- Loose Copies / Extra Pieces
If you fasten samples to the portfolio page — a good idea if the pages tend to slip around or fall out — include a few loose copies of each piece as well.
Potential clients or employers may wish to handle items, especially folding pieces, items with die cuts, or pieces with unusual papers. If interviewing with two or more people in the same meeting, the extra pieces allow the others in the interview to view your work while one is flipping through your portfolio pages.
- Tailored Contents
If you know in advance what type of work the employer or client is most interested in, tailor your portfolio contents to their needs. You can rearrange the groupings or order of items or exchange one type of sample for another. Graphic design portfolios are not stagnant. Change them as the situation warrants.
"If the client wants you to design a new identity package, don't show them things that don't pertain to identity. If you can do it, find similar 'success' stories about your work that relate to what they're trying to do." -- Steve Fleshman, Founder/Creative Partner DR2
"For some clients I think they can relate better looking at materials that represent the same kind of service or product. It shows that I as a designer could make a bunch of similar businesses look different or unique." — JDELCOR, in the forum
- Tabs or Dividers
If your graphic design portfolio has a large number of pages or sections, using tabbed dividers is one way to help you or the client quickly locate the specific samples that interest them most.
- Before and After
If some of your best work is a makeover of previous materials used by the client, a before-and-after display may be appropriate. Just be sure that any before samples are clearly labeled as such so that the person viewing the portfolio knows that it isn't your own work.
- Web Portfolios
Some of these same guidelines would also apply to Web portfolios. The Web offers further flexibility by making it much easier to present your portfolio in a variety of different methods including animated (good for showing off 3D work too), slide shows, downloadable PDF files, and single pages linked from many different categories.The format for your actual Web portfolio images is normally GIF or JPG or PDF.
"The best thing to do is to scan your finished works to put up on your site. While you can place PDFs online, and that's probably not a bad idea, it' easiest if people can view your work with no barriers. Judy Litt, former About.com Guide to Graphic Design
Assignment for Lesson 5 on Portfolios
If you arrived at this page via search you've landed in the middle of a free class offered by email. This lesson is part of the Create a Portfolio in 6 Days email class offered by About Desktop Publishing. Sign up for the 6-lesson class.
