How to build a well focused portfolio

Author: Tasnuva Elahi | George Mason University student | Art & Visual Technology, B.A.



Hey guys. Welcome back once again. This week, as I promised, I will write about how to build a strong, well-focused portfolio. Potential employers or clients may read it and what they see can help them to decide whether they want to hire you. That’s why a good presentation has to be properly built up. A portfolio is a flat case, folder, binder that holds all your artwork, designs, drawings that you have done over the years in college or past jobs. It doesn't have to be a plain old case or a folder, it can be an album, or a scrap book. The more creative you are with your portfolio, the more it will show your personality. However, you can always buy a professional looking portfolio at any office supplies store or a crafts store, if you want to save your creativity for the inside, which is the main thing that matters. So without further ado, lets begin.

FIRST PAGE: RESUME

The number one thing you absolutely have to make sure to put in your portfolio is your resume. A resume shows your studies, skills and abilities from an abstract point of view and a portfolio shows what you are able to do REALLY. No matter what type of portfolio you choose, the very first thing that needs to be in there is your resume. Either paste it on the back of the front cover (also include a separate copy) or put it inside a sheet cover. Your very next page should be a table of contents of what is included in the portfolio.

DO NOT INCLUDE ALL WORKS

Your employer or clients (if you are a freelancer) will only want to see your best work. Limit it to maximum 10-15 original work that you have done. Its important that your work showcases what your strong medium is but also be versatile. You have to show versatility, that you are able to manage projects which are different one from another. In brief the best thing to do is diversifying your samples selecting items that you built up for different media. Make screenshot from your digital products and photo from your billboards (If you have any). Don’t forget that the final image leaves a more lasting impression than the first.

NOT ENOUGH EXPERIENCE?

Don't worry if you don't have enough experience, there are many ways you can add artwork to your portfolio. You can participate in local competitions, which not only will give you a chance to add a project to your portfolio, but also give you experience. Also, you can try freelancing. Freelancing is a great way to learn about the design world as well as gives you an experience on how to manage different clients. Each client is different and what they want in a design will vary from client to client. This will give you that versatility practice that you need when you build a portfolio. For local competitions, you can check out this website. Click Here

HAVE A DIGITAL COPY

Not all employers would sit with you and go through the portfolio. So make sure you also bring a digital portfolio on a CD which you can drop off and hope for the best. A digital portfolio is basically a same thing as a hard portfolio, just on a PDF file or another professional software of your choice. Also, a digital copy is really important for your large artworks which are more hard to carry with you. If you have something that is really big and just impossible to carry around, simply take a picture of it (high resolution) and include it in the CD. You can also have a web version of your portfolio. The possibilities are endless.

EXAMPLES

Here are some examples of a hard copy portfolio which was turned into an online version.

So, now you know how to make a portfolio. Have fun with it. It doesn't need to be something stressful. Always remember these simple steps that are mentioned above and you will be good. Remember to make your portfolio available for online viewing or when handling harder copies, use different media to show it around.

NEXT BLOG:

Sources that were used are linked down below. Please go check them out for more examples. For my next blog I will be writing about everything you need to know about freelancing. So stay tuned. See ya next week.


Sources:

Local competitions listings
Examples | Design articles