Sam Jones
The University of Auckland
Today, we are excited to expand from ‘Show Us Your Thesis’ and introduce ‘Show Us Your Portfolio’ where we can take an in-depth look at design projects, and portfolios from students around the country. We hope that this can provide an opportunity for undergraduate students to share their work and give students around the country an understanding of what everyone is working on in different schools!
We are delighted that for our first entry, we are able to share Sam Jones’ portfolio with you! Sam is a third year student from the University of Auckland. His portfolio has an extensive range of work from all years and utilises a strong mix of 1:1 scale models, scale models, sketching, graphic design and renders! Check some of it out below!
SANNZ: Hey Sam, thanks for being the first Show Us Your Portfolio! How would you describe your portfolio?
Sam: It’s basically an insight into my journey through Architecture School, bringing together my favourite drawings from my recent projects alongside freelance work. I’ve tried not to take myself too seriously: It’s a light-hearted approach to the daunting task of gathering a body of work that your prospective employer will look at.
SANNZ: With work in mind, was that your main drive to create a portfolio? and when did you start the process?
Sam: I never really started with the idea of using it to pick up a job, I guess it just began as a platform for me to document my University experience. I only started putting my portfolio together last year in my 2nd year of the BAS, but I wish I started earlier. I think it’s great to have a timeline of your work from start to finish, which is something we don’t usually see in a portfolio as we tend to only include our latest and greatest works.
SANNZ: Thats great! Do you manage to keep your portfolio up to date?
Sam: I’ve tried to, but I have to admit I’ve got pretty slack recently! Usually I’ll try to update it all at the end of a Semester or at the beginning of a new one whilst the project is still fresh in my mind.
SANNZ: Speaking of your latest and greatest works, do you have a favourite project in your portfolio?
Sam: My favourite project was definitely my Design project from Semester Two of 2019, where we got to design Timber Furniture. Working through iterations that moved from sketchbook, to 3D, and then to 1:1 reality was an enjoyable, practical and hands-on experience; one that gave me my first glimpse of how ideas on paper can turn into objects of reality. Having something to keep at the end of a project, something that I am proud of and something that I’ll be able to use for years to come, brought a huge sense of satisfaction.
SANNZ: What are some other cool projects you have included in portfolio?
Sam: I like that my portfolio has reached beyond my university experience to include Graphic Design, Urban Sketching, renders for Architects, Models built for the Festival of Architecture, and even Promotional Posters for Concerts!
SANNZ: Building on your experience of Architecture School, what is the most helpful feedback you ever received?
Sam: It’s better to do one thing really well rather than a lot of things not so well. It’s pretty common in studio projects to take on an enormous program that we don’t actually have the time to tackle, whilst it might be better to focus on the key ideas and really push them as far as we can. There’s nothing more frustrating than getting to the end of your Design Project with things still unresolved: So it’s just a matter of finding the balance between pushing yourself and knowing when to stop!
SANNZ: Finally, what is something that has got you through those long nights in studio?
Sam: Definitely the people you spend those nights with. You’re all in the same boat, you’ve just got to push each other through! Although I know for sure that I am never going to take those long studio nights for granted ever again after spending nearly three months stuck on Zoom!
SANNZ: Thanks for talking to us Sam! Where can we stay up to date with your work?
Sam: On my website or instagram!
Images of work provided by Sam Jones
Interview by Nat Bocock
