Assembling an Effective Portfolio
posted by: Robert Erskine on March 23rd, 2010
Various Portfolio Forms:
- Portfolio Box:
A well constructed portfolio box, available in standard sizes such as 16″ x 20″, 14″ x 17″, and 11″ x14, is a relatively quick and painless presentation. Pieces are recommended to be mounted on black or gray foam core boards. A large box will allow a large collection without having to reduce pieces. A smaller box is easier to travel with and is simple to store. - Bound Portfolio:
A bound portfolio creates a very professional and holistic presentation of your work. Project images will need to be reduced in size and restricted to paper but the finished project is often quite impressive. Process work can be incorporated in the page design to show the development of projects. - An Online Experience:
Sending your book to as many people as possible is optimal. This is difficult when making physical forms of work, however sending a URL to a person is as easy as setting up a laptop in a Starbucks. Since this web page is your first impression it should be beautifully and conscientiously designed as well as graceful and easy to use.
Note: As important as it is to have strong work, it is equally important to be able to communicate aspects of your work to other people. Poor communication skills portray lack of knowledge and experience.
Assembling the Portfolio:
- Ordered by Strength of Work:
Pick your three strongest pieces. Place your first piece, your strongest, in the very front. Put the second on the last page, and your third somewhere in the middle. The main advantage of this strategy is constantly reminding the reviewer of your strengths. The primary disadvantage is all your work should be on close par with your best work. - Ordered by Design Specialties:
If you come from a generalist background, it is beneficial to organize your portfolio in categories like branding, packaging, interaction, advertising, etc. The disadvantage of this is that some categories blend into other categories. Web Design for example, might blend into branding and interaction. To challenge is to not be too stiff on dividing works into categories. - Ordered by Skill Sets:
A more conceptual approach is to arrange your portfolio in categories such as Leadership, Collaboration, and Communication. This allows for greater flexibility and creativity in organization. Use of dividers and tabs is strongly recommended with this form of hierarchy.
Other Portfolio Tips:
- Your first piece shouldn’t be too complex, but should have a quick impact
- Have one “story” piece in the middle. The story should have a positive experience that will engage and impress a reviewer.
- High quality craft is essential.
Conclusion:
Not only is a portfolio a keystone to one’s career, it is also a reflection on everything that a designer has done. It is very important to be proud of your work. Although I am young in my career, I’ve already started to collect my previous portfolios and compiled them into an archive. It’s amazing to see how I’ve grown as a designer. How have you organized your portfolio? How has constructing a portfolio made you grow as a designer? What is the best feedback you have ever gotten from your portfolio? Please feel free to comment and link your portfolio below.
