Portfolios are a great way of presenting your work.
There are several ways to make a portfolio stand out from the crowd, whether you need one for a hand-in, a college interview or for a job interview. When tutors, independent markers or future employees look at a portfolio they want to see a clearly presented, clearly labeled and clearly outlined brief so that they know exactly what they are looking at and why they're looking at it.
Instructions
1. Read the brief. If you have been given a brief or instructions, read through these and make sure you know exactly what is required of you. The least impressive thing will be if you get the brief wrong.
2. Spread out all the potential work you think you may want to include in the portfolio on a table or a floor. This will give you a chance to look at all your work at a distance and see what pieces stand out.
3. Separate your work into two sections: finished and unfinished, then move all the unfinished work out of the way so you can concentrate on work that is 100 percent complete. You should never include incomplete work in a portfolio.
4. Pick out 20 pieces of work that you think are the strongest or you like the most. If you are unsure, ask a tutor or a friend to give you an opinion.
5. Organize your work into color, subject, style or categories. When individuals are looking through your work, they want to see thoughtful structure. It is not going to look very impressive if everything looks like a mismatch of color or style.
6. Pick out the strongest pieces of work and put them in order. On the back, label them 1 to 20 so that you do not get confused.
7. Place the work, in order, into your portfolio and ensure everything fits correctly. Do not use it if it does not fit correctly. Messy, ill-fitting work will not look impressive.
8. Label your work and create a cover sheet. Ensure all the fonts are the same and are the same size. This will create a complete, all-together feel to your portfolio and will allow those looking at it to navigate their way around easily.
