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Understanding Your Portfolio's Purpose: Think of your portfolio as a testament to your design prowess; it's not merely a gallery of pretty pictures. It functions as a visual resume, demonstrating your experience, adaptability, and innovative thinking. Consider it your virtual business card, leaving a lasting impression on those who view it.
Curating Your Best Work: Quality beats quantity every time when it comes to portfolio development. Focus on selecting a few of your strongest and most relevant pieces to showcase, rather than overwhelming your audience with a slew of projects. Highlight assignments that best demonstrate your skill set, ability to tackle design challenges, and alignment with your future aspirations.
Organizing Your Portfolio: Creating a well-structured and visually appealing portfolio requires careful planning. Group your work logically, whether by project type, client, or skill set. Make navigation easy for visitors by using clear headings and labels, ensuring they can find what they're looking for effortlessly.
Tailoring Your Portfolio to Your Audience: When targeting a specific company or market, research their visual preferences and brand identity, then tailor your portfolio accordingly. Include projects that resonate with their audience, demonstrating your understanding of their needs and preferences.
Seeking Feedback: Don't hesitate to seek input from friends, mentors, or trusted colleagues on your portfolio. Constructive criticism can help you identify areas for improvement and refine your portfolio to perfection. Stay open to feedback and be willing to make adjustments based on the advice you receive.
Creating a Top-Notch Graphic Design Portfolio: 8 Guidelines
Portfolios for designers have become more and more digital
in today’s world of computers and mobile devices. This does not mean that
graphic artists have no use for a printed ‘book’ of work, in fact it is just as
important as it was decades ago, prior to the wireless age. This article
will point out a number of ways to put together and maintain a portfolio that
will lead to a rewarding career in the commercial art industry, both a digital
and physical collection of work...
- How
many pieces should I have in my portfolio?
This has been a debated subject for quite some time, and
depending on the source you will get different numbers, most experts will
recommend somewhere between 12 to 20 of your best pieces for a printed
portfolio and 25 – 30 digital samples. This number may vary depending on the
specific job interview you are planning to apply for. The idea here with the
amount of work is to show enough, but not too much. If you don’t show enough
pieces then the potential employer may not get a good enough feel for your
ability, talent and potential. If too many pieces are shown then there is a
chance the person reviewing the work may become annoyed at the amount of time
it is taking to go over the portfolio. Someone conducting interviews may
have to go through over 25 applicants and that can take a great deal of their
free time. If a particular position will require the new employee to do a large
variety of tasks then it may take more than 20 examples to show that you can
cover the workload.
- What
type of files do I need for a digital portfolio?
Digital files must be saved and formatted
correctly in order to make your work look their best on a computer or mobile
screen. If the work is scanned then the image should be clear and as close as
possible to the original piece. Common formats for digital files are those that
can be opened on the greatest number of computers. For this reason do not send
out Adobe Illustrator or InDesign files, rather make them into PDF files that
can be sent via email or added to a website for display and downloading. Some
other popular formats are high quality JPG and PNG files. Avoid files over 3
megabytes in size as these are going to be difficult to send to someone as an
email attachment.
- How
should work be created for a physical portfolio
Each piece should be printed out on high
quality gloss paper, it would be great if the prints are done by a professional
printer, but many home printers can churn out wonderful imagery, as long as the
paper has a quality finish as opposed to basic typing paper. Print outs should
all be at the highest resolution possible, so adjust the printer settings for
the gloss paper, and only print from high resolution (300 dpi) or vector
oriented files. If any print out become damaged or stained replace them
immediately. Neatness counts in the graphic arts field so keep your collection
tidy.
- Do
I need a website to display my work?
Definitely. When applying for jobs over the internet
or sending resumes out online you can include a link to your website. This will
make it convenient for potential employers to get quick access to your body of
work and be dazzled by the webpage itself. It is great to have a touch of
simple animation on your website but not too much, the idea is that the site
supports your work, but doesn’t distract from it. Many designers purchase a
domain in order to post their work online, but there are places where work can
be displayed for free like Adobe’s Behance or Dribble. You can chose to use an already-done-for-you web
platform. You could set up a hosted blog at Wordpress.com in a very short amount of time. Squarespace offers
more advanced features in a drag and drop environment but does require a
monthly ‘rental’ fee.
- Do
I need both a digital and physical portfolio?
Again definitely. In today’s industry you will need both
in order to have a competitive edge. Both forms of portfolio should display a
breadth of work, avoid only showing one form of design like logos or posters.
This will limit the number of positions you can apply for. Once you have a
large enough collection of work you may put together more than one portfolio,
one may reflect illustrative work, and one may focus on page layout and so on.
The more ways you have to get your work seen in the real world the better, some
designers set up Instagram portfolios, or use Pinterest to create a display.
- What
about cases for my printed portfolio pieces, how do I display them?
If you have large size prints then your portfolio size
should be able to hold these, the case does not have to be huge. Each print out
should be displayed in its own clear plastic sleeve, the best portfolios for
this have loose detachable rings that allow for clear acetate pages to be added
or removed. You want to be able to go through your pieces in an organized and
effective manner, making sure that one example of your work flows well into the
next one. Try to start out with your strongest work in order to ‘hook them’
right away and then let it lead to your lesser works. Use a strong piece to
show at the end of a portfolio interview in order to leave a lasting final
impression.
- How
does a resume and cover letter fit in?
All portfolios, digital or printed must include a resume
that fits in with the collection of work, it should be just as outstanding as
the portfolio pieces, as well as eye catching, and reflect the design ability
of the artist. This does not mean that you print your work on neon red paper,
or use Comic Sans for the small print, it does mean that it looks like it was
professionally designed and promotes the artist’s ‘brand’. Normally you would
have your resume (and cover letter if not already submitted to the company) on
the first page of the portfolio to show to the interviewer (always leave behind
a copy of this after the interview).
- How
do I make my portfolio ‘Top-Notch’, how do I make it stand out?
Show your best work, keep updating your portfolio pieces, replace older examples of your work with newer ones so your current abilities are represented. Your portfolio; both hard cover and digital, should be dynamic and exciting and present your best current work. At the same time remember that you have to sell yourself, make sure you label your work properly and briefly explain pieces if necessary. It is a good idea to include some rough sketches in order to portray your creative process. You have to be excited about the company and yourself, show motivation and make it clear that you have researched the organization or individual and that you are the best choice for the position. Putting all these aspects together should not only provide you with a Top-Notch portfolio, but also a top-notch presentation that will give you an edge when applying for a job in the design field.
Your portfolio is your most powerful tool as a graphic designer. By carefully selecting your best work, showcasing your process, organizing your portfolio effectively, telling a compelling story, customizing content for your audience, and seeking feedback, you can create a portfolio that not only impresses but also communicates your skills and expertise. So, roll up your sleeves, unleash your creativity, and start building your standout portfolio today!