After working hard to create new content, the way in which you present it to an employer or client can be just as important as the actual design. In “18 of the best design portfolio examples” Ruth Hamilton says getting your portfolio right can be “the difference between getting hired or not” (Hamilton, 2023). Putting together your work in a portfolio is the final step, but the most important step to create a lasting image of yourself to an employer. In the image above, Velvet Spectrum’s vibrant colors are organized and presented in a bright way to catch the readers eye. All of the photos go together in a similar style and each color combination captures my eye in a very clean and polished summary of their work.

What if I don’t have any published work to show?

The only way to gain experience is to start with presenting your own projects in an impressive way to showcase your potential. Deepina Kapila in “Need A Job? Add These 8 Projects To Your Portfolio” says a portfolio shows a “wide range of your skills. You can do all of these without a client or previous experience” (Kapila, 2023).

Fake it ‘Til You Make it

One tip that Kapila points out, which I think is brilliant, is to show fake projects in a portfolio. For example, creating a real life mock up that would be used for a product on the market would make an employer more easily recognize your potential. You can make projects look real by printing them out, mocking them up and photographing them as if they were a real published product (Kapila, 2023). This isn’t lying…this is only presenting ideas in a polished way to give employers an idea of how your ideas would look in a finished product. Kapila recommends explaining them as “concepts” and being truthful about your designs without pretending you got paid for that specific job if you didn’t (Kapila, 2023).

The Rebrand

Another tip that Kapila suggests is “redesigning your favorite family-owned restaurant’s site” (Kapila, 2023). This is a great idea to show the process from the original logo and design to the process in creating a brand new design for the business. We started out this class by re-designing a logo for a local The research on the product already exists and creating a re-brand shows your creative skills in making the brand better with a fresh eye.

The Final Touches

After creating your designs and putting them together in a portfolio, there are many important checks you need to do in your designs to make sure they are client or employer ready. Cath Caldwell, in Graphic Design for Everyone provides some great checklists for preparing your website design for launch or prepping your design for print. She recommends many checks including content checks, proofreading, image/link test, consistency checks, legibility tests, browser/mobile tests, and any legal checks (Caldwell, 198). Although these may seem tedious, she says “it will be much trickier and more expensive to correct any glitches once it has gone live” (Caldwell, 199). Checklists and many eyes on projects are always a good idea before it goes to print.

My Own Portfolio

In an effort to “put it all together”, I created a portfolio with the work I created this semester. I researched many online portfolios and found some great examples of portfolios that look impressive and give the viewer an idea of the style of someone’s work. For example, the Logo Design Company’s portfolio in the screenshot below gives the viewer a very clear snapshot of their style and work in a clear and professional format.

Although I am still working on developing my niche and design style, I put together a gallery of my work from the past semester. I took some of my highlighted work and showed some mock ups that make it look like a finalized deliverable as well as some final designs. Although none of this work is published, I tried to make it as professional and used Kapila’s advice to fake it ’till I make it and show as many concepts and mock ups to show as much potential as possible.

PORTFOLIO

Citations:

3D design and animation: Velvet Spectrum. Velvetspectrum. (n.d.). https://www.velvetspectrum.com/

Caldwell, C. (2019). Graphic design for everyone. Dorling Kindersley Limited.

Hamilton, R. (2022, May 4). 18 of the best design portfolio examples. Creative Bloq. https://www.creativebloq.com/portfolios/examples-712368

Kapila, D. (2023, May 29). 8 projects to put in your portfolio when you’ve never been hired. Skillcrush. https://skillcrush.com/blog/portfolio-advice-2/

Logo Design NYC Portfolio. Logo Design NYC. (2024, April 9). https://www.logodesignnyc.com/logo-design-portfolio/