Portfolio

"The process of impressing employers or clients with our design skills begins with the design of our portfolios. When we show them we are not only judged on the content, but also on the way we have designed them. A badly designed portfolio sends out a message: bad designer"

Adrian Shaughnessy

For designers looking for employment, and for studios and individuals trying to impress clients and win assignments, it is essential to have a portfolio of work. There are two important aspects to portfolios. The first is the actual physical receptacle we use to show our work, and the second is the methodology we employ to visually present the work within our portfolios. We need to get both aspects right. We can spend a small fortune on a beautiful custom-made steel flight case, but if the work inside is poorly presented we might as well put it in a supermarket carrier bag.

Today, portfolios are less and less likely to be physical artefacts. Since many presentations will involve web design, interactive elements and motion graphics, it is essential to be able to make some sort of screen-based presentation. Presentations made on laptops or via data projectors can be highly effective. Somebody recently showed me their work on an Apple iTouch. Novelty value: high. Effectiveness: low. Personally, my favourite way to make a formal presentation is to use a data projector, with printed samples as back-up. These smart little machines are cheap and easy to transport, and when hooked up to a laptop they allow designers to make sophisticated audiovisual presentations. However, it's always advisable to check to see whether a presentation with a projector is possible.

The most important rule to remember when showing work is to show it in context. Clients rarely care about the formal aspects of a design, but they do care about its effectiveness. Of course it is not always possible but we should always attempt to show context - even if it means mocking it up, in the same way that architects make lifelike models of their buildings to show their 'reality'. Doing this is an enormous benefit.

Graphic Design: A User's Manual by Adrian Shaughnessy