Reading #2

Making a Working Portfolio


Tone

  • Make sure the work you put in your portfolio represents the kind of things that interest you and reflects the types of jobs you want to do
  • Let your portfolio be versatile and easy to make quick changes to so that you can cater your display in different ways to appeal to each client individually
  • If you decide to use a more informal approach to  setting up your portfolio, make sure that you keep it neat and use good workmanship in creating it. Paying attention to details like this shows potential employers a lot about who you are as a designer.

Range

  • There needs to be a variety of work presented in your portfolio to show examples of all the skills you possess as a designer
  • You can show off more than one skill in a design piece but do not use unfinished designs that are repetitive or redundant

Portfolios in Book Format

  • Setting up a portfolio as a printed book can be impressive but the drawbacks can be that the viewer cannot see the designs in their original contexts such as pop-up features or the actual size of the piece
  • It can be an advantage to learn techniques in traditional and experimental book design
  • If you portfolio is set up as a book it can make it hard to switch things around and personalize the portfolio for each individual potential client

Showing Process

  • Show you thumbnails and the steps you took to get to the final design so that you can show off your methodology and the steps you take to solve design problems
  • In some interviews it may not be appropriate to show off thumbnails with your completed work so it is important to feel the room during the interview so you can steer the conversation towards the information that is pertinent to that particular situation
  • Creative directors are likely appreciate thumbnails and the showing of your process included in your portfolio and you can include sketchbooks or other removable items in the back of your portfolio as extras if anyone is so inclined to look at the extra material
Create Flexible Content

  • Have your portfolio set up in way that you can change things up as needed
  • The ability to switch out different examples of pieces in your portfolio can be very powerful because you have the versatility to show off different skill sets to match more specifically to each individual job 
  • You can have a separate book  of process work in the back of so that you can remove it as needed depending on who you are interviewing with