Category Archives: Professional Communication

Moving on with the physical promotion from the business cards, I came up with the idea of using a format of an Artbook instead of a traditional and general-use portfolio. It much better fits both my identity as well as the work I create.

Ideally, it would look somewhat like this example of a Mass Effect artbook.

Having been thinking about what to use for the front of the trading cards, I realized I don’t have many projects, and even less images of those project that could actually be used. I didn’t want to create collector cards if there were only going to be four of five of them, so started thinking of an alternative.

The concept I came up with is instead of using trading cards, where each showcases the best image of the work, I’d make an artbook. It’s different from a traditional form of a printed portfolio, which doesn’t necessarily fit well with video games, and is in fact often seen as a kind of video game accessory, similarly to a soundtrack CD, key chain and other merchandise.

For the time being I was thinking of an A5 horizontal book format, but I’ll do some research before I make a final decision.

After brainstorming with my tutor we agreed that it might be a good idea to create a set of business cards each having a different front with an image from one of my projects, rather than creating one logo that would stand for all my work. The concept is based on the idea of collector cards, and as such the business cards would have a secondary value to that of traditional ones.

With both the domain and hosting now bought, the first thing I decided to do was install WordPress. I planned on using a template with a grid system for the front page porfolio, and a list of posts for the blog with additional page for the CV. Unfortunately this being the first time using WordPress I couldn’t find a way to achieve my desired design using the teplates, and instead decided to use a blank teplate with Bootstrap installed. I also installed a plug-in allowing me to use HTML in the content editor making things more familiar and easier to work with.

The first and current design as of March 2017 can be seen as follows:

Portfolio

Project page

Blog

I continued working on the 3D concept of the logo and decided to change the angle to make it look less like a ZD and more like the intended ND. I also played with different lighting and transparency combinations in Photoshop to achieve the final result. I left it for now, but the design is still subject to change.

I also registered a domain with the name 3dnguyen, as a combination of my first name’s initial letter and the word 3D with my last name behind it. For now I bought both the domain and hosting for a year and started by installing WordPress as the platform.

I continued from the sketches I drew and came up with two main concepts for the visual identity. One is base on a 3D shape made out of initials of my name, that is D and N. The other is again based on the combination of initials, this time, however, they are put together to create a flat geometrical shape. A third concept is still not fully conceived yet, but will most likely work with my name as a whole and its different use of typography.

I tried applying the 3D concept on a possible logo. The result looks interesting as a shape, but a major issue is the letter N that can easily be mistaken for Z.

For the second concept I tried making a bussiness card, but I haven’t gone further than the most basic sketch.

Aside from sketching I looked up a few game studios where I could potentially apply for a job or internship, and to see what kind of employee they’re looking for. In terms of studios in the Czech Republic the major ones are Bohemia Interactive, 2K Czech and Amanita Design, all of which are internationally reknowned.

The first step in the Professional Communication class was to come up with a plan for the semester and the following year.

Since my goal is to become a video game artist, I need to create a portfolio and promotional material fitting such a position. This online portfolio & blog is a result of research based on portfolios of other game artists. Among other things I need to create a visual identity for myself, the first sketches of which can be seen below.

I also need to look for a potentional job position, both here and abroad, in terms of game studios. And in case I can’t find a job in my desired career, I need to look for alternatives in other fields as well.