Creative & Design Portfolio Advice

Got a big design interview lined up? Worrying about how to nail your portfolio presentation? Take a look at some of our top tips on building a great creative portfolio…

How many pieces of work to include?

We normally recommend 14 to 20 pieces. Anything less and your portfolio may look weak. You want to show as wide a range as possible, so you need to make sure you have enough work to show the differences in your work as well as the continuity of quality.

Which work to include?

Your OWN work or pieces which you have had considerable involvement in. Tailor your portfolio with work that is suitable for that particular role, i.e. put your most relevant work at the forefront of your portfolio, which should change from role to role. Finally don’t include work that isn’t commercially viable, even if you took a great holiday snap last year that you want to show off, keep it strictly professional.

Arrangement of work

There are generally two ways of doing this. Either:

• Chronologically (present to past) or:
• If you have enough samples you can put them in groups, i.e. all packaging together, all literature together etc.

Remember that portfolios tend to get left open whilst the interview concludes so it’s a good idea to lead and finish with a strong piece where possible.

Show the employer what they want

Does your portfolio show the employer what they want to see within the first few clicks? If not, you’ve got a problem. They have a role to fill and a job that needs to be done, of course you want your portfolio to excite them, but make their job as easy as possible. Show them the work they want to see.

Showcase your personality

Print or Digital?

The big question. Best practise would be to have both available, but this is totally dependent on your work and preferences. We have a full article here that explains the pros and cons of both, and which you should choose.

Have any more questions about creative portfolios? Tweet us @orchardtweets, send us an email, or give us a call and one of our consultants will be happy to help.