AS2205

PORTFOLIO PREPARATION

PORTFOLIO
It is a collection of your work that communicates your professional value as a designer. What do we want to
communicate to your future client or employer? You communicate your expertise, skill level, what you can do
for the client or the company, and your design process. Your portfolio should speak about how you can add
value and bring money to your client or the company you are working for.

A portfolio should be viewed as a design project in itself. Your portfolio presentation can demonstrate display
and packaging opportunities as well as showcase your capabilities. You want to imply an intelligent strategy
to market a most important concept—you, the designer (Fleishman, 2014).

Treat your portfolio as your brand or product you want to sell to your future client or company.

3 BIG STEPS IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING YOUR PORTFOLIO

1. Audience – Knowing your audience allows you to have a foundation for the works you need to include
in your portfolio. When you know your audience, you can identify what you have to highlight towards
your portfolio.

This is why it is important to know who your client is or the company that you want to work for and
what they are looking for or hiring for. Some clients or creative managers don’t have all day to look at
your portfolio; some only have 10 to 15 minutes of their time to review your portfolio because they
have a lot of work to do. But some want to know all the details of your portfolio and design process
and are very meticulous.

So, when you are applying for a designer job, read the job description, know the company or client,
understand what they are looking for so that you can create a portfolio that may fit the needs of your
future client or employers.

This is a job post from an e-commerce company. Since they are looking for a Motion Designer, if that
is your or one of your top expertise, then what should be highlighted in your portfolio is your motion
graphics and animation works. Since this is an e-commerce company, better highlight your work
relevant to e-commerce.

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In this example, an entertainment company is looking for a Multimedia Artist, specifically someone
who is skilled in graphic design and video editing. So, what should be highlighted in your portfolio?
What should you include? Your graphics and video work. Since this is an entertainment company, you
can check your works and see which one can be relevant to the kind of company that you’re applying
for.

2. Write Out Your Content – It will save time when you write out your portfolio’s content first. When we
think of creating our portfolio, we tend to view it as visuals immediately. Yes, your visuals are
important, but when you start with your visuals, it can slow you down in crafting a good message and
a good write-up for your portfolio.

Writing out your works first can help you focus on important details and messaging for your audience.
– Jiggy Villanueva, UX&Chill Conference 2020

How do we do a write-up for our portfolio? You can start your write-up first, even in MS Word, Google
Docs, Notion, Trello, Milanote, Etc.

How do we write out Your content?

There are so many effective ways you can write out your content. However, one of the best
structures is creating a clear case study of your work. A Case study defines your body of work. For
example, if you say your expertise is branding, you show a branding project and how you can
structure it. Your case study is what your work is all about and your process of doing it. Your future
client or employer would appreciate it if you could share your design process with them because it’s
a way for them to know how you work.

Can you put a case study in your portfolio? In a portfolio website, for example. The answer is yes,
you can, and it’s much better.

How do we create a case study for our portfolio?

Usually, a case study would have:
• Project Title
• Project Timeline
• Your Role
• Project Summary
• The Challenge
• The solution that you come up with
• The Outcome

Pls. See 01 Case Study Template for the example

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3. Present Your Work – When you are about to present your work, you should consider the visuals that
could accompany your case study/s and what medium you should publish or present your portfolio.

Visuals Medium
Where do you want to present your work? Decide on
what medium you can show your skills and expertise
It should complement your case study write-up
best and what you think would be the best for your
audience.
It could be:
• Slide decks (during the interview or
presentation)

• Website (Either you create your website

It should show the strengths of your works and why from scratch your use web building sites like
it’s the best. Show your work that you designed it to Wix, WordPress, or Webflow)
be the best.
• Portfolio building sites (ex. Behance, Adobe
For example, if your expertise or you are applying for Portfolio, etc.)
a video editor or videographer, then show your
portfolio as a film or video theme. • Social Media Page

Think of the best way/s you can show your work. • Interactive Material

• Demo Reels

And other creative ways or mediums you can think

of.

Examples:

Image from https://www.jappyagoncillo.com/

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Image from https://mypoorbrain.com/

Image from https://yasly.com/

How many pieces of work should you include in your portfolio?

Ideally, 10 to 15 pieces, but sometimes, less is more as long as your work is strong enough to speak about
your expertise and you as a designer.

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FUNDAMENTALS OF YOUR PORTFOLIO

This is what suppose to be what your portfolio should contain.

WORK EXPERIENCE CONTACT ABOUT SKILLS and EXPERTISE

It should Include it if you have This includes your Everything that This includes the
highlight work experience related mobile number, your future client software that you are
your best to arts and design, email, LinkedIn or employer familiar with. The
works. whether freelance or profile, social needs to know multimedia skills that
regular employment. media page, or about you. you know. You highlight
profile. what you are good at.
Volunteer experience It can be a short
related to multimedia description of
arts can also be yourself, what
included. you do, etc.

Make your portfolio simple yet creative but easy to navigate.

References

How to Set Up Your Design Portfolio for Success. (2020). Lecture, UX&Chill Conference.

Fleishman, M. (2014). Starting Your Career As a Graphic Designer. Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated.

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