Building a Portfolio

One of the goals of this book is to help you build a portfolio. It's an essential step for a designer, but it can seem a little daunting. Here are some quick tips to help you get started.

The goal is of a portfolio is to compile your best work into a presentation that will land you a job or client. A portfolio must be representative of the type of work you're seekingno sense in compiling an ad portfolio if you're looking for visual identity work, for example.

Figure 0.9. Approach the projects in this book with the goal of building a portfolio of work.

The pieces you select for your portfolio must make an impact and be easily understood with little or no explanation. If presented on the Web (as opposed to in person) it's important to accompany the pieces with a brief description of the client, the project goal, and your design approach.

Figure 0.10. Many professional designers have an online portfolio too. This site was created by student Sean Lynde.

How do you decide what belongs in a portfolio? For most designers, selecting the right pieces is a continual process of expansion and contraction. You put up the best pieces you have, and you replace them with better pieces when they become available.

Questions to determine whether a piece is portfolio-ready:

• Is it representative of specific design skills? (For example, logo design, digital imaging, illustration, or poster design.)

• Is it the category of work you would hope to get hired for in the future?

• Will it make a client say "Wow!" and will it stick in his memory?

• Are you proud to say you did the work and discuss how you created it?

The projects throughout this book contain design briefs, art specifications, and step-by-step directions that mirror those of real-world design jobs. If you approach them with the same seriousness you would an actual client project, we think you'll be very proud to include some of these projects in your portfolio.