Graphics Design Students - The Importance of a Portfolio in Finding a Job
Finding a first job can be easy for many. Finding the first job for graphic design students however, can be ulcer inducing.

Graphic students need more than just a resume. To make themselves that much more attractive to potential employers, they need to produce a portfolio. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

It constantly amazes me just how many graphic design students don’t know how to put together an effective portfolio. Your portfolio showcases your creativity, your talent and your level of experience. It provides an opportunity for employers to inspect your attention to details, your creativity and just how much experience you really have.

A weak portfolio can mean bye-bye to that nice job you are being interviewed for.

Types of Portfolio

There are three main types of portfolio that you can create:
1. physical (print version)
2. CD or DVD
3. An online format.

So, what type of portfolio should you have? Well, the answer is all three!

People interact and perceive the world in different ways. Some people like to physically touch, feel and interact with the printed media, others want to be able to sit back and view a portfolio from beginning to end via a DVD or CD, and others prefer the convenience of a website.

In order to show your level of versatility and commitment and to cater to the different needs of employers it is best to create ALL THREE of the portfolio types.

What to put in a Portfolio?

Don’t just put anything in your portfolio. Quantity does not mean quality! As a general rule of thumb choose 12 strong designs. Choose the designs that you are truly proud of, the ones that you remember because you will be spending time discussing them with your potential employer.

Create a portfolio that shows the progression of your designs and your creative thought process. Sketches, brainstorms and variations on your final design show your ability to think and create. Both are important skills that employers like. You should have a selection of designs using different mediums - including some traditional pencil/paint designs on paper as well as contemporary photoshop and/or other computer graphic software.

The trick here is to create a balanced portfolio.

Don’t be afraid to change your portfolio based on what is required. A web graphics job means more focus on web graphics projects. However, don’t discount traditional mediums as employers like to know the person they are hiring can do more than one job. Versatility is a major asset!

Also, when designing your portfolio, remember that people tend to remember the first and the last in a sequence.

Print Portfolio

The print portfolio has been around the longest and is still the preferred visual showcase for employers and clients alike. Use a large folder that has coils/ring-binders so that you may add and take out pages with ease. There is no set colour for these folders though black seems to be the default choice and it is a strong colour to set your work against.

A leather cover or a cover that utilises some nice material or fabric provides a professional look.

The important factor here is that the folder should be large enough so that pages can be easily turned and it provides enough breathing room for each individual page.

Graphic designers usually use A3 size folders, though A4s are acceptable.

Individual pages are kept in plastic sleeves for protection.

Online Portfolio

Your online portfolio is the opportunity for you to showcase your professionalism as well as your creativity. Do NOT make it overly done. Keep it simple and easy to navigate. There is nothing worse than having your potential employer failing to find the samples of your design because your cursor has a panda or some other cute thing attached to it. Navigation should be easy and clear on EVERY page. The viewer should know where they are, how to return to where they were and how to go forward.

Use thumbnails of the actual design. It allows greater control for employers so that they can view what they want to see.

Image sizes should be no smaller than 300px and not bigger than 800px wide. Images should be kept below 150kb. You don’t want them to give up waiting for your page to load because you decided to upload a 1mb image as your sample.

And finally offer 2 viewing options for your website; one that utilises Flash and another that doesn’t.

Some people prefer Flash while others prefer more traditional site layout and using Flash would only irritate them.

DVDs (CDs)

The easiest way to make a DVD version of your portfolio is to copy your whole website onto the disk.

Just remember to keep all files and images in logical folders and have a very clear starting point, for example, index.html or start.html. One benefit of a DVD portfolio is that you are no longer limited by internet speed, therefore, you can use that 1mb image for the best resolution you can get. Videos and animations are ideal for DVDs as there is less worry about size and download/bandwidth problems.

In conclusion

Your portfolio is a visual representation of your skills, creativity, talent and experience. It is what employers will want to see when you meet them for an interview and it better be up-to-standard or it is out you go.

So, start preparing your portfolio right now, sign yourself up for courses and get some feedback on your portfolios from your tutors, lecturers and mentors. It is essential for a graphics design student to have an impressive portfolio.
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Anonymous IP:121.54.104.202 | 01-09-2008 03:28:07
Anonymous IP:121.210.157.117 | 11-09-2008 17:35:33
thank you so much
Jill IP:77.102.167.121 | 06-10-2008 14:01:28
Very useful
Mon - Great advise IP:124.170.216.219 | 10-10-2008 22:21:20
I'm really glad I stumbled upon this gem.
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