A portfolio is an important part of any profession but foe architects and designers it is a reflection of their thought process and ho ideas can be conceived into reality. Without a portfolio it is not possible for architects to get hold of a job as the portfolio not only showcases their academic and professional work but also is a timeline of their growth and skill enhancements.
Here are 10 tips on making an attention-grabbing portfolio that will help you earn a position in good firms:
1. Establish your identity
Whatever the field is, ahead of you is always the competition one going to encounter. That is where the need to stand out emerged. The team is going to assess how you are as unique and creative in the profession, in your way.
Adding the significant work of yours will convey a sense of how you are being shaped as a professional. The brand should not considerably be restricted out on your portfolio but should be extended to everything contexting to your potential.
2. Visually structured presentation
The visual consistency of your portfolio and how the architecture of the same is formatted out is what will decide the making or breaking in the field.
The idea is to opt for such a framework which would, in turn, highlight your work. Answer certain questions in your mind, considering on would you want the projects to be grouped or presented individually? If grouping them then in what format should it be? What would be the mode for making the content or the parameter in which you would distinguish them? etc.
The need is to maintain the potential and make it constant throughout the portfolio, without letting one lost through hundreds of projects unorganized.
Leave enough breathing space, build the interactive content, use balanced visual schemes throughout the portfolio.
3. Be choosy about what to put-in
The mantra is to control the extent of your emotions regarding your projects. You should restrict yourself slipping on the trick of projecting such projects which do not highlight your skills to that extent, which other projects do.
Being selective directs at not including the older projects dates back to 3 years or more. You should decide on each project like,
Was it successful enough? Did it fulfill the goals to that extent?
Will it do enough good if I include it to the list?
Is this project having any kind of similarity with the previously mentioned ones?
Am I really into this project or proud of the same? etc.
Thus, keeping the portfolio short and with the selective projects is what directs it to appreciate.
4. Put your major keys at the start and end
This is what acts likes a way to read and manipulate the mind of the ones who’ll be going to assess you. The way of starting and ending the projects with the key projects somehow grabs the attention the most.
The idea could be implemented out on any platform for making portfolios. By opting for this type of framework, one ends with the feeling of wanting more like your excelled projects, without paying much stress on what was in between them.
5. Project your thinking skills (through self-initiated works)
The professionals are majorly interested in seeing how did you flexed out your muscles in the field and projected out your voice.
The self-work is what makes you stand out from the rest, depicting the passion in you out. The young designee is somewhere less skilled in projecting out there thinking, what do they think? How do they demonstrate the working procedures?
While putting your projects out, all you need is to illustrate, is the ability behind tackling the same.
- State the objective for every project.
- The show, how did you gather the information, and analyzed it.
- Be selective about the designing tools.
- Display your ability to creating the forms to emerge out with the design solution.
- Talk about how you solved the issues and let the results communicate.
6. Let the work speak
Allow the portfolio to talk it through without over embellishing the portfolio, by making large projects to view in easily.
As per the Rob Gonzalez from the UK based design studio SAWDUST about their portfolio-
“The idea was essentially to make viewing work as easy and accessible as possible. We wanted all of our projects on one page at the same time, which would allow anyone commissioning us to easily be able to scan projects until finding the desired reference (Luke O Neill,2017).”
7. Get to the point, with basics
Despite demonstrating the mastery of the different fundamentals, project you the basic knowledge about how exactly you master your technique. Distracting them from the quality of work with all the overdo infographics is not desirable. A sleek, simple, and minimal design layout is what would make you win with the considerate quality of good work.
The selectively simplistic approach is what would make you articulate out the best.
8. Leave them desiring for more
The concern is to left the viewer with the lasting impression of your keys, to leave them desired for more of the same.
Overdoing things is not what is asked for(here). The basic thought is to understand that, if you have mentioned certain graphics or artwork, then the required instinct is to feature the few pieces of the same to not bore them with multiples.
9. Put Emphasis on the Writing part
All you need is not only to display the best out of your keys but also to lay the focus on writing things. It’s always interesting to read about the person or team behind the projects. Because in the end, they are going to hire you only.
This is why, the writing part needs to get the front, even before the visuals.
Thomas Williams’ portfolio is an excellent example of giving visitors the relevant information right off the bat. By introducing himself, Thomas creates an initial connection with visitors (Nick Babich, 2019).
10. Make the ‘About Me’ Section
The one who is going to be hired is you, not your portfolio. That is why your portfolio should reflect upon what kind of personality do you carry and who you are to be on point.
The section will contain detailed information about the interests and passion you carry. The section is going to humanize your details. But this consideration does not mean that to fill-up the section. The section should be concise and Crystal-clear to the point.
