1. portfolio basics
Carly Hagins, adjunct professor
Wentworth Institute of Technology

2. the goal of
making a portfolio
is landing a job
Keeping your audience (potential
employers) in mind should guide
the design of your portfolio

3. portfolios are meant
to communicate:
- skill level
- thought process (problem solving skills)
- interests
If you’re applying to a toy company, there
should be some toys in your portfolio

4. indesign is your friend
It’s the easiest. Trust me.

5. hierarchy of information
Prioritize every piece of information on
every page. Make sure the most important
stuff is what gets seen first.
You can make page elements appear
more important by making them bigger,
bolder, or more opaque.

6. title page + resume +
work + end page =
portfolio Just like in real life, it’s nice to introduce
yourself. It’s also nice to say thanks.
Project intro pages can also be a good
way to keep control of rhythm.

7. you gotta include:
name, email, & phone
number

8. choose your layout
wisely8.5 x 11 plays well in many situations, but
sometimes it’s better to stand out (with large
format, square, vertical, etc.)

9. consider other formats too
You may want to share your portfolio on coroflot, Behance,
LinkedIn, or a personal website.

10. people read a
page from
top left
to bottom
right

11. matters of font
choose 2
Any more than that looks bad & gets distracting
mix serif & sans serif
It adds interest & readability (and makes it look like
you know what you’re doing.)
it doesn't have to be huge
Consider where your portfolio will be viewed.
12 pt font is very readable on an 8.5 x 11 print-out.

12. use impactful imagery
Friends don’t let friends use Google images.

13. its OK to have just
one
thought per slide
Like Julia Child said, ‘Don’t crowd the mushrooms!’

14. distill your work down
into the best content
Include just one project that shows your entire
process. Then pick-and-choose your favorite
sketch page, Key Shot render, etc.

15. start strong,
end strong
Impress them enough so they will keep clicking,
then leave them with something powerful to
remember you by.

16. be proud of your work
Remember that a potential employer might ask you to
talk through any of the projects in your portfolio—or
all of them.

17. get as much criticism
as possible
Please proofread. Typos are terrible!
Ask friends for advice. Go to portfolio reviews.
Improve at every opportunity.

18. questions?