Initially I found rather inconvenient that that publisher accepts only “physical” portfolios (or manuscripts from authors) – you know, actual paper, to be sent by “snail mail” 😅️.
But I guess it makes sense to want to see the pictures on paper, as that’s the medium they are primarily made for. Also, other publishers probably print (parts of) the files I send – and who knows how that looks like 😬️.
And that’s one of the reasons I ended up being quite happy with this constraint: it forced me to learn how to bring my new-ish Epson printer to produce an acceptable approximation of the colours I see on screen (which had actually never been an issue with the Canon’s I had before…).
So now I am ready for making art prints, if asked or if I wish to 🎉️!
Second bonus (which at first felt like an unwelcome chore, I admit ;)): I adapted the design of the portfolio so that it looked nice when flipped through.
That meant considering the space taken by the binding (I used a slide binder – or whatever you call it 😅️; after some a lot of research I found out that in German it’s called a “Klemmschiene”, i.e. something like “clamping rail”; and after even more research I was not really able to find a reliable English name… If you know what they’re called, please tell me! ;)).
Anyway, the second thing I considered was (in one case) to change the order of the pages, so that the page I wanted to draw attention to most was on the right :)
In the end, it was quite satisfying to hold the portfolio in my hands, and seamlessly flip though it 😊️.
Also, I decided to look for said slide binders in a real shop (in the hope that it helps these not disappearing altogether 😌️), and was delighted to find out that Karstadt Bremen, despite financial difficulties and mergers, still have an office supplies department – albeit well hidden in a remote corner of the top floor. I spent an unreasonable amount of time browsing improbable supplies that I both wonder and am delighted still exist in this digital age. A not-quite-middle-aged guy who looked like an unimaginative character designer’s idea of an accountant seemed also to be there for pleasure more than for business 😁️
I (re)connected with my inner office supplies nerd – and actually found slide binders :)
Another thing I would have had to do anyway at some point: design a letter template with my new/current “branding” (that I developed as part of Franziska Walther’s course “Portfolio-Akademie”).
Better now than when a client would be waiting for an urgent response 😎️.
Finally, I had fun with the mailer :)
Here’s how it looks in the end.
Nice and cohesive – and cute, right? ;)
Are you a publisher and also want some “real-world” mail from me? Just drop me a note! (in English, French or German)