When creating this e-portfolio I began by looking at other industry professionals’ e-portfolios who hold positions I would like to have or work for companies I would like to work for. I took note of the colors used, the effectiveness of the layout, the projects included in the e-portfolio website, and how the authors portrayed themselves while showcasing their work. I also wanted to note how I felt as an audience member when viewing the e-portfolios. For example, two had bold color choices that distracted me from their e-portfolio contents. In those same e-portfolios, the font choices clashed and were not as cohesive with the rest of the text because of the use of two differing fonts that were not closely related. By jotting down those mental notes, I began to see what I wanted my e-portfolio to look like, thinking of this assignment as the audience’s first point of contact with me, allowed me to see the importance of the clarity and flow needed throughout not only the color scheme, font, and images, but also with the accessibility of the layout.
When starting to build this e-portfolio website I began to see it as a mock interview, I wanted to pay as much attention to the layout, font, colors, and images, as I would to how I dressed, did my hair, what jewelry I wore, and the style of make-up I chose to apply to my face, for an in-person interview. I wanted this document to be a fluid representation of me as a professional and a creative person. In short, this document needs to show the audience how much I thought about them when creating it as much as it displays my abilities.
Before creating the website, I wanted to pick the color scheme. I found one template on the WordPress website that was fairly malleable and offered a color palette of off-white cream, white, charcoal black, and charcoal grey. I found these four colors that the WordPress palette had as a set to be the most pleasing and professional. Most importantly, it allowed the words written on the website to take up all the attention and space. It also allowed the documents I embedded to stand out against the page drawing the viewer to them naturally. After deciding on the color scheme, I moved to the organization and contents of the e-portfolio.
The organization of the e-portfolio was very important to me because I wanted it to be pleasing to the eye and user-friendly. At the top of the home page is the Navigation Menu header that lists the seven different sections of the website: Annotated Bibliography, Conferences, My Editor Values Statement, E-Portfolio Reflection, Projects, Proposal Samples, Technical Editing Samples, and Technical Writing and Editing Projects. On the far left of the Navigation Menu, rests an E-Portfolio Home button that takes viewers back to the home page. Each title on the menu is interactive and once selected will take the viewer to that section of the e-portfolio. My headshot and About Me section are below the Navigation Menu on the home page. The headshot that is displayed is the same one that is on my LinkedIn profile. I used the same image because I felt it was necessary to show the audience an image that would allow them to recognize that the e-portfolio is mine and create cohesion between the two platforms.
Below the About Me section are the Pitch Video section, Mission Statement section, and Future Goals section accompanied by a Professional Development Plan from ENC 5920. The very bottom of the website houses the Footer section that holds all my hyperlinked contact information, my location, and hours for when I am available to respond to emails or phone calls. I chose to make the Navigation Menu and the Footer charcoal black from the color scheme with white typography styles, I felt this combination helped them to stand out to the audience. Making the entire homepage charcoal black aside from the About Me section draws the reader to it first, I also believe it frames the photo well and looks cohesive with the colors used in the photo. The Navigation Menu and the Footer are the same throughout the website, framing the documents that the audience is meant to see.
When it came to the content, I wanted to showcase many important documents because each showed a different side to my work and learning progress. I have included seventeen documents in my e-portfolio, one under Future Goals on the E-Portfolio Home page, one under Annotated Bibliography, one under My Editor Values Statement, two under Projects, three under Proposal Samples, five under Technical Editing Examples, and four under Technical Writing and Editing Projects.
This e-portfolio shows my growth as a student and professional through the items I have chosen to include. Two of the documents I included, Editing AI Generated Content under Technical Editing Samples and Journal Special Issue: Creativity under Technical Writing and Editing Projects illustrate my process with projects from start to finish. Both of those particular samples show my edits through track changes, the finished product, and a transmittal or revision letter. The three proposals under the Proposal Samples section are three different types of proposals, one grant proposal, one book proposal, and one regular proposal. Those proposals show my versatility in my writing and editing as well as my consideration for the audience because of their detail. My Editor Values Statement shows my growth from having no direct values to having three set values that have directly impacted my work, are clearly defined, and affect how I conduct myself. The two presentations under the Projects section and my Annotated Bibliography under the Annotated Bibliography section showcases my ability to ask questions and find answers to those questions myself. The Technical Editing Examples and Technical Writing and Editing Projects sections showcase the many styles of editing I have learned and my growth through this program both in my capabilities and knowledge.
I plan to use all seventeen of the documents I have included to show how my capabilities, attention to detail, and focus on the writing and editing process have grown. My hope is for these documents to grab the attention of future employers and hiring managers, I labeled each section of the Navigation Menu based on the type of documents held within those pages so that they would be easier to locate. I also added my Annotated Bibliography and My Editor Values Statement because they allow professionals to see who I am, what I study, how I study it, and how I put it into practice. I will also reference these documents in my resume if I believe they will show proof of competency on a specific topic required for the position I am applying to.
I have learned a great deal about myself from creating this e-portfolio. When starting this assignment, I thought there was barely anything I could fill it with. I doubted whether I have grown through this program because of the feedback I have received about my sentence structures; something I have always struggled with. I began to doubt myself and my capabilities. After creating this e-portfolio, I no longer doubt myself or my growth. This e-portfolio has bolstered my confidence and given me proof that I have experience. I will admit that like all people editors and writers make mistakes, and no one is perfect, but I do my best to create documents with the audience in mind, that convey the writer’s original intent and ideas clearly. This e-portfolio reiterated the importance of cohesion, clarity, empathy, and integrity to me through the design process. I can successfully say that I have planned every last detail of this e-portfolio.
This process and assignment have shown me how far I have come, combing over the documents to add, writing about what those documents taught me, and organizing everything has shown me how I have grown. Many things like the organization, layout, grouping of documents, color schemes, and typography are aspects I never would have considered as an incoming graduate student. In a way, this e-portfolio is the culmination of everything I have worked for. I plan to add this e-portfolio as a link to my resume, connect it to my LinkedIn account, and include it in job applications when asked for a website link. I believe it successfully showcases my abilities and will provide proof of my experience in writing technical documents. I am looking forward to adding to it in the future, and looking back on it when I begin to doubt myself as proof that I am always improving.