So, as you step out into
the design industry and look for jobs you will need to develop and showcase a
portfolio to demonstrate you have the skills and showcase that you can be
creative and develop visual solutions. The Graphic Design portfolio is very
important. It's your ticket to your next job. Now you can spend years studying to
become a Graphic Designer. You can spend a lot of money on courses and higher
education. You can even achieve the best grades and attend the best art
colleges. Though chances are when it comes down to applying for a job it will
most likely come down to your portfolio. It's your portfolio that makes the
first impression. It will be this that they will judge you on. No matter what
grade you scored art college if a client or potential employer in not convinced
by your portfolio you will probably not make it through to an interview. In my
10 years’ experience in the industry since graduating I not once been asked
what grade I got at university. So, I often get asked questions about the
Graphic Design portfolio.
Questions like, what
makes for a good portfolio? What's the best type of portfolio, print or
digital? Do I need a website? How many projects do I include? What if I don't
have any projects to show? What are employers looking for? How much type do I
include? And what's the best programme to use to build my portfolio? So, in
this I'm going to discuss the Graphic Design portfolio and answer these
questions. In this video I'll also be sharing my experience and offering some
tips to keep in mind.
So, the Graphic Design
portfolio should clearly demonstrate your skills show what you can do and what
you have already done. As a Graphic Designer you really want to create the best
portfolio you can. It should be the one reason you push yourself. The reason
you try your best. Of course, we should strive to do a good job for the client
too but you should always be pushing' to create amazing work that you can
include in your portfolio. Because it's your work that will get you noticed and
get you a better job in future.
So, let's look at some
of those questions. What makes for a good portfolio? Now there are lots of
factors that make for a good portfolio all of which you should try and
implement in yours. So, the first is don't over design your portfolio keep it
simple. One common mistake I see especially with newcomers is Graphic Designers
over-designing their portfolios.
Now it's easy to get
carried away and want to show your skills and creative flair on your portfolio.
But really, it's not necessary. The portfolio should be about showing your work
in its best light. You really don't want to distract from this. The best
approach is to keep your portfolio simple. If you have a personal brand, that's
great! Include it on the cover and back page but try and keep the presentation
layout as clear as possible. Consider pace in your portfolio. Now you really
want your portfolio to work as hard as it can for you. If you have a lot of
work to show for a particular project then spread this over a few pages.
When introducing a
project consider starting with a nice hero shot. Allow for whoever looks at
your portfolio to really appreciate the design and details of your work. Let
your work breathe and have impact. As your project continues over other pages then
you can include more images together. Using this technique will control the
pace of your portfolio and encourage a viewer to pause and digest rather than
skim through. This might mean having to increase the page number of your
portfolio but it will make for a more sophisticated experience. Include
examples of your design process. Now this is really important. A potential
employer will really like to see how you think and how you approach a brief. If
you can show some good examples of your process this will be more convincing
and impressive. It will show you take time to research plan and think about
your ideas and design. Include in situ examples.
One of the most
important things you can do in your portfolio is show your work in situ. This
will bring your design to life and is much more impressive than looking at flat
examples. If it's poster, show someone holding it. If it's a mobile app, show
it on a device. If it's a brand, show it on some stationary merchandise or
packaging. This will mean getting good quality photos of your work. Or
superimposing your work onto devices or print material. Start on a high and end
on a high. When an interviewer tries to recall you after an interview, they
will either remember your first impression or how you ended. Pick out two of
your best projects. The aim here is to put one of those at the front and one at
the back. Start well and leave a good lasting impression. Tailor your
portfolio.
So, as you apply for
jobs one of the smartest things you can do is tailor your portfolio to your
potential employer. In some cases, if you have too much variety in your
portfolio it may confuse or even overwhelm the potential client or employer. Tailoring
your portfolio can be a key factor. This can make you seem more suitable for
the job. Depending on what type of job you're applying for you should tailor
your portfolio. If you want to be a Brand Designer include your best brand
examples. If you want to be Motion Graphics Designer include your best motion
graphics examples. If you want to do UI include your best UI examples and so
on. Now having said that there can be roles that ask for an all-rounder. So, in
that instance you may want to show a variety of work. So, remember tailor your
portfolio to your potential employer. So those are some of the things that make
for a good portfolio.
So, the next question is
what's the best type of portfolio, print or digital? So as a Graphic Designer you
will need a strategy to get noticed get an interview and get a job. Today this
can exist both online and offline. This will also vary depending on the type of
designer you are and the type of work you have. So ideally you will need a
digital portfolio to use online to help you get noticed and used to send over
email to possible clients or employers. Once the digital portfolio is in the
bag you can always use it again at an interview. Present it on your laptop or
tablet device. If you're a Digital Designer you may only need a digital
portfolio. Though if you're more of a Print and Branding Designer then you may
wish to invest in a print portfolio. The print portfolio is a much more
impressive option for Print Designers. Now there is a lot more to be said on
this topic.
Do I need a website? As
stated in the previous question you will need a strategy to get noticed and get
an interview and get a job. The website is a good opportunity to show your work
online get noticed and it's convenient to share. In my experience it's better
to have one than not to. Now if you’re not able to set up your own site there
are so many online portfolio websites out there today you can sign up to and
create a profile. The good thing about these sites is that they are often
looked at by recruiters and clients. So, there is always a chance you can be
discovered. As a Designer today you may find yourself creating lots of these to
increase your exposure.
So, the next question is
how many projects do I include? Well in my opinion there is no simple answer to
this because I am not sure there is really a simple figure. What you have to
keep in mind here is that it's not about the quantity it's about the quality. Instead
of worrying about including too much or too little try and focus more on
including what represents your skills and what you want to do. As your career
develops you will no doubt create a lot of work. Some projects will be more
impressive and interesting than others. In the portfolio you want to project
who you are what you do and what you want to do in future. As mentioned earlier
try to tailor your portfolio as much as you can. Everything in your portfolio must
be your best work and interesting. Take a step back and be objective. Imagine
you are a potential employer looking through your portfolio. If there is
anything you have any doubts about then edit it out! That may mean having a
small portfolio or a large portfolio. As long as it's strong and impressive that's
all that matters.
Next question. What if I
don't have any projects to show? Now if you're new to Graphic Design perhaps a
student or you're looking to get into the industry chances are you will not
have many examples to show that you have done for clients or employers in the
industry. It's common for a lot of newcomers to only have work that has been
done at school or self-initiated briefs. Keep in mind when showing work at an
interview potential employers and clients want to see what you can do your
potential and how resourceful you can be. Employers will be impressed by how
you can find opportunity and overcome problems. If you don't have a lot of work
to show then I would recommend you set yourself some self-initiated briefs and
look to do some work for local business. This is a technique many Designers
undertake at some point to build their work. Whichever field of design you want
to specialize in set yourself a brief and create a solution for it. If you know
a friend or family member with a business seek to do some creative work for
them. Hopefully you will be able to build up some projects to include in your
portfolio.
Next question. What are
employers looking for in a portfolio? Now this really depends on what type of
job you're looking for and at what level. Typically, in the industry you have
three significant levels junior, middleweight, and senior. At each level an
employer will be looking for creative flair and the ability to do the job they
are requesting. At junior level you many have just graduated from university or
looking to get your first job. An employer will know you won't have much industry
experience so will mainly be looking for potential creative flair, good ideas and
good demonstration of design skills. Towards the more senior roles employers will
be focusing more on your experience and what you have already done. Employers
will be looking for more higher quality of work more specialized work,
successful work examples good design process examples and good portfolio
presentation.
The next question is how
much type do I include? Now remember your portfolio is a presentation which you
are not there to make. As much as you should want your work to speak for itself
it can help to add annotations to help explain the context of the work. In my
experience I would say try and keep the type down to a minimum. For each page
of your portfolio aim to include a maximum of two sentences to describe what
the work is and how it fulfilled the brief. In your portfolio you want the work
to take the main stage and be the main focus. When using type, try and keep the
font size to a minimum so it does not deter from your work.
So, the last question is
what's the best programme to use to build my portfolio? Well when it comes to
working with anything layout and type-focused I would always recommend Adobe
InDesign. As simple as the portfolio layout should be the document itself will
be complex with many image links which you will want to edit. In InDesign you
also have the ability to create an interactive PDF where you can embed links to
your online media. InDesign is the best programme for this. So those are some
factors to consider (soft upbeat music) to ensure a good Graphic Design
portfolio.
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