Portfolio Presentation @ Missouri Western State University
March 25, 2024
Big day yesterday getting to visit friends and present to Missouri Western State University portfolio class. Somehow, it’s already been 5 years!
If you missed the first part or the second part of my presentation or you’re curious to see the content, here is the presentation. (only 135 slides 😳)
Portfolio Presentation by Ashley N Cameron
Hello! I’m Ashley Cameron and I am a graphic designer and website developer at my business Ashley Cameron Design. I live in West Des Moines, IA and am originally from Bethany, MO. I adjunct teach at MWSU – Art 129 Design Software Applications (2nd year) & I taught Art 192 – Advanced Photoshop and Interactive Design years ago. Usually, once a year, I review portfolios at Drake University in Des Moines, so it’s interesting to see what they’re doing in comparison to MWSU.
I still feel that even after this many years, Teresa has done and is doing a fantastic job of preparing students for careers in graphic design with our program here and portfolio-building projects.
I have a BFA in Graphic Design from MWSU (2009). In college, I interned at 1st Street Graphics/Penn Street Signs and the Albrecht Kemper Museum. After I graduated, I moved to Lincoln, NE and worked at an advertising agency called the Minnow Project for 7 years. Some of that was full-time and some part-time until we moved to West Des Moines, IA in 2016. At the time, I was pregnant with our 2nd son and had to decide to either go back to an office full-time or freelance full-time. I had a few freelance clients at the time.
I interviewed at least a few different agencies in Des Moines. One offer I could have accepted was as an Art Director at Integer Group on the Michelin Tire account. I didn’t think that sounded very exciting and would have been an end to my diverse portfolio. However, I am still open to contract opportunities with local companies, if/when available.
I’ve been in the graphic design industry going on 15 years now, and essentially half of that has been as a full-time business owner. I make sure that company brands look consistent and professional across all of their marketing media and that they clearly communicate to their audience.
I have to think about who the audience is for each industry and their psychology, behavioral patterns, and lifestyles. And think about appropriate colors, styles, fonts, images, composition & other design principles. I often have to help come up with supporting placeholder text and stock images to express the design direction & strategies.
I love the opportunity to work with a variety of people and companies. And I love the creative freedom to continue learning and build upon my skills and hobbies. I work from home full-time and for the most part decide what client work to accept, especially for new clients. It’s a little harder to turn down work from existing clients.
I have a flexible schedule except for various deadlines, depending on the projects. With that creative freedom comes a lot of responsibility in running a business. I have to be very organized, clear and thorough in my communications, explain my creative decisions, and have a lot of technology and IT setup and coordination with the websites.
Most of my clients have been returning clients for the past several years. I do have new ones that filter in and out periodically. I also do 3D modeling and post informational and how-to videos on my YouTube channel which now has more than 30k subscribers.
The hardest part about being a freelancer is that it’s very unpredictable. I may receive requests from 5 different clients in one day. I have to be very high-functioning to handle multiple accounts and projects. One year I counted 30 different clients in 1 year. I’ve learned not to do that anymore.
I’ve had overlapping website projects which is incredibly stressful. It’s a juggling act the majority of the time. Surprisingly, February and part of March were unusually slow this year, so I worked on several personal projects and renovated my office. I’ve learned to make the most of my free time because everything usually hits at the same time. I’m thankful I can be home and available as needed for my two sons who are in elementary school.
As a freelancer, I have to ask for and make sure I get paid for my work doing invoicing and record keeping, and following up with clients. I must be able to transition from one project to another very quickly.
(Slide 2) Here’s an overview of topics I’ll be discussing– building a strong portfolio, agency experience, business basics for freelancers, client communications, and professional development.
"It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see."