How Much Do You Focus On One Area When Tailoring a Portfolio to a Client?

Question: How Much Do You Focus On One Area When Tailoring a Portfolio to a Client?

Not only should you periodically review and change the contents of your portfolio — updating it with newer, better work — it is also a good practice to tailor it to the client or employer.

For example, when showing your portfolio to a potential client interested specifically in a new logo or identity system, include primarily examples of your logo designs and identity pieces and less of your newsletter or package design.

Answer: When it comes to tailoring your portfolio contents, whatever you include — use your very best work. Mediocre pieces, even if closely related to the type of work that a client/employer does, won't impress anyone. If you aren't proud of the piece, leave it out.

Focus on What the Client Wants

As a general guideline, when tailoring your graphic design portfolio to a specific potential client or employer (such as an ad agency or a small business) you want to include primarily pieces that reflect what that client or employer wants. Focus on your advertising design pieces for the ad agency. Focus on sales and marketing materials for the small business — and if you have work done for companies in the same field (such as medical or legal or food service) then highlight that as well.

Keep It Balanced

At the same time that you're tailoring your portfolio to the client or employer you want to show you are a well-balanced designer. Your graphic design portfolio should show your versatility. When tailoring your portfolio toward a client primarily interested in having you produce, for instance, product information brochures, ideally 2/3rd to 4/5ths of your portfolio should showcase product brochures (and other product-oriented collaterals) you have designed. But also include other good pieces showing other types of design work you've undertaken such as small space ads, newsletters, packaging, or business cards.

Show Your Flexibility

Another aspect of showing you are a well-balanced designer is avoiding the appearance of being a one-note designer. That is, it should reflect a variety of styles and include enough types of work to show you are adept at both graphics/photo intensive work and text-heavy work.

Even among the pieces that focus on a specific area (advertising design, identity design, the medical field, etc.) offer a portfolio mix that shows your skill working with photos, working with primarily text layouts, your spot color / full color work, retro / modern / classic / cutting-edge styles, material obviously aimed at adults, children, etc.

Your favorite pieces may all be in full-color, but if you've done good work in black & white or spot color, show some of that. If you tend toward very cutting edge design, great. But show off at least a little of your more classic or conservative pieces as well.

Show What's Real

For established designers, stick with the very best of the real material you've produced for clients or past employers. That is, unless you are very new with little material to show, don't use student or practice work, pieces done on spec, or ideas that were ultimately rejected by the client. If the client was sold on logo #1, show that one, even if you liked logo #2 better. And if you really hated logo #1 — just leave it out of your portfolio altogether.

An exception might be using that type of work if it really speaks to the kind of work that you know that particular client or employer is looking for or if you need to show more range in your portfolio. But only use material that you honestly know to be top-notch and be ready to answer questions about why those particular pieces were rejected by the client (if that was the case).

Sometime You Need To Keep It Broad

Sometimes you can't tailor a graphic design portfolio in a certain direction. For instance, you may be working with recruiters or headhunters and you're not sure what companies they may be approaching. Unless you seriously only want to target specific types of work I'd tend to go with keeping it (the portfolio contents) broad — showcase your very best work across all areas — while also showing your range of skills.

If a recruiter gets your foot in the door somewhere you can bring along a tailor-made graphic design portfolio to the interview with the client that is more narrowly focused on that client's needs. And if the client has already looked over your broad portfolio, you now have the chance to show them even more of your work.

_{Thanks to reader Greg L. for inspiring some of this material.}

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