Advice for the new talent at the Expo des Finissants for Cegep Vieux Montreal

This means real work from real clients, even as a student. Well, how can an unknown student get these clients, especially if they don't have a strong portfolio? 

Granted, it's a vicious circle. ​

The answer lies in working pro bono for charities, museums and even negotiating with small businesses for a bit of work in exchange for other services or products. This will allow you, the student (or new designer), to be able to build your portfolio while gaining valuable experience. And, if you do a good job, references too. 

 All things considered, the artwork was amazing and we feel that this group of graduates have a lot of potential.  

Our Creative Director, Louca, looking mighty impressed by some of the graduates portfolios.

 Fluide stopped by the Cegep du Vieux Montreal Exposition des finissants en graphisme on St.Laurent Blvd. a few days ago. 

Needless to say, we were impressed by the talent on show. There was quite a variety of portfolios that showcased some creativity. Even Louca, our hard to please Creative Director was impressed and he took home a pocketful of business cards. 

As much as there was some good work, we noticed that there wasn't much commercial work shown in many of the students' portfolios. Granted that the works on display came from young CEGEP students, we still think that there should have been a focus on commercial design (especially digital).

A great book by David Airey , Work for Money, Design for Love, mentions that designers have to understand that their  portfolio is their most important calling card. And it should be tailored towards their prospective client that they want to attract. 

With many new graduates choosing professional graphic design as a career, it's extremely important that new designers strengthen their portfolios with a variety of work, especially commercial work.  

And, we don't mean just music posters.  Or even business cards.