Graphic Design Portfolio-Builder [Electronic resources] : Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator Projects نسخه متنی

Building a Portfolio

One of the goals of this book is to help you build a portfolio. It's an essential step for a designer, but it can seem a little daunting. Here are some quick tips to help you get started.

The goal is of a portfolio is to compile your best work into a presentation that will land you a job or client. A portfolio must be representative of the type of work you're seekingno sense in compiling an ad portfolio if you're looking for visual identity work, for example.

The pieces you select for your portfolio must make an impact and be easily understood with little or no explanation. If presented on the Web (as opposed to in person) it's important to accompany the pieces with a brief description of the client, the project goal, and your design approach.

How do you decide what belongs in a portfolio? For most designers, selecting the right pieces is a continual process of expansion and contraction. You put up the best pieces you have, and you replace them with better pieces when they become available.

Questions to determine whether a piece is portfolio-ready:

Is it representative of specific design skills? (For example, logo design, digital imaging, illustration, or poster design.)

Is it the category of work you would hope to get hired for in the future?

Will it make a client say "Wow!" and will it stick in his memory?

Are you proud to say you did the work and discuss how you created it?