Portfolio planning

With less than 4 weeks to go until hand in, creating my portfolio is at the forefront of my mind. I have spent the past few days doing some research into different options and companies and I have defiantly decided I want something individual and custom made. I don't want plastic sleeves as personally I find them a bit tacky and I'm not sure I want to be committed to one screw post book. I want my work to be handled and appreciated meaning a box with a mix of printed material seems a good option, but I still want it to look refined and professional.

At first I was drawn to the idea of a wooden box and I was aiming to commission a friend to make me one. However when I started researching how I wanted it inside it became less practical as I would want a professional inside with slots and indents with ribbon pulls that would be hard for a binders to then fit inside. I found myself become more interested in the options that were available from book binders as they often have portfolio designs tailored to the client's needs.

These designs from Nicole Anderson's studio in America show some really great packaging designs for the different products. I like the triangular fold out envelopes that can hold a few loose images as whilst most of my work is book-based it would be nice to have an option for any singular images or material that is better as small prints.

I liked the design of this clamshell portfolio as it is simplistic yet effective with a standard hard bound book but with an individual fine art print that slides out underneath with a ribbon pull. This makes  nice combination of printed media and again confirms my idea of having different materials together that can  pull out individually to be handled that you can't experience with plastic sleeves.

This example is a fairly simple and classic design but I was drawn to the way the book is indented into the casing with the slot for the business card opposite. It again shows me how different materials can sit together in the same housing in more innovative ways. I think ideally I would like a printed book indented in with an area for a smaller booklet such as the business card above and possibly a double indented box with pace for the triangular fold out sleeves.

As I am so unsure I have booked an appointment with the London Bookbinders on Tuesday 29th in order to talk over my project, and hopefully should budget allow, get it in the making. Luckily it also coincides with the Pick Me Up fair at Somerset House for some fresh inspiration!