Out of the closet, onto the page

[Khoi Vinh's Lulu.com-produced book, Art Direction Goes Digital]


A year or so ago, I discovered Lulu.com and its world of self-publishing. A photography forum in which I was actively participating decided to create a book of members' work and publish it via Lulu.com. I was skeptical that the quality wouldn't live up to expectations but I was pleasantly surprised. The first issues of JPEG magazine were also initially sold via Lulu.com.

Khoi Vinh of Subtraction very succinctly described the value and experience of print-on-demand book publishing in a recent article.

Since these initial experiences with Lulu.com, my advice to any designer or illustrator looking to promote themselves has been to build a portfolio and then publish it as a Lulu.com book. For under $10 each, these mini-portfolios will make an impact, look professional and can be left with prospective employer or client without breaking the bank. After losing a portfolio via FedEx and having one destroyed by over-zealous art directors, Lulu.com is the only way to do a portfolio.