The Portfolio
Project
A design portfolio is a compilation of your best work.
Both design schools and creative industry jobs require a portfolio when applying - and may have specific criteria. In general, here are some standard portfolio tip:
Include 12-20 of your very best projects (this can be difficult to discern - so ask for feedback from fellow designer, teachers, etc. and when in doubt, leave it out.)
Lead with your strongest work to encourage the viewer to keep looking.
Provide a very short explanation for each project i.e., what prompts were given, what process did you go through, etc. (Note: some schools and jobs might require you showing your full process (design brief, moodboard, ideations, etc.) for at least one project.
If applying for specific type of creative work (e.g. package design), its is ok to have so variety but about half the work should showcase the specific type of work they are looking for (since they are considering you for this specific field.)
As a way to share your portfolio, you will learn how to compile a PDF document as well as how to create an online portfolio using Adobe Express.
Assessment
As with all projects, your Portfolio will be assessed by:
Professionalism - Project is done "to spec", follows directions, and fulfills all requirements.
Craftsmanship - Project exhibits an admirable application of design principles, an aesthetic style, and use of app workflows.
Challenge - There is producible evidence that the final design underwent the entire design process and was significant challenging.
Originality - Project content is unique (not copied, derivative, a template, AI generated in part or whole, or a reproduction of a tutorial).
Note: Images referencing drug use, guns, violence, hate speech, etc. are not permitted.
Process
1. Communicate
Because the Portfolio requires you to be both the client and the designer, the design process is simplified from the traditional Graphic Design Process. But you will still communicate, just with yourself. Do some self-examination, and write a short design brief based on the following questions:
What is my best work?
What interest of mine can I allude to?
What types of lines, shapes, patterns, styles, etc. convey these messages and resonate with me?
2. Research
Based on your design brief, visit the following websites and conduct focused searches of other designer’s portfolios.
Behance
Dribbble
Google
When an images resonates with you, screen grab it (CMD+Shift+4 on a Mac, Win + Shift + S on a PC) and drop the collective images into gomoodboard. Note: You should have at least 20 images to reference.
3. Ideate
Based on your moodboard, grab your sketchbook and draw at least 3 possible solutions for what you’d include in your portfolio and how you would sequence your work.
From these initial 3 solutions, selected one favorite (or a combination of your top two) . Flip the page over and draw 6 new variations based upon the initial solution you selected.
From this second round of 3, pick your top solution.
Before you fully commit, get some feedback from classmates, family, . . . anyone you can. Listen to learn - and be open to suggestions - you might come up with an even better solution with some outside feedback.
4. Formalize
Using Adobe Express, compile together your design portolio (see “Specs & Standards” below). You are welcome to use a template as a starting point, but be aware that typically the more original your portfolio is, the better (so be sure to replace any template images and customize fonts, colors, etc. to be more representative of you and your work.)
Specs & Standards
The images in your portfolio should be:
minimum 1200x1200px
.jpg file format
centered on the page
accompanies by a short description of the project and process.
Optional (include research, drawings, versions that preceeded the final draft.)