How do you create a succesful design portfolio?

One thing we have been encouraged to do throughout our degree is to design a portfolio, by making your work look as well as it can. Portfolios come in different forms, not just on screen but also in print. Showing your work is just as important as the work itself. So what makes a successful portfolio? This piece of work needs to impress and make you stand out from the rest.

Since contacting design agencies one thing I hear on a regular basis is “send me over some work” the majority of people who agree for you to come in for a visit have usually asked for a digital selection of work to be sent over first of all. So, having an online portfolio is essential. This is the first piece of communication between the student and the industry. This needs to make a big impact, having work displayed online removes the geographical restraints that traditional portfolios imposed. Although essential, it is also a necessity to have a printed portfolio. To show people face to face, what better way is there to show talents.



“Though PDF and web-based portfolios are becoming more acceptable, I still believe that nothing takes the place of a well-executed print portfolio that a potential client or employer can physically hold and flip through during a meeting.” (Nubby, 2009, http://nubbytwiglet.com/blog/2009/07/27/7-tips-for-creating-a-print-based-design-portfolio/)

Print portfolio

The first thing that needs considering before the design process of the portfolio begins, is the content. The main thing to remember is the portfolio should not be overloaded with too much work. Only the best pieces should be included. The old cliché, quality over quantity is the best way to describe this. “The better quality the work is, the more likely you will catch somebody’s attention.” (Anon, 2008, How to create a graphic design portfolio, [http://www.attitudedesign.co.uk/graphic-design-portfolio] No more than 6 to 10 of the best projects should be used. Something that should be considered is using different medias, where possible, this helps show capability of working across different medias as well as using different styles to communicate messages. Portfolios originally start with work produced whilst studying. It is important to replace that with professional work as soon as possible. The reason for this is clients work is much more impressive, it shows a level of expertise and professionalism. It proves to the designer that you are able to work in the real world and are happy working with real deadlines and budgets. After the content has been decided on, the next subject to be considered is the order. The way the portfolio flows is also a very important aspect. By considering this it should make it easier to speak about when presenting. The different pieces of work should contrast or compliment one another, this will keep people interested. One piece of advice I got from my is to start and end with a very strong piece.

There is many ways for the portfolio to be presented. One thing that is essential is for the book or case it is presented in to have removable pages. This ensures that it is easy to make changes to the portfolio. It is always important to keep your portfolio fresh and up to date. With having easily changeable sleeves within the portfolio it makes it easier to customize depending on each kind of job that you apply for. Mike Carter from Orchard creative recruitment came in to do a lecture, his lecture was on how to get a job, CVs and preparing portfolios. One of his pieces of advice was to change your portfolio for each visit. For example when applying at a packaging design agency the work shown should associate to this, so moving image and website design can be left at home. It is common to see leather black folders with work presented in. This year, many students from my college started to use boxes.



I found this to be nice as it was new and most designers I visited commented on how they liked it.

Obviously when a decision is made, the next step is layout. Simple layouts are good, the pages below I found on Nubby twiglet.








An emphasis is mainly on the typography; the reason this was done is because the person this was designed for had a great interest in typography. The one thing that is obvious is the grid system, it is very simple throughout with a few lines of type at the bottom. It is important to keep it clean and simple without the use of gradients, drop shadows or patterned backgrounds.

There is plenty of information about how to and how not to design your portfolio; it should all be taken into consideration and then designed in your own way.

“This is a bold statement, but building a portfolio is quite tricky because everyone seems to have a differing opinion on how it should be done. Building a portfolio is about showcasing your work and therefore, it should be an expression of your personality and design style.” (Nubby, 2009, http://nubbytwiglet.com/blog/2009/07/27/7-tips-for-creating-a-print-based-design-portfolio/)