue by Stephen Fry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-aoXLZGY

Good pick up! and cheers for the vid, really enjoyed it.

palmharbor · Jun 25, 2013

alternatives

I would come up with three different designs instead of "this is it" let the interviewers pick what appeals to them, not what appeals to you.
Based on what you showed its not enough to have something...today you need something outstanding.

dannythunder · Jun 30, 2013

Sorry if I am reiterating some points TL;DR

First and foremost, your work is solid. Your website demonstrates your visual aesthetic/personal brand. That being said, you should:

A) Talk more about your work. Let your potential clients and employers know why you did what you did, even if you are going to be talking about that in interviews. You will not not get a job for reinforcing your ideas.

B) HAVE A RESUME. Even if you don't have a lot of work experience, YOU NEED A RESUME. It shouldn't take you too long, throw together an 8.5x11 Swiss Grid 1 page max.

C) I understand you are shooting for print, but your site needs to be more interactive. One thing I have done, is embed pdfs of more content into my projects. For example, you can use http://www.scribd.com/ to embed the full deforestation project in your site.

D) Your links on your contact page need to be working. If a potential employer is going through 20 portfolio sites they are not going to take the time and copy/paste your email and twitter handles to various places.

E) Showcase YOU more. Besides your work, why should you be hired. What unique interests do you have outside of your work. Briefly state them in your resume, and if it works create design projects out of them.

F) Reshoot some of your photos. A lot of your photos are too dark. You want everything to be clear, even in the thumbnails because AGAIN, if an employer is going through a ton of sites they are not going to spend the time clicking every photo.

G) I want to see more projects!!!!

H) Do all of the above and you will be a beast. Good luck!

-Dan

rei101 · Jun 30, 2013

I liked it, and a lot. You should place two or tree more pieces but with some material no minimalistic so you can show versatility even if is not your style. But it looks really good. (y) Want to see more.

abcbcd · Jul 1, 2013

Ok, I'll bite:

#1 issue first: No digital.

-The photos of your work are all pretty dark, you should fix them in photoshop so the paper is more white. I suggest either curves or levels adjustment layers for this. You want them to look bright, right now the contrast is too low and it's not flattering. Quick edits.

-The infographic should just be taken down or redesigned (those drop shadows...) it's really weak compared to the other projects. I assume you know that already.

-Your work is mostly pretty visually appealing but you really need to show that you can design systems. You kind of have that going on with simple bike co but you need more. Do things like magazine advertisements, billboards, a store front, anything that really shows off more of your design. Like mock up the simple bike co logo on a bike, in metal. Context is key.

-Don't embed PDFs with Scribd, that's a dumb suggestion (no offense to whoever said that). You have the right idea with nice big photos. I know that no employer will look for more than 2:00 at the entire body of work. They either say yes and set up and interview, or they pass. They're busy. The agency that most recently hired me spent about a minute clicking though I think (I read google analytics).

-Write a little more about each project. It's all student work anyone looking is going to know that. Which is fine. You can totally get a junior position with student work alone, if it's dope enough. Just explain your thinking and talk a bit about your process. 23 sentences. Again, nobody's going to read more than a paragraph so you have to nail it perfectly.

-But really though, no digital is going to be a problem most anywhere. Your work isn't advertising focused, so you won't get into an ad agency with this portfolio, and anywhere you work will expect you to have at least some understanding of interactive. Throwing the header of a website on a photo of an iMac isn't going to cut it.

----

Not trying to be overly critical here. You seem to have a pretty decent grasp on typography, which is probably the most important aspect of design to be good at. Just do more systems and more executions and get some digital design in there beyond what you have. I suggest you work on it for 2030 minutes every day at least and you will be surprised by how much progress you make

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