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/)

Mike Rigby Vs Alun Cocks

At our University we have many different lecturers take time out to come in and speak to us about different aspects of their jobs. I have referenced different parts of their talks and then chose two different lectures to compare. Not all designers work the same, never mind speak about their work the same. Some ways appeal to myself more than others. On the 26^th Novemeber Mike Rigby came in to speak to us and on the 9^th March Allun Cocks came in to also show us how he works. These two really stood out to me as they presented very differently.

Mike began his talk by speaking about his education, how he studied at Preston for 4 years on a Graphic Design course, he had a one year placement between the 2nd and last year and finally graduated in 2002. Since graduating he has worked for Imagination London, Chase Manchester, Landor Sydney, Moon Design Sydney, Pentagram, Mark Studio and True North. He continued on about this – his past work experiences. I was extremely interested to hear about Mike's experiences whilst working aboard. He advised us that taking a break is really important , as whilst he did this it resulted in him finding work abroad. Instead of showing us through his work he spoke more about his experiences. Mike had put together some of his pictures he had taken whilst on his travels, I was amazed. The beginning part of this lecture really got me interested as travelling is something I have always wanted to do. I think the importance of speaking to a group of students is to keep them all interested. I found that how he began the lecture got me engaged straight away, which is key.

Alun Cocks is a former student from Stockport College who later went on to study a Graphic Arts BA at Leeds University. He is one of the founders of Dust, a small company that was established in 2000, due to it being such a small company it is quite hands on. He began his talk telling us about the different actions the Dust team take from starting a project to finishing it. He started with a project he had worked on for Manchester United - this was a very illustrative piece using mainly mark making, figures and facts, this included goals and who scored ect. As Alun began the lecture by using a power point image of his work I was not engaged at all. However learning about different ways to work does interest me, so I continued to listen. Alun took us through the journey of his projects, which was interesting, as this is not something that we usually listen to.

I find that lectures from designers should not just be about the design process but about the life style, the ups and the downs and tips on graduation. Mike Rigby did this really well and as he kept changing subjects it kept me interested throughout unlike Alun Cocks’s lecture.

Mike went on to talk to us about the positives and negatives of working in the design world. I find it interesting to hear both sides. A lot of which we had heard before, working in the design world is interesting and challenging, you meet and collaborate with different people and are forever learning. As with everything there is always some negatives, as we are always told graphic design is a very competitive industry, with long hours with unpaid overtime, there is a lot of pressure, client interference and sometimes the pay isn't great. Though if you are passionate about the job and are willing to put the effort in you will succeed. This last comment is one that should always be thought about and it will be something that I will never forget. No matter how difficult something may be. For Mike to say this really made me think about everything. We are forever told about negatives but as he has shown us everything he has done in his life – not just design it gave me confidence.

With the lectures we have I like getting advice from different people rather than seeing their work as this part in my life is very important and I need to take as much as I can out of these lectures. As Alun spoke about his work I was interested to see how long it takes him to produce the work he does – it is all very personal. A lot of screen-printing was shown throughout his work, this is something that is not as common in Graphic Design anymore. It was different to see how he worked, as he explained the work that he does is very hands on, he selects everything right down to the paper stock used. When working in a large design agency it is proved that you don’t really see your work from start to finish. Alun explained how he liked the fact he created the whole of his work.

Mike spoke ts about placements, they are essential to help in finding a job after graduation, they increase your pace of working and you get the experience of working on live briefs with real deadlines. This is something that is said by many graphic designers.

The lecture we had from Mike Rigby was in the graphics room we study in, therefore so it was smaller group than in the lecture theatre. This may be why I enjoyed it more. We looked at the places he worked and the work he did there. He only showed us his final work. This was very different to the work showed to us by Alun as he even showed us variations of different briefs and how he got from one point to another. It is good to see this, as that’s how we work as students. Overall I really enjoyed Mike Rigby’s lecture, I really took on board the advice that he gave us. He was soon moving back over to Australia to work, which I think is great for him. It just proves how quickly things can change.

The two lectures were very different. I suppose this was to do with the work they both do and the way in which they do it is very different.



Mike’s work is very graphic, the packaging above that he did for a carpet re brand shows this where as Aluns below is more line drawing and has an illustration feel to it.




When asked Alun said that he did not see him self as an illustrator however him and his partner do enjoy this area of design. Mike spoke to us about his journey to where he is today and Alun spoke about his journey of getting from start to finish on a brief.