Portfolio-ing

So this is the first project page from the power tool project in my old portfolio. There was way too much text- I have no idea what I was thinking. The call-outs were only a little more noticeable than the rest of the text, being about the same size and same color. I wanted to give an intro to the project and provide some background as to who the user was and why the project wound up the way it did, but I got way too wordy. The image of the guy doesn't do a whole lot for me either. I don't see much of a point in showing a picture of the user unless the photograph really embodies the spirit of the product. I guess that's kind of the case with any inspirational image though. For the first portfolio we had to make back in sophmore year, I remember having a page preceding each project that was jam packed with images. I wanted the people viewing my portfolio to be able to see every single thing that inspired me, to see how my mind got to where it did for each project. Looking back though, those pages were heinous. I definitely do see value in showing my mental process as well as the development of the project, but I'm becoming more aware of the need to refine it. I go back and forth as to whether it is a waste of space to show pretty pictures you stole from the internet before your work, and right now i'm leaning slightly toward yes. Mainly because the method of using a few inspirational images can get the user excited and visually highlight certain metaphors, providing insight into the designs. Of course part of me believes that if the metaphor is there, I should just trust that the viewer will recognize and be able to understand it with even less explanation. Maybe I'll try that next time I update my portfolio.