Chewing Pencils

Back in this post, I shared some of my thoughts on preparing a folio of your work for presentation to potential clients. It formed part of my Top Ten Tips for Becoming a Professional series and has since been one of the most visited posts on Chewing Pencils.

I’ve recently been discussing with a colleague how important the first and last piece in your folio should be. She thought that, without fail, your best piece of work should be placed on the first page. This gives maximum impact and compels a potential client to keep looking further.

While I agree with this in principle, my feeling is that it applies more to fine artists than it does cartoonists and illustrators. My argument is that your best, relevant piece should come first. Your folio is not a static collection of work, but should change depending on who you are showing it to. If you’re trying to win some work with a parenting association, for instance, then it’s unwise to put a really great gag about abortion on your first page. It’s insensitive and could well offend your potential client. That’s dollars down the drain.

There’s an equally vaild argument, however, for having your best piece last. Afterall, this is the final page the client views and is most likely to be the one that sticks in their mind.

At the end of the day though, all the pieces of work in your folio should be of the highest quality, giving a client a good overview of what you can do. Be sure to have great, relevant pieces at the beginning and the end, but make sure there is plenty of meaty stuff in between too!

Gives us some idea of how you arrange your folio by leaving something in the comments section!