*** From the Archives ***

This article is from August 23, 2001, and is no longer current.

QuarkXPress How-To: Creating a Graphics Portfolio


Brought to you by Element K Journals
One interesting (and frustrating) aspect of working in today’s graphics marketplace is the constantly changing world of communications. The software seems to change even more rapidly than the trade’s technology, requiring graphic artists to continually spend time learning new versions. To add to that labor, it isn’t enough to create artwork in one medium; now you’re expected to generate both print and digital renderings (and sometimes make them sing and dance). Meanwhile, you may be reading the want ads and interviewing for jobs in person and online. And, whether you have a permanent or freelance gig, you should always keep an updated portfolio of your recent work–just in case. But with all you have to do, when it comes time to explain to someone the process behind your work, you may not recall what that process is! To help with this, you might find it helpful to create a sort of “cheat sheet,” as shown in Figure A, which displays your most prominent work and a brief explanation of each accomplishment.
Figure A: By laying out your graphics portfolio in QuarkXPress, you can easily update and generate a print or digital version for when the job of your dreams comes along.

An Overview
This type of graphics portfolio is designed to guide you and your client or interviewer through the portfolio you already have that contains actual copies of your work; it’s not meant to be a replacement. In this article, we’ll show you how to set up a graphics portfolio in QuarkXPress that can be viewed in print and on screen. Then, as your work evolves, or if you need to emphasize a particular style of artwork for a specific interview, you’ll easily be able to tailor your portfolio as needed.
The Principle Behind It
The portfolio we created as an example is a three-page QuarkXPress document, which includes a cover page, shown in Figure A, and two pages shown as a spread in Figure B. The cover page contains 15 picture boxes to hold the artwork and one text box for contact information. Pages 2 and 3 hold 10 picture boxes to contain most of the artwork displayed on the cover and 10 three-column text boxes for information about the artwork.
Figure B: Each piece displayed on the cover is spotlighted and explained on the remaining pages.

You’ll find this portfolio useful when interviewing for a job. For instance, you might be too nervous to remember how you created each piece–the tools used, the problems encountered, how you solved them, and so on. Or, if you’re sending your work digitally via the Internet or on disk through the mail, you won’t be there to explain the circumstances behind your creations. Also, very few of us just sit down in front of the computer and create great art in a dozen keystrokes. More likely, it takes days, weeks or even longer to achieve the desired effect while working through different filters, commands and third-party software. Then, like most semi-traumatic events, after it’s over, the pain subsides and the memory fades. The problem is, all the interviewer sees is the finished product, and though it may be impressive, it’s your talent and resourcefulness that enabled you to create it and it’s those qualities that will get you the job. This graphics portfolio, then, is designed not only to showcase your artwork, but to display your knowledge as well.
Setting Up the Document
After you’ve compiled the artwork and information you want to include in your graphics portfolio, the next step is setting up the QuarkXPress document that will contain it. Compared to the time and energy you put into your artwork, this will be easy!
Begin by creating a US Letter-sized document with 0.75-inch margins, facing pages and no automatic text box. Name and save your document in a new folder. Now choose Page > Insert, enter 2 in the Insert Page(s) text box, and click OK. On page 1 (the cover page), drag a guide down from the horizontal ruler and position it 11/2 inches from the top of the page. Next, select the Line tool and draw a line on that guide from the left margin to the right margin. Apply an 8-point stroke to the line via the Measurements palette (press [F9] if it isn’t visible) or the Line tab of the Modify dialog box (accessed from the Item menu). Next, drag another guide down from the horizontal ruler and position it 1/4 inch down from the 8-point line you just created. Then select the Rectangle Picture Box tool and draw a picture box 11/2-inches square, starting at the intersection of the second guide and left margin. You can make sure your picture box is sized correctly via the Measurements palette or the Box tab of the Modify dialog box.
The next step is to use the Step And Repeat command to make multiple copies of the picture box. To do so, choose Item > Step And Repeat, or press [z][option]D ([Ctrl][Alt]D in Windows), and enter 3 in the Repeat Count text box, 1.8″ in the Horizontal Offset text box, and 0″ in the Vertical Offset text box. Then click OK. Figure C shows how your document page 1 should look thus far.
Now select the four picture boxes and press [z]G ([Ctrl]G in Windows) to group them. To make three more rows of four picture boxes each on your page, choose Item > Step And Repeat and enter 3 in the Repeat Count text box, 0″ in the Horizontal Offset text box, and 2.3″ in the Vertical Offset text box. Then click OK. Figure D shows how page 1 should now look.
Figure C: Create the first row of picture boxes on your cover page.

Figure D: Use the Step And Repeat command to make the other three rows of picture boxes.

To finish up the cover page, you just need to convert the last picture box in the first row to a text box. To do so, select it with the Content tool and then choose Item > Content > Text. This box will hold your contact information. Then draw a text box between the top margin and the 8-point rule, in which you can add a title for your portfolio.
Preparing the Graphics
Since you’ll only be importing thumbnail views of the original artwork, it’s a good idea to resize them in the originating graphics application. Otherwise, the file size of the QuarkXPress document will become unnecessarily large. However, you’ll want to keep a copy of the larger file, so make a duplicate of every artwork file you plan to use in your portfolio and save the copies in the same folder as the QuarkXPress document.
Also, you should save your artwork as CMYK EPS or TIFF files for print and RGB GIF or JPEG files for on the screen. (To import a JPEG or PDF file, you need to have the appropriate XTensions installed.) If you intend to use the same document both for print and onscreen, format your images for print and reformat them for onscreen viewing later when you export the document to a PDF file.
Now select the first picture box in the first row and choose File > Get Picture, or press [z]E ([Ctrl]E in Windows), select an image file, and then click Open. To fit the image proportionally in the picture box, select it and press [z][option][shift]F ([Ctrl][Alt][Shift]F in Windows). You can also move the image around inside the picture box with the Content tool, which is a useful way to crop out a portion of an image.
Continue to import your images until you’ve filled all 15 of the picture boxes. If you have a large, complex image, you might want to import it into two different boxes, displaying a different part of the image in each picture box.
Setting the Master Pages
Right now this document is only three pages, but it’s still a good idea to create master pages, just in case you become famous and have hundreds of images to add to your portfolio. Right now, all the document pages are based on A-Master Page A, but we’ll add another master page to use on pages 2 and 3.
To do this, choose View > Show Document Layout to display the Document Layout palette. Next, drag the Blank Facing Pages icon down from the top panel to just below the A-Master A icon in the Document Layout palette. To apply that master page, currently called B-Master B, to pages 2 and 3, click and drag the B-Master B icon over the document page icons for pages 2 and 3, as shown in Figure E.
Figure E: Create a new master page and apply it to document pages 2 and 3.

Now you can set up the spread’s layout on the master pages. (We recommend using guides for this, too.) To start, double-click on the B-Master Page B icon to get to the master pages. Next, draw a 11/2-inch square picture box on the left page and position it in the upper-left corner, against the top and left margins. To the right of the picture box, draw a text box the same height as the picture box and 51/4 inches wide (leave 1/4 inch between the boxes). Assign the text box three columns via the Measurements palette or Text tab of the Modify dialog box, as shown in Figure F.
Figure F: Assign the text box three columns from the Measurements palette or Text tab of the Modify dialog box.

At this point, group the two boxes by pressing [z]G ([Ctrl]G in Windows). Next, create four additional rows of the grouped boxes using the Step And Repeat command. Enter the following settings: 4 in the Repeat Count text box, 0″ in the Horizontal Offset text box, and 2″ in the Vertical Offset text box. Then click OK. You should have five rows of boxes on the page, as shown in Figure G. Repeat this process on the right master page to mirror the left master page; that is, the picture boxes should be on the outer edge.
Figure G: Create four additional groups of picture boxes and text boxes using the Step And Repeat command.

One Picture is Worth 50 Words
From the 15 images on the cover page, pick 10 to display on pages 2 and 3. Each image should include a listing. With this information in front of you during an interview, you can talk intelligently about your work and how you approach an assignment.
To begin laying out your portfolio pages, double-click on the Page 2 icon in the Document Layout palette and import one of the images shown on the cover into the picture box. Position it with the Content tool and use the Subscribe To command to resize it, if necessary. Then use only two of the three-column text boxes to list the name of the artwork, the originating application, and information about how you created the artwork or solved problems in creating it.
Because you’re working with narrow columns, be sure to watch for poor hyphenation. To avoid hyphenating a word, use the soft return ([shift][enter]) to move the word to the next line in the same paragraph.
Now press the [enter] key on the numeric keypad to move the insertion point to the top of the third column. Then type the heading Tools & Commands and list the important tools and critical commands you used to create the artwork.
You’ll find it helpful to create style sheets for the title, application and body text. The style sheets for the listing of tools in the Tools & Commands column can include a rule above each listing to give the column some definition, as shown in Figure H.
Figure H: Each thumbnail image is explained in an adjacent three-column text box.

Repeat this process for the remainder of the boxes in order to complete your portfolio. Make sure to use the Check Spelling command and proofread your document.
Final Output
When you’ve completed your portfolio, print it to a color laser printer or have it printed at a copy center–the better the printer, the more professional it will look. Then fasten the pages together using a stapler or some other method.
If you plan to attach the portfolio as part of an email message, you must have Adobe Acrobat Distiller installed on your hard drive and the PDF Filter XTension installed in the Xtensions folder inside the QuarkXPress folder. Be sure to use the most recent version of this XTension; version 1.6 is available from the Quark Web site (www.quark.com). Then choose Utilities > Export As PDF to create a PDF file.
Show Your Stuff!
As a designer, you have your work cut out for you. You’re expected to be creative at all times and technologically up-to-date in the graphics arena. With all that responsibility, setting up a graphics portfolio like the one we’ve shown you here will make your job (or getting one) just a little easier. Good luck!

Copyright © 2000, Element K Content LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Element K Content LLC is prohibited. Element K is a service mark of Element K LLC.

>