Creating a Portfolio

A portfolio is necessary in fields which are visual in nature - graphic design, animation, gaming, publishing, web design. Often, a visual company will want to see your portfolio more than your resume. This is the reason CDED includes portfolio-worthy assignments in their New Media programs. The following should help you collect your school and other projects together into a coherent portfolio that will help you land the job of your dreams.

A portfolio or demo shows that you can do the work rather than just saying that you can. It demonstrates the following to prospective employers:

• You can do the work
• You are self-motivated
• You have initiative
• You can finish what you start
• You are enthusiastic

Students in the more traditional disciplines such as accounting and medical office administration will not need a portfolio.

Pick a Format

Portfolios come in many formats, from a box of pictures to a Flash presentation on CD to a website. The type of portfolio you create depends on your chosen profession and your available skills.

Whatever type of portfolio you choose, in the New Media professions such as we teach here at CDED, it will likely be digital. Even if you choose an online type, you should back it up to a portable media type such as a CD or DVD, so you can carry it with you to places where the Internet is unavailable.

Media Format Options

We recommend choosing either a CD or a website, although your material may allow a different format.

Portable Media

• CDs
• Mini CDs
• DVD
• Laptop

Online

• Email
• Website

Physical

• Scrapbook
• Mounted photos

Delivery Format Options

You need to decide not only what type of media you'll use to present the portfolio, but also the technology you'll use to create the portfolio itself. This will depend largely on your own skills with these technologies. The portfolio format itself could be another showcase of your skills!

• Flash
• PDF - either static or interactive
• HTML
• Movie slideshow

Examples of delivery technology:

• Instant Portfolio such as Photoshop's Automated Web Photo Gallery
• simple static webpage with links to each of your pieces
• simple interactive webpage
• complex interactive page such as Flash

Collect Your Work

Always save your work. If you do a website for a client, don't trust that it will always exist on the client's webserver - you can be almost completely certain that it will change, usually within a year or two.

Save Everything

Hard-drive space is cheap compared to the value of your work. Even cheaper are CDs and burners - back up your work onto CDs to make sure nothing gets lost in case of computer malfunction.

Save your processes - tests of designs that didn't pan out, sketches, the PSD files used to create web images. These process pieces can often illustrate to a prospective employer how you approach visual problem-solving.

If you have submitted any physical work to an instructor (at this school or any other), it is up to you to get it back. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope with the work in the first place, or drop by at the end of the year to pick up your pieces.

Request samples of your print work, especially if you are working on contract. Ask before you begin, to avoid unrealistic expectations. Get as many samples as you can.

Photograph and archive your materials and artwork as soon as it is created, just in case.

Organize Your Files

Group your files by using folders, a separate one for each client or project. Save your files in the appropriate folders right as you create them, to keep you from moving them or hunting for them later.

Name your files uniquely, descriptively, and briefly. Create and use a specific naming convention - for instance, name by the image's description and then the sub-project. Use numbers only as transitional "save as" versions in a working session.

Use Thumbnails. Adobe's File Browser or Bridge is a good way to catalog your files. You can also customize your folders by using an image as the folder thumbnail (right-click the folder and choose Customize...). Choose an image that's representative of the entire project folder.

Simplify your project files right when the project is completed. Put any process idea files into a "process" folder and delete any files you are positive that are unnecessary or erroneous. Make sure to update any last-minute changes in the original file in case you have to output it again.

Back-Up

Of course, you back up all your files anyway. But creating a portfolio will be that much easier if you have a dedicated folder or CD-RW at hand. Put a portfolio-ready copy of your project onto the Portfolio disk right when the project is finished.

What to Include

For a portfolio, don't include every single thing you've ever done. Quality is much, much better than quantity. Choose between 6 and 12 of your very best pieces, and showcase only those. If you only have two pieces worth showing, but they're spectacular, that's better than filling a portfolio with junk just to take up space. A prospective employer will not be impressed with piles of inferior work - if you're willing to show it to them, what kind of work would you be willing to pass off in the job?

It bears repeating: Show only your best.

Write the Commentary

In order of importance, the types of writing you may have on your portfolio include: identify your work, introduce yourself, explain your ideas and processes, and sometimes even speak directly to your audience.

At the very least, you will need to write captions for each piece. The caption should include the client (a School Project should be identified as such) as well as a short title. Watch out for spelling, grammar, capitalization, etc.

An introduction can be a copy of your resume, a cover letter, or a bio. Be as sparse and brief as possible.

Choose a Metaphor

A metaphor is a powerful way to think about the structure of your portfolio. It's a way to organize your material in a recognizable format that will help keep the whole thing coherent. It can be literal, or simply a way to think about the site map.

Gallery

A museum or gallery is very formal, a space you enter in order to see someone's work specifically. They're often linear, like pictures on a gallery wall, and can be grouped into linear sections like rooms. Usually, the interface is understated.

Spec Sheet or a Brochure

In real life, these provide business details, either generalities or functional details. This metaphor says, "This is what I can do." Base your organization around categories.

Outreach

This is similar to the brochure, except it says, "This is what I can do FOR YOU." The writing will help differentiate the subtle focus on services instead of skills.

Narrative

This type of portfolio tells a story with a clear order. You can organize your work in "chapters," like case studies.

Experience

If you have strong technical skills, try a Flash Experience. Take your audience for a ride through your portfolio. This is difficult to carry off, but fun to play with if successful.

Design the Interface

Keep it simple. Group your materials in a natural way. Map the site out using those groups. Pick a style and be consistent.

Grouping

You can arrange your work in many different ways, such as:

• Dates
• Employment history
• Discipline (illustration, photos, web design)
• Category
• Technology
• Medium
• Process
• Client
• Size of project
• Visual Interest

Map It

Create a hierarchy for your groups. Include the Grouping, the Hierarchy, and the Connections (links). Try flow-charting software if your map is going to be complicated.

Make sure the map is flexible and leaves room to add pieces and even categories.

KISS

Keep It Simple, Seriously.

If it's going to take you hours to create a basic page, it's not worth it.

Animations should be discrete, non-looping, or better yet, limited to rollovers.

Use a limited colour scheme. The focus is on your work.

Use a solid colour as a background, not a texture or a picture.

Do not fill up your page - there's no such thing as too much white space, especially for showcasing your work.

Develop and Test

Put your plan into action. Create the website, the Flash animation, or the CD.

Show it to your friends and family and get their reactions. If they can't navigate through the portfolio, figure out why. Test it on different platforms. Make any changes, and test again.

Once it's perfected, you can start hitting people with it. Send the URL or a small PDF with your emailed resumes. Take a CD with you to an interview. Use it in tandem with your resume and your stellar interview skills to get you a job!