As part of the design course I teach on here in Ireland, I see a lot students who come in for interviews with a portfolio. The portfolios are varied in terms of presentation and content and it’s fair to say that some leave a little to be desired. By the time they are leaving the course, they have prepared an online portfolio with which to impress potential employers and clients. Here are some tips for preparing a portfolio of design or illustration work whether on or off-line.
1. Show Only Your Best Work
This may sound obvious, but only include your very best work. It’s better to have three or four really good pieces of work than ten pieces of rubbish. A bad piece in your portfolio is like a bad link in a chain, it will bring down the overall quality and integrity of everything else you have in there.
2. Know Your Strengths and Focus on Them
If the term “Jack of all trades, and master of none” comes to mind when people see your portfolio, then there is a problem. It may seem tempting to be able to offer ALL types of design services, or ALL types of illustration styles but that tends to make everything you do look lacklustre. Be really, really good at one or two things and stay focused on them.
3. Include the Type of Work That You Actually Want To Do
If you hate making banner ads for example, do not include them in your portfolio because you can be absolutely sure that’s what you’ll get hired to do. If you don’t have any professional experience in the area that you want to work in, create some dummy work and make up your own projects and mockups. Write your own design briefs, or find some on the web and create some high quality work for yourself.
4. Group Similar Disciplines
Group your work together logically. Organize the portfolio into categories (for example, Web Design, Logo Design, Packaging, Children’s Illustration, Medical Illustration).
5. Keep It Simple and Just Do It
For online portfolios make sure your site is easy to navigate through and completely foolproof. Provide good quality images without pixelation or distortion. Don’t agonize over your portfolio to the point where you paralyze yourself, and don’t spend to much time drooling over other people’s portfolio. Certainly you can take ideas and inspiration from others but ultimately you have to just sit down and do your own. You can tweak your portfolio along the way and as it grows you will add and remove pieces, so just do it!
By following these tips you will build very strong foundations for turning your portfolio into something really special. Take time to review and select your work and make sure you know why you are picking each piece, and make sure you can talk about it too. Good luck!
What tips would you add for anyone preparing a portfolio?
Jennifer FarleyJennifer Farley is a designer, illustrator and design instructor based in Ireland. She writes about design and illustration on her blog at Laughing Lion Design.
