Whatever field it may be, graphic, web, interiors or art direction, a designer is only as good as their portfolio, I’m sure you’re most likely aware of this else you wouldn’t be reading this post. I’ve seen a fair few portfolios in my career as a designer, some breathtaking, making me green with envy, some appalling, making me wonder why some designers are in the game at all.
Your folio, book, reel, or whatever you like to call it is your chance to shine whether it be in front of a potential client, an interviewer or friends, your primary aim should be to impress. If your folio isn’t getting you much work, you’re turned down from every interview you go to or you just feel isn’t up to scratch here’s my 8 tips which will help add some polish to what should be your pride and joy. I’m not saying these will guarantee you getting work but they will certainly add some strength to your folio.
Most of these tips are based on the principles used in creating my own portfolio which can be found at DesignFreedom
Step 1: Let the work do itself justice
I’ve seen many folios where it is evident that more time has been spent on the folio itself than the work within it, this tends to apply more to the digital area than any other.I’m a firm believer that when presenting designs they should have their own space, if you have an over stylized portfolio it is likely that not every design you will produce will look right within it. Let the work do itself justice by not giving it a fussy casing to sit in.
As designers we are always telling clients not to be afraid of white space, here’s a chance to practice what we preach.
Step 2: Simply the best (It’s quality not quantity)
We all know first impressions count which is why and it sounds obvious, a portfolio should only contain your best work. I’ve seen many an overloaded folio which has some great pieces that have been padded out with average work just to make it look bigger.
In my opinion this drags the better pieces down, I’d much rather just see 3 great pieces of work than have to trawl through a load of mediocracy to find them. Take pride in your best pieces, present them cleanly and discard your mediocre work.
Step 3: How many pieces?
There is no reason why a folio should contain more than 10 pieces, by all means every time you update your folio archive your work and have it ready to show if anyone asks for more, but you are never going to talk through more than 10 pieces and give them justice in the space of an interview or meeting.
Some people wont want you to talk them through your folio or you wont be there when they look at it, and 10 carefully selected pieces will provide enough to wet their appetite to know what you’re about, leave them wanting more and they wont get bored flicking through loads of pages.
Step 4: what order to put them in
This is a little bit of a tricky one as it will depend on what format you are presenting your work in, if it’s in a printed folio then I’ve always been brought up on the principle of placing your best pieces first and finishing with one last ‘hot’ piece which seems to make sense, first impressions count and leave them wanting more.
If your folio is online then its a little more tricky as the user has a lot more control over the order they choose to view your work, I’ve displayed mine with thumbnail teasers to each piece enticing the user to click on something that interests them, others I’ve seen organised chronologically, others by brand. As the user has so much choice the key thing is to make the folio simple and easy to navigate.
Step 5: Be contactable
If the person looking at your folio is anything like me they will have cast an eye over your C.V. (if you’re lucky) and cast it aside to browse your work, which is why it is critical your portfolio has your contact details on that are easy to read. In a printed folio they should be at the beginning and the end and also on the casing. At the bare minimum there must be an email address, and a phone number is a good idea if you don’t have constant access to your email. You want to make it as easy as possible for a potential employer or client to get in touch.
Step 6: Explain your work
Whilst designs need room to breath and be presented simply they do need to be put into context, I’d suggest including with each item a text based description, stating the client, the project, the brief, and why the solution fits the brief.The key is to keep this short and sweet, no one wants to read reams of text, I’m amazed you’ve stuck with this article to step 6, (thanks for riding it out) a brief description will allow whoever is viewing the folio to get some understanding of why the design is as good as it is rather than just saying ‘My, doesn’t that look pretty’. This is especially important when you aren’t present to explain the thought process behind each piece.
Step 7: Credit where credit is due
The chances are you’ve worked as part of a creative team on a piece of work particularly if it’s in the digital sector. Don’t be afraid to include these projects however ensure you make it clear which part of the project you were responsible for and credit the agency you were working with when it was produced. People like to see you are able to work as part of a team.
Step 8: Keep it up to date
This is probably the hardest step, but finding the time to keep your folio up to date is crucial, so as when you get that call or your dream job pops up out of nowhere, you wont have a mad panic trying to cobble together your most recent best bits, you simply grab it off the shelf or email the link, meaning you are always confident that your best work is instantly accessible to anyone. I try to update my folio every couple of months, to keep regular visitors to my site interested, and keep a track of work that I am proud to have produced.
As mentioned this isn’t an easy thing to find the time to do but it really is worth setting aside a day every month or two to do this, it also offers the opportunity to take stock of what you’ve achieved and see how you are developing as a designer.
Links
One of the hardest tasks a designer faces is their own website, so here’s some folio sites I like which may provide some inspiration.
DesignFreedom
Hydro74
kokokaka
Dogo
Ripley & Ripley
Well thanks for reading, and good luck. Feel free to comment and share links to your great folios.
